Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971) User Reviews

Things most foul to do while in foggy old London

[bygard · 8/10 · 11 May 2007]

The stiff upper lip and jaw of Ralph Bates finally come into their own in this nice variation of Jekyll and Hyde, which also mixes in good quantities of Jack the Ripper myth and the famous 17th century grave robbers Burke and Hare. Considerably less stiff is Martine Beswick as the doctor's female alter ego. She is absolutely too loose in her ways, but I am certainly not complaining! Both are just the right persons for their clashing roles and superbly so. The actual physical change between the two supreme parts in one person is shown in subtle manners and without great special effects, which not only was cheaper to do, but also leaves a lot for a viewer to imagine and so makes it in a way easier to accept. A wise decision from the makers.

The plot idea of unifying the two main story lines of such classic origins is nothing short of brilliant. The invention of elixir of human life using female hormones and how to get it by "uncanny goings in late hours" really does the trick. So does the fascinating and at the same time foul results of the experiment, the mixing of selves and struggle for dominance. Of course much more could have been built in and deepened in the script making the story more intriguing and disturbing. Some needed romantic and freshening humor aspect comes from the continuously snooping neighbors with their funnily pretentious "it doesn't concern us" attitude.

In all, this is once again a fun and stylish horror movie from Hammer studios. The bolder style of company's early seventies film is very much present with some slight gore and nudity added in the proceedings. So, now everyone hurry up and see it.

The Doctor and the Sister Monster

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 21 June 2018]

Dr. Jekyll (Ralph Bates) is a scientist researching the cure of many diseases. He is a very reserved and shy man, and spends most of his time working on his laboratory. One day, his friend Professor Robertson (Gerald Sim) visits him and advises that he would probably die before the conclusion of his studies. Dr. Jekyll decides to research an elixir of life, based on feminine hormones, to extend his life and consequently end his work. He uses female corpses to get the hormones. The effect of the elixir releases his '"feminine repressed side" and he becomes an aggressive and beautiful woman, Ms. Hyde (Martine Beswick). When the bodies finish in the city morgue, Dr. Jekyll starts killing women to proceed with his research.

"Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde" is another charming movie by Hammer and a great entertainment. The theatrical style uses few locations and the gore and killing are not graphic. Fans of Hammer Film Productions will certainly enjoy this different version of the classic story Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Médico & Irmã Monstro" ("The Doctor and Sister Monster")

One of the best later Hammer horror films

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 12 June 2015]

Hammer Films produced a number of classics and an even larger number of very good, entertaining films and a few misses. While Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde is not a classic, it is one of their better later films, and much better than Hammer's other Jekyll and Hyde re-imagining The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll.

Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde looks incredibly good, no surprise seeing as Hammer's films always looked good no matter the quality of the rest of the film. The sets and lighting recreate the Victorian London era with lovingly and evocatively and they look sumptuous and splendidly Gothic. One also has to love the rich colours and the beautiful and atmospheric photography. It is not just that the production values look great that is really well done, but also how much it contributes towards the feel and atmosphere of the film, here the atmosphere is wonderfully moody and has a real sense of fear throughout, which were not always there as effectively in other later Hammer films.

The film also has a chillingly haunting, with also some touches of lush romanticism, score with an at times Rachmaninov sound to it, the dark richness of the orchestration adding so much. It also has the advantage of being well placed and used effectively, excepting some overblown moments in a couple of the transformation scenes. Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde is very intelligently scripted, with some witty and thought-provoking dialogue, while the story(with one of Hammer's most innovative and pretty ingenious premises) is incredibly clever and enormous fun, the suspenseful and often very creepy atmosphere staying consistent all the time and the chills and scares come off tastefully and unsettlingly. Loved the use of the Jack the Ripper mystery, which really did give off a sense of dread, and the nod to Sweeney Todd. The transformation scenes are beautifully shot and boast good effects work and a real edge-of-your-seat tension. The film is strongly directed, the characters carry the narrative very well and the acting is solid; with Ralph Bates giving by far his best performance in a Hammer film and Martine Beswick- youthful beauty at its best- even better in a menacing but never over-the-top performance.

It's not perfect however, but comes close. There are a few pacing longueurs, where a few scenes towards the start dragged just a little. And while the film is incredibly entertaining, rich in atmosphere and does a great job with the majority of its ideas, others did come off rather clumsily, especially the anachronistic and out of place inclusion of Burke and Hare, leaving one wonder why they were included in the first place(a nod to Stevenson's story The Body Snatcher perhaps?).

Overall, while not without flaws and not one of the Hammer classics, it's one of their better later films and never fails to entertain, chill and engage, making the most out of a great premise. 8/10 Bethany Cox

The stunning Martine Beswick helps make this one of Hammer's very best. Wonderfully entertaining, I give it my highest recommendation.

[Infofreak · 9 February 2004]

Hammer's Dracula and Frankenstein movies starring Christopher Lee and/or Peter Cushing are probably their best known, but dig deeper and you'll find some even more original and inventive movies from the studio. Like 'Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde', one of the very best. Ralph Bates had appeared in a couple of not very good Hammer movies prior to this, but he's perfectly cast as Dr. Jekyll and the choice of the stunning Martine Beswick as his alter ego makes this really something to see! Beswick had already been a Bond girl and co-starred with Raquel Welch in Hammer's unforgettable trash classic 'One Million Years B.C.' before this. She later appeared in cult favourites like Oliver Stone's 'Seizure' and 'The Happy Hooker Goes To Hollywood', but this to me is the definitive Beswick role. She is so sexy and evil in this movie, you'll never forget her once you see it. Gerald Sim plays Jekyll's horny colleague Professor Robertson, and Jekyll and Hyde's lives are complicated by their respective love interests (sister and brother) Susan (Susan Broderick) and Howard (Lewis Fiander). Broderick is really lovely. She seemed familiar but it wasn't until I looked her up that I realized where I had seen her before. David Hemmings buys something from her antique store towards the beginning of 'Blowup'. Fiander incidentally appeared with Gerard Sim in 'Dr.Phibes Rises Again' the year after this, but did very little subsequent horror work. As well as the great cast, the movie is helped enormously by a fresh script from Brian Clemens, and the solid direction from Roy Ward Baker, who had both previously worked on 'The Avengers'. It's funny, most fans immediately name Terence Fisher as Hammer's best director, but Baker directed three out of my Top Five Hammer movies (the others being 'The Vampire Lovers' and 'Quatermass And The Pit'), so I'd choose him instead. 'Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde' is wonderfully entertaining, and I give it my highest recommendation. If you've ever enjoyed a Hammer movie but haven't seen this one you're in for a real treat!

A new take on an age old tale

[paul-bissette · 7/10 · 1 August 2005]

I am looking back on this movie with rose-tinted spectacles. I saw it when it first came out at the movies and it was quite risqué at the time. Nowadays, the levels of nudity and prurience would probably be laughable but I do remember feeling a stirring in my loins at the scene where Dr Jekyll realises he is now a woman and the first thing he does is have a good gander. Probably exactly what I'd have done at the time! Plot-wise it's pretty much the straight Jekyll/Hyde story and apart from the twist of changing sex very little is different.

Good performances from Ralph Bates and Martine Beswick who in my opinion didn't get the roles she deserved as she was very much Hammer's leading lady and not a mainstream actress. Very much in the mould of a dark haired version of Ingrid Pitt.

Oh well, I guess a DVD version of this will be available soon if not now and I will watch with relish. However, be warned, I recently bought a DVD of Vampire Lovers and was totally disappointed - obviously my memory of this other movie was tinged with nostalgia for a more innocent time.

At any rate, a movie to be enjoyed when placed into the context of it being made in the early 70's, Hammer were not making a lot of money and were trying to bring a little sex into their horror movies.

One of the best Hammer chillers from the Elstree era.

[barnabyrudge · 6/10 · 4 February 2007]

The Hammer films were initially made at Bray Studios, but in the late '60s the company moved to Elstree. Many purists believe that the films made by Hammer during the Elstree years are largely inferior to the ones made during the Bray era, and a quick glance at some of their later titles certainly supports this theory. Movies like "The Vengeance Of She","Dracula A.D 1972", "The Satanic Rites Of Dracula", "The Horror Of Frankenstein" and "To The Devil A Daughter" are decidedly sub-par entries, all churned out while the company was using Elstree Studios. However, like anything else, there are exceptions to every rule. "Dr Jekyll And Sister Hyde" is an exception to the theory that Hammer horror films made at Elstree are generally rather poor - in fact, this one is pretty good.

In Victorian London, dedicated scientist Dr Jekyll (Ralph Bates) is experimenting on insects to produce a potion that will prolong life. Jekyll is obsessed with the fear that his lifetime will be too short for him to achieve everything he wants, so he is determined to find a way of adding years to his life. It looks as if he has made a breakthrough when he manages to get a fly with a life cycle of one hour to survive for three days. However, the fly he uses is a male of the species and it somehow develops female characteristics, including the ability to lay eggs, during the experiment. Jekyll eventually decides to test a potion on himself. Soon afterwards, he transforms temporarily into a beautiful woman who calls herself Mrs Hyde (Martine Beswick) and poses as Jekyll's sister. In order to carry out further experiments Jekyll needs female hormones, but his supply of corpses dwindles and it becomes harder for him to get new ones. He hires grave-robbers Burke and Hare for a short while, but when they are captured he has to resort to more desperate measures to get his dead female bodies. Jekyll prowls the streets of Whitechapel murdering young prostitutes. He grows sickened by where his work is leading and attempts to quit, but gradually his alter ego Mrs Hyde takes control and continues the killing spree herself. A terrifying internal battle takes shape between Dr Jekyll and Mrs Hyde, as the two personalities existing within him battle for domination…..

"Dr Jekyll And Sister Hyde" is quite a complex and thoughtful twist on the classic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. The "gender conflict" aspect is very interesting indeed. A creepy atmosphere is generated in the dark alleyways of Whitechapel, as the story cleverly mates the Jack The Ripper legend with the Jekyll and Hyde story. Bates gives a decent performance as the misguided scientist, while Beswick (who looks remarkably similar to her male co-star) is genuinely unpleasant. Gerald Sim provides an amusing supporting character in the shape of a lecherous and over-sexed scientist colleague of Jekyll's. There is no denying that there are occasional longueurs in the narrative – plus sporadic touches of plotting clumsiness (e.g. Burke and Hare operating in London in the 1880s when they were actually renowned in 1820s Edinburgh?!) – but on the whole "Dr Jekyll And Sister Hyde" is an entertaining and well-made spine-tingler.

She's just a devil woman, with evil on her mind. Beware the devil woman, she's gonna get you...

[one9eighty · 6/10 · 18 June 2020]

You probably know of the regular Jekyll and Hide story, well this Hammer film directed Roy Ward Baker film adds an interesting variation to what you may already know. In Victorian London Dr Henry Jekyll creates a magic potion using hormones stolen from female corpses - he believes that women live longer than men so using their hormones would be more advantageous. After drinking the magic potion, he becomes Sister Hyde - a hot but dangerous woman. As she, he must get more female hormones to make sure the potion doesn't wear off, so she sets off on a murderous rampage through London.

A typical Hammer film where it's as much tongue in cheek as it is horror. Ralph Bates does well as Dr Jekyll, and Martine Bestwick (who you may have seen in the Bond film "From Russia with Love") is excellent. Don't expect a deep delve into feminism or gender struggles, this is a light-hearted horror film through and through. At most if you want to read into it you might perceive sexual repression; Jekyll is married to science while Hyde explores more 'fun' pursuits.

A decent enough film which twists the original Robert Louis Stevenson story in a way that only the 1970's could. 6 out of 10.

Don't be fooled by the title!

[tankjonah · 7/10 · 30 December 2009]

The title strongly implies that this will be a campy, foolish adaptation of Stevenson's classic tale. This could not be further from the truth.

In the 1880s Dr Jekyll (Ralph Bates), working on an elixir, discovers that the female hormones required for it to work turn him into his female alter ego, an attractive, dangerous woman (Martine Beswick) whom he calls his sister to keep his interested neighbours at bay. One (Susan Brodrick) is attracted to him, the other,(Lewis Fiander), Brodrick's brother, is attracted to Hyde.

This surprisingly good take on the Jekyll and Hyde story also works in the Jack the Ripper murders with Jekyll and Hyde responsible for them as they kill to obtain the necessary female hormones for the experiments. The film is quietly amusing throughout. Highlights include: Bates caressing his well proportioned breasts when he first 'changes'; the truly bizarre triangle between the neighbours as Bates begins to realise that Susan will be a target of Hyde who wants to take over completely; Jekyll caressing the face of the brother unaware that he's changed from Hyde back to Jekyll. Well made and well acted with Bates and Beswick's facial similarities a major plus.

Superb variation on the classic tale!

[The_Void · 9/10 · 13 September 2004]

First of all, the tagline and the claim in the trailer that you will actually see a man transform into a woman before your very eyes isn't exactly true. A man does change into a woman in this film; but the change doesn't take place 'before your very eyes'. That being said; this is still a great horror film. Hammer studios have done some great variations on classic tales, and this one stands up as one of their best. The story follows Dr Jekyll, a scientist that, when trying to find cures to every disease going realises that his efforts to prolong life will, ironically, be beaten by death. This then leads to him trying to 'beat' death with the use of chemicals, but somewhere along the way, as his experiments are oestrogen based, he ends up turning himself into a woman. Oops!

As you might expect, this isn't an entirely serious horror film. However, there are more than enough moments of horror: the scenes where Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde battle for 'control' of their body is a brilliant piece of psychological horror, and the parts where Sister Hyde goes out to kill women in order to get more oestrogen are gratuitously bloody and should delight any horror fan. The film is also very atmospheric; the scenes on the streets are filled with smoke and are very gloomy in the way that they are filmed, which makes for a delicious setting. The cast is also brilliant; Ralph Bates is sublime as Dr Jekyll; he creates just the right mood for his character and is very believable, particularly during the split personality scenes. Martine Beswick, whom you might remember as the Bond girl in "From Russia With Love" is both sexy and sadistic as the evil Sister Hyde. She is the stand out of the movie for me. And most other men. Also in the cast is the lovely Susan Broderick, and the competent Lewis Fiander as brother and sister duo; Howard and Susan, who make for an interesting sub-plot when they both fall for Dr Jekyll. If you haven't realized already; Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde is a great horror film, and therefore comes with the highest recommendation that I can muster.

Getting In Touch With Jekyll's Feminine Side!!!

[ferbs54 · 7/10 · 11 December 2007]

Not to be confused with "Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde" ('95) or "Daughter of Dr. Jekyll ('57), "Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde" ('71) is a wonderful entertainment that was written and coproduced by Brian Clemens. Clemens, perhaps best known for his work on TV's cult series "The Avengers," as well as for writing and directing "Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter" (his only other film for Hammer Studios, in '74), also wrote a song for "DJASH"; needless to say, he is a man of many talents. In this film, he not only conflates the Whitechapel murders of Jack the Ripper in 1888, the notorious body snatcher/serial killers Burke and Hare (who both died many years before that, but no matter), and R.L. Stevenson's oft-told Jekyll and Hyde story, but gives it all a novel spin by having Jekyll transform into a woman. Also interesting is the fact that Jekyll, well played by Ralph Bates, is almost as monstrous as the Hyde creaturette that he becomes: Jekyll is willing to murder street trollops in order to obtain the female hormones needed for his experiments. Martine Beswick, it must be said, is perfect as Bates' "feminine side." She really does look like his female counterpart, and manages to appear both beautiful and scary looking at the same time. The film is very nice to look at, too; almost like an episode of "Masterpiece Theatre," but with more blood and mayhem. All in all, this is still another winner from the House of Hammer...with loads of fine extras on this DVD, too!

A Dog's Breakfast

[JamesHitchcock · 5/10 · 31 January 2006]

The British cinema of the late sixties and early seventies tended to specialise in horror and erotica, largely because these were the two topics that were taboo on British television and the film industry was therefore able to cater for two markets that were not open to its rival. Hammer Films, the leading British producer of horror films, often tried to cater for both markets at once by making horror films with strongly erotic overtones. "Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde" is an example of that approach. It took R L Stevenson's famous novel and gave it an unusual twist; when Jekyll drinks the potion he turns into a woman. (The more recent American version, "Dr Jekyll and Ms Hyde", dealt with the story in a similar way).

In this version Dr Henry Jekyll is a brilliant young doctor in 1880s London, working on an "antivirus" that will cure all known diseases as well as an "elixir of life". Jekyll discovers that female hormones are necessary to produce such an elixir, and that these hormones can only be procured from the freshly-killed corpses of young women. He therefore decides to obtain corpses from body-snatchers, and when this supply fails takes to murdering young prostitutes, thus linking the film to two infamous British murder cases, that of Jack the Ripper and that of Burke and Hare (who in reality operated in the Edinburgh of the 1820s rather than the London of the 1880s). When Jekyll drinks his elixir, he finds that it has the effect of transforming him, temporarily, into a beautiful young woman, whom he names "Mrs Hyde" and passes off as his widowed sister. To add to the complications, Jekyll's neighbour Howard Spencer falls in love with "Mrs Hyde", whereas Howard's own sister Susan is in love with Jekyll.

Stevenson's original story was a philosophical exploration of the duality of good and evil in the human soul, but that concept is largely abandoned here. (Hammer horror films are not, anyway, the place to go if you are looking for philosophical insight into the human condition). Certainly, Sister Hyde is an evil killer, but in this version so is Jekyll even before he drinks the potion. The difference seems to be that whereas she kills for pleasure, he kills for what he believes are idealistic reasons. Jekyll's view is that a the lives of a few prostitutes are a price worth paying for advancing the cause of medical research. If the ideologically-driven mass-murders of the twentieth century have taught us anything, it is that the most dangerous type of killer is the one driven by idealism, but the film loses the chance to make this point.

Having thrown away the deeper implications of the Jekyll and Hyde legend, the film-makers settle for an odd mixture of thrills and macabre humour, mostly wisecracks of the "Burke by name and berk by nature" type, with the occasional erotic frisson thrown in. Some of the acting is reasonably good, especially from Martine Beswick as Hyde and from Gerald Sim as Jekyll's smoothly lecherous older colleague Dr Robertson. Although Beswick was a very glamorous young woman, she was here able to suggest the male persona underlying her character's female appearance. I was less impressed by Ralph Bates as Jekyll, who never seemed sure whether his character was supposed to be sympathetic or unsympathetic. The main trouble with the film, however, was that it was a dog's breakfast of horror, comedy and eroticism which never managed to be either very horrifying or very comic or (despite a couple of nude shots of Martine Beswick) very erotic. The jokes were never particularly amusing in their own right, but they were intrusive enough to prevent us from taking the horror scenes seriously. 5/10

Spooky and funny at the same time. This is GREAT Hammer entertainment!!

[Coventry · 9/10 · 24 February 2004]

The story is well known, but the Hammer computation of it is pure fun like you've rarely seen it before! The re-writing of the ancient fable by Robert L. Stevenson is dared and perhaps a bit silly, but it never loses the power of the classic version. You simply can't but love this film as it combines good laughs, a few shocks and terrific acting performances. Roy Ward Baker also did a sublime job as the director. Since the year of release is 1971, this one certainly belongs to the better ones of the late Hammer efforts, if not one of the best in the entire history of the British production company. The largest praising goes out to the cast. I've seen Ralph Bates before, as the vicious Baron in The Horror of Frankenstein, but I didn't like him that much at that time…neither did I like that whole film, by the way. But he certainly does a great job here, as the dedicated scientist – Dr. Jeckyll – who is about to discover the secret to everlasting life! The intense work and dedication he puts into his research is spooky and funny at the same time. A pure joy to observe and a very bright performance. As an important substance of his experiments, he tests the effect of female hormones on himself, which makes him turn into his alter ego, Sister Hyde. He then becomes a stunning beauty, walking and talking through the body of the absolutely gorgeous Martine Beswick! This former Bond-girl (From Russia with Love) could be described best as every man's wet dream. As a cover for Dr. Jeckyll, sister Hyde goes out on the streets at night for killing new hormones! The alter ego slowly takes control over Jeckyll's manhood, which leads to a couple of hilarious and well-portrayed situations. As said before, the screenplay of this film is one you've got to love! Enormous fun! The Jack-the-Ripper settings and atmosphere are terrific and there even is some good bloodshed to enjoy for the real horror freaks! Highest possible recommendation for this one!

How the Transformation was Done

[junk-monkey · 7/10 · 24 March 2010]

*** Contains Spoilers! ***

Dr Jekyll, searching for The Elixir of Life (or even An Elixir of Life, I don't suppose he's that fussy really) finds himself transmogrifying into a woman with a penchant for wearing red and slaughtering prostitutes.

Mixing the Jekyll and Hyde story with the Jack the Ripper story makes some kind of sense but adding Burke and Hare into the mix (60 years too late and in the wrong city) seems a bit odd. But then Hammer was never really one for historical accuracy - if you want to get really picky Jekyll's talk of creating a powerful anti-virus is pretty spectacular given that the first virus wasn't identified till 1898 ten years after the Whitechapel Murders (isn't Wikipedia wonderful? Suddenly I'm an expert on the Victorian era).

So, pretty routine late Hammer stuff, all swirling fog and dodgy cockney accents accents. There were some nice moments, the best of which was the first transformation. We've all seen the Jekyll>Hyde transformation before, the actor will clutch his throat as if he has just accidentally swallowed a bucket of phall, stagger under the weight of fifteen pints of Special Brew lager, fall out of shot behind convenient piece of furniture and emerge, after a suitably dramatic pause and a couple of hours spent in Make-up, covered in hair and with a lecherous gleam in the eye.

Here he staggers across the set and slumps into a chair in front of a full length mirror, he lowers his head into his hands (the agony!) and the hand-held camera tilts down on him till his head and shoulders fill the screen, music music music, and the camera tilts up again, Jekll's reflection is hunched over in the mirror, slowly he looks up, (we see what he sees as the camera is now in an over the shoulder shot) he drops his hands from his face and there is the female Hyde staring back at him. Pretty impressive. I had a real 'Wait! How did they do that?' moment. Jekyll, played by Ralph Bates, hadn't been out of shot for the entire transformation and there were no cuts or cross-fades that would have allowed a substitution. Rerunning it a couple of times the trick became so bloody obvious and elegantly simple. Real Jonathan Creek stuff.

In the few moments the mirror was out of shot and we were staring at the back of Jekyll's head and shoulders, the mirror was moved slightly, rotated a few degrees so that, when camera picked it up again, it wasn't showing the reflection of Jekyll sat in the chair as it had been before but the reflection of the actress playing Hyde, sat in an identical chair placed off to the cameraman's left. Clever stuff. So clever I guess this was the basis for the film's 'The sexual transformation of a man into a woman will actually take place before your very eyes!' tagline. I wish the rest of the film had been that inventive.

Too many divergent plots to make this anything other than a bizarre curiosity.

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 21 March 2011]

This is a very strange variation on the old Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story. In this re-imagining of the Stevenson tale, Jekyll has been trying to create a serum to prolong life and reasoned that as women live longer, it must be something about the hormones. But his experiments allow him to change gender!!! There is no MR. Hyde in this one! But, to continue his work, he finds he needs to kill young ladies--and here the story seems a lot like Jack the Ripper. There's even the infamous Burke and Hare (famous for grave robbing in Edinburgh long ago) making an appearance in the film. So, we have sex changes, Jack the Ripper-style murders and Burke & Hare (who influenced Stevenson to write "The Body Snatcher")--this film has a ton of plots crammed into it. Oh, and lest I forget, a bit of a soft-core porn film, as when Mrs. Hyde appears, it's often naked time! That's because like many of the Hammer films of the 70s, they spiced it up with some nudity to try to draw in audiences--as film revenues were way down from the studio's heyday. I think this film actually suffers from too many plots. Now I would NOT have made yet another Jekyll & Hyde film---there have already been too many. But to have so many divergent ideas in the film seemed to muddle things a bit. A sharper focus would have made for a better film. It also didn't help that the acting and dialog were rather weak...especially the dialog. As a result, this seems like a rather weak horror entry by Hammer.

By the way, get a load of the way that Mrs. Hyde so easily crafts a red dress from just a curtain! It reminds me of the "Gone With the Wind" take-off from "The Carol Burnett Show"--minus the curtain rod!

Jekyll & Hyde + Burke & Hare + Jack the Ripper= interesting film from Hammer

[kriitikko · 20 March 2004]

London. We see first how Jack the Ripper kills one whore. Then we see that Ripper actually is Dr. Jekyll. Jekyll has killed womens to produced he's "elixir of life". But when he drinks it he becomes a sexy and evil femme fatale Hyde.

Sounds like a bad film? It is not.

This is one of few interesting horror films from Hammer at 70's. Director Roy Ward Baker(Vampyre Lowers) has made a film that really takes you at the late of 19's century. Ralph Bates(Horror of Frankenstein) is good as "the Ripper" Jekyll. In this version Jekyll has to do evil before he drinks the elixir. That make story more interesting. Jekyll first robs the graves with criminals called Burke and Hare(famous real life body snatchers from Edinburgh). Then he has to kill to do good. And when he finally takes a drink things are rally getting on. Martine Beswick(One million years B.C.) is beautiful, sexy and wicked as sister Hyde.

It is a good film. But still... I think that(as a fan of Robert Louis Stevenson's story)this could work better if writer/producer Brian Clemens would have made two films. One of Jekyll & Hyde, another of Jack the Ripper. But after all this, it is worth to see.

But do not watch that comedy Dr. Jekyll and ms. Hyde. That sucked so much!!!

gleeful peeks at herself

[christopher-underwood · 7/10 · 9 October 2009]

Pretty good late Hammer. Not much to do with the original Stephenson story regarding the battle between good and evil within man but gives us an interesting twist. Indeed this mixes the aforementioned tale with that of Jack the Ripper and throws in Burke and Hare for good measure. And of course one of the more exciting added ingredients here is the lovely, Martine Berwick as Jekyll's alter ego or 'sister'. She's great throughout. His changes into her are effective, his gleeful peeks at herself fun and her spirited killing a treat. In fact the body count here must be very high because, after a languorous start, with voice-over we seem to scamper from one screaming bloody death to another.

Great fun

[neil-476 · 7/10 · 4 June 2010]

Every now and then someone has a real brainwave - in this case, it was a simple idea: "Mister" sounds like "Sister", so why don't we retool Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde so that Jekyll's potion changes him from male to female? Voila - sheer genius.

Then add to this a stroke of casting brilliance - the always reliable Ralph Bates plays a dignified, restrained and by-the-book Dr Jekyll, while Martine Beswick plays an unrestrained, sensuous (and murderous) Ms Hyde. And, wonder of wonders, Bates and Beswick really look a lot like each other to start off with, so it is extremely easy for an audience to accept that they are the same person after Jekyll's potion has done its stuff. All that is missing is a morphing effect to change one into the other and, given that this movie is from 1971, 20-odd years before computer graphics first raised their head in any serious fashion, I guess we can forgive them the absence of morphing.

This brilliantly conceived, wonderfully cast, idea is played, for all it's worth, as a mixture of grand guignol and black comedy bordering on farce. Though it is dated in some respects, it is still very entertaining, and is definitely one of hammer's better offerings.

Try to catch it if you can.

A gender-swapping take on a classic story...

[mbruce007 · 7/10 · 6 October 2020]

I have never been a devotee of horror films. Certainly when I was younger I would always shy away from gore, which seemed to appeal to some of my curious friends. What I prefer is a happy medium between "horror" and "thriller". I suppose the name for this sort of film would be a "chiller", and I feel Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971) fits that description. This is one of many films produced by the British company, Hammer Studios, mostly famous , I would say, for the career-making Dracula films of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. This film offers an alternative take on the classic story from 1886 of "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson, in which a lawyer investigates strange happenings between his friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the maleficent Edward Hyde, before it is discovered that, due to the dangerous miracles of science, they are one and the same.

In this film by Roy Ward Baker, Dr, Jekyll discovers a formula that, when drunk, transforms him into a dangerously seductive women, whom he dubs his"sister", Mrs. Hyde. Playing with these two identities puts Dr Jekyll's own love life in jeopardy and starts to arouse the suspicion of the neighbours, one of whom, Howard, develops an attraction towards the illusive "Mrs. Hyde". All leads to disastrous consequences.

In terms of the acting, Ralph Bates is suitably sinister in the role of Dr. Jekyll, and has that particular look and general quality of a leading man of the 1960s//1970s. Apparently Bates went on to make several other pictures for Hammer, though I cannot comment as I have not seen them. Moreover, Martine Beswick is quite wonderful in the role of Jekyll's alter-ego, "Mrs. Hyde". She has very little dialogue, but her mystical presence is what does her credit. The film's direction is very ably executed. Roy Ward Baker dabbled in many different genres and has many credits to his name, the most commendable of which is perhaps the Titanic film, A Night to Remember (1958). What stands out for me, however, is the soundtrack by David Whitaker, a man who is little known but who has a distinguished film music career all the same. Against the opening titles plays Whitaker's main theme, a memorable and moving waltz. As for the rest of the soundtrack, Whitaker's compositions are aptly suspenseful.

The film is generally frivolous and the premise is silly, but isn't that true of most Horror/Chiller films? This is also a film which features some fleeting scenes of bare flesh, which is indicative of a time in which Hammer Studios started to mix so-called "horror" with bawdiness, to relatively ill effect. Cue lesbian vampires, etc. All considered, this film will perhaps not go down in history, and if it did, it would only be recognised in the context of the Hammer Studios canon, which is undeniably impressive. As a Saturday night's entertainment though, I wouldn't knock it.

Two murderers for the price of one

[neil-douglas2010 · 7/10 · 18 July 2022]

Strange little alter ego Hammer horror movie, with aspects of Jack the Ripper and Burke and Hare. Bates plays Jekyll, a scientist looking for the elixir of life. Realising that females live longer than males, he mixes a serum including female hormones, and tests it on himself. Bad move, as he changes into Mrs Hyde (played by Martine Beswick). Needin more female hormones to continue his experiments and with Burke and Hare both dead, Jekyll starts committing the murders attributed to Jack the Ripper. The more he takes the elixir though, the stronger Hyde gets and she starts murders too. It all ends with Jekyll trying to commit one last murder, but he gets interrupted and whilst trying to escape turns into Hyde and falls to his death. The last image is of Jekyll/Hyde's face, twisted between the two forms.

Decent film helped by the performance of Bates and Beswick.

Dude looks like a lady

[movieman_kev · 8/10 · 13 December 2004]

I'v seen many variations on the Jekyll and Hyde story, one could say too many. But this Hammer film about Dr. Jekyll (Ralph Bates) who changes into a woman (Martin Beswick) with the help of female estrogen from girls that he's killed, stands as one of the better ones. And as a latter day Hammer film it easily stands out from the pack, although not reaching the splendid heights of films that were produced in Hammer studio's heyday. nonetheless, I found the film to have a suitable mood to it, and well-acted.

DVD Extras: Audio commentary by director Roy Ward Baker, actress Martine Beswick, writer/co-producer Brian Clemens, moderated by Hammer Films historian/author Marcus Hearn; 2 radio spots; Poster and still gallery; and Cast & crew bios

My Grade: B

Eye Candy: Martine Beswick lets loose her twin torpedoes

An Interesting Twist On The Tale

[Pairic · 7/10 · 23 December 2022]

Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde: interesting adaptation but it feels more dated than the silent version in some ways. Some of the Hammer 60s/70s aesthetics and attidtdes I guess. It was advertised on Legend Channel as a blackly comic variation on the tale but I have to admit any humour passed over my head apart from Jekyll's annoyance at dresses being ordered by Hyde. A good turn by the villainous Burke & Hare. Happy to murder women to keep the doctor supplied with bodies. While Jekyll is prepared to kill after he takes his potions, Sister Hyde(his alter ego) is the more bloodthirsty. The internal battle between the two personas is well portrayed. Good performances from Ralph Bates as Jekyll and Martine Beswick as Hyde. Directed by Roy Ward Baker from a screenplay by Brian Clemens based on the 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. 6.5/10.

Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde

[henry8-3 · 5/10 · 29 November 2022]

Ralph Bates plays a young Dr Jekyll, following the oft filmed path to damnation. When seeking an elixir of life, he, on this occasion uses female hormones and turns into a female version of himself and a nasty one, Miss Hyde, played by Marine Beswick.

Interesting that as well as incorporating a female twist on the famous story, this handsome Hammer production also slides rather oddly into both Jack the Ripper and Burke and Hare territory. The overall result could easily have been very silly, but both leads are up for the task and the swaps between male and female, within budget constraints that will not allow for ambitious change effects, are actually edited together quite effectively. Not great and certainly not scary or very horrific, but better than expected.

A fabulous tale of horror in Victorian London from Hammer Studios

[Stevieboy666 · 9/10 · 17 October 2021]

Interesting that Hammer Studios never did a straight "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" remake, this one may sound like a silly idea but trust me they really did a great job. Handsome Ralph Bates, a rising star at Hammer, plays Jekyll, the beautiful Martine Beswick plays Sister Hyde. The similarity between the two is almost uncanny, they look like they could be real life brother and sister, this only helps the movie. In addition to being based on the famous Robert Louis Stevenson novel Jack the Ripper is thrown into the story (could he be Jekyll/Hyde?), plus real life Victorian grave robbers Burke and Hare. Burke and Hare were active some 60 years before the Ripper and they committed their crimes in Scotland, not London, however they bring some welcome dark humour to the story and are fun to watch. All of the performances are good, the sets are of the usual impressive Hammer standard and the fog shrouded streets and alley ways of Victorian London just ooze atmosphere. Martine Beswick, a former Bond Girl, refused to do any full frontal nude scenes, however she does appear both topless and naked from the rear. As Hyde she make a wonderful femme fatale, and when she goes out into the night murdering prostitutes it is real stalk 'n' slash, several years before the term Slasher Movie was coined. All prints are sadly cut, however there is plenty of bloody violence, one shocking scene has a woman stabbed in the neck with blood spurting out. The movie does have some humour but it is also a very effective shocker and will live on in the memory for some time after the end credits have rolled. There are those who will say that the quality of Hammer's output declined in the early 1970's, for me personally it was during this period that they made some of my favourite Hammer movies, this being a fine example. Highly recommended.

Very Theatrical, With a Strong British Accent and Without Explicit Blood and Killing, Another Charming Horror Movie From Hammer

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 14 October 2003]

Dr. Jekyll (Ralph Bates) is a scientist researching the cure of many diseases. He is a very reserved and shy man, and spends most of his time working on his laboratory. One day, his friend Professor Robertson (Gerald Sim) visits him and advises that he would probably die before the conclusion of his studies. Dr. Jekyll decides to research an elixir of life, based on feminine hormones, to permit extend his life and consequently end his work. He uses some female corpses to get the hormones. The effect of the elixir releases his `feminine repressed side' and he becomes an aggressive and beautiful woman, Ms. Hyde (Martine Beswick). When bodies finish in the city morgue, Dr. Jekyll starts killing women to proceed on his research. This is another charming movie of Hammer. Very theatrical, with a strong British accent and without explicit blood and killing, this film is a great entertainment. Fans will certainly enjoy it. My vote is seven.

Sex change slaughter....!

[Space_Lord · 5/10 · 25 May 2005]

Think about this for a second, guys. You're a scientist who swigs a magic potion that turns you into a chick, rack included. You'd stay at home and play with yourself all day, right? Yeah, me too. But what if the potion also had a side effect that turned you into a homicidal murdering maniac? Well after playing with yourself you'd probably go out and KILL! This is the interesting twist on the Jekyll & Hyde story that Hammer brings us in Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (minus the playing with him/herself part). This film is quite innovative, blending Jekyll and Hyde with Jack the Ripper! Who ever thought that the Ripper was a chick? As always in Hammer films the costumes, sets and dialogue are top notch, but it suffers greatly from atrocious lighting! OK film that will hold those interested.