The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll

Hammer Film Productions
Industry	Film production
Key people	Michael Carreras, Anthony Nelson-Keys
Products	Films

The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll—known in the United States as House of Fright'—is a 1960 British horror film directed by Terence Fisher. The cast features Paul Massie, Dawn Addams, Christopher Lee, and Oliver Reed. This production, overseen by producers Michael Carreras and Anthony Nelson-Keys for Hammer Film Productions, adapts the 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, with a screenplay penned by Wolf Mankowitz. Key figures in the production team included Bernard Robinson as Production Designer, Clifford Parkes managing production, Roy Ashton handling makeup, and Don Mingaye serving as Art Director. Notably, this film was Oliver Reed's debut with Hammer, and Christopher Lee considered it among his finest works. It also marked Hammer's inaugural release in the US through American International Pictures (AIP). Filming took place from November 1959 through January 1960, leading to a UK premiere on 24 October 1960 and a subsequent US release on 3 May 1961.

Unlike earlier interpretations, this version presents Jekyll as an unremarkable and plain individual, while Hyde is depicted as charming and attractive—a vision aligned with Fisher’s idea of "the charm of evil." The film’s stylistic details, such as the disappearance of Jekyll’s beard during his transformation into a younger Hyde, attracted notable critical commentary.

The movie was distributed in the United Kingdom by Columbia Pictures and in the United States by AIP under the title House of Fright. However, it failed to achieve commercial success in the American market. This lukewarm reception postponed further Hammer-AIP collaborations until the early 1970s with the release of Lust for a Vampire.

Plot

Set in London during 1874, Dr. Henry Jekyll’s wife, Kitty, secretly engages in an affair with his friend Paul Allen, who frequently borrows money from Jekyll. Despite warnings from his colleague Dr. Ernst Littauer, Jekyll develops a chemical potion intended to probe the depths of the human psyche.

Upon self-experimentation, he transforms into Mr. Edward Hyde—a young, attractive man characterized by violence and lust. Growing weary of indulgent excesses, Hyde turns his attention toward Kitty. After she rejects him, Hyde assaults her and leaves her unconscious. Subsequently, Kitty discovers a note and finds Paul dead from a venomous snakebite orchestrated by Hyde. Overcome with distress, Kitty falls from a balcony onto guests below at a party. Additionally, Hyde murders Maria, an exotic dancer and his lover, within Jekyll’s home.

The following day, Jekyll is appalled upon learning of Hyde’s deeds. After confronting Hyde through a mirror reflection, Jekyll involuntarily changes form again. Hyde then kills a man inside Jekyll’s laboratory, frames Jekyll for the homicide, and sets fire to the lab just as police arrive. Hyde escapes custody while asserting that Jekyll attempted to kill him but ultimately shot himself in madness.

At the coroner’s inquest attended by Littauer and law enforcement officials, it is concluded that Jekyll’s dangerous drug experiments caused multiple deaths and that he took his own life. As Hyde attempts to flee the scene, Jekyll regains control over his body. Recognized by Littauer, Jekyll proclaims he has destroyed Hyde but is subsequently arrested for the crimes committed.

Cast

Paul Massie as Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Edward Hyde
Dawn Addams as Kitty Jekyll
Christopher Lee as Paul Allen
David Kossoff as Dr. Littauer
Francis de Wolff as Inspector
Norma Marla as Maria
Magda Miller as Sphinx Girl (uncredited)
Oliver Reed as nightclub bouncer (uncredited)
William Kendall as clubman (uncredited)
Janine Faye as Jane
Helen Goss as nanny (uncredited)
Pauline Shepherd as prostitute (uncredited)
Percy Cartwright as coroner (uncredited)
Joe Robinson as Corinthian (uncredited)
Arthur Lovegrove as cabby (uncredited)
Felix Felton as first gambler (uncredited)

Production

Originally, Louis Jourdan was intended to headline the cast. Additionally, the role was offered to Argentine actress Isabel Sarli. The movie was filmed at Bray Studios, located in Berkshire.

In this adaptation, Dr. Jekyll is depicted with brown eyes, a full beard, long hair, and thick eyebrows. In contrast, Mr. Hyde features blue eyes, a clean-shaven face, and shorter hair. Although these traits differ, their overall look remains almost identical, which sets this version apart from most others. The narrative implies that Hyde's appearance is sufficiently distinct that Mrs. Jekyll fails to perceive any similarity.

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin criticized the production for its lack of cleverness and professionalism, labeling it as excessively frivolous and derivative despite its extensive use of color cinematography.

Conversely, Variety commended Paul Massie for his "engaging portrayal" and highlighted Jack Asher's "vivid and confident" cinematography.

Eugene Archer of The New York Times described the film as "sensational" and dismissed Massie's performance as "openly absurd."

Harrison's Reports assigned a "Fair" rating, observing that enthusiasts of horror would find little to be frightened by and acknowledging Massie's effort in handling a weakly written dual role.

Financially, the film incurred an estimated loss of £30,000 for Hammer.

Potential Remake

During the mid-1990s, Denis Meikle authored a proposed remake titled Hyde: Monster of Desire, inspired by producer Michael Carreras. This screenplay was briefly evaluated at 20th Century Fox before being revived at Dreamscape Pictures as a $50 million venture, with Sean Connery considered for the role of Jekyll/Hyde. However, the commercial failure of Mary Reilly (1996) along with Dreamscape's closure ultimately halted the project. The script remains accessible on Meikle's website.

External links