The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960)

"Man as he is comprises two beings: one of whom I call man as he could be. In his perfection this inner man is beyond good and evil."

- Henry Jekyll

The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll is a British horror film directed by Terence Fisher and produced by Hammer Film Productions. It is based on the 1884 novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It premiered in the UK on October 24th, 1960. The US distribution was through American International Pictures (AIP), which released the film in the North American market on May 3rd, 1961. The film stars Paul Massie in the dual role of social recluse Doctor Henry Jekyll and his alter ego, Mister Edward Hyde. Henry's wife, Kitty Jekyll is played by Dawn Addams while rising "Hammer Horror" legend Christopher Lee plays the role of Paul Allen.

Notes & Trivia

 * The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll is alternatively known as Jekyll's Inferno and House of Fright.


 * Principal filming on The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll began on November 23rd, 1959 and concluded on January 22nd, 1960. It was shot at Bray Studios in Berkshire, England.


 * The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll is the first of two films produced by Hammer Film Productions that adapt Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The second is Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde, directed by Roy Ward Baker and released in 1971. Although both films are adaptations of Stevenson's novel, they are otherwise unrelated to one another.


 * Is included on the Icons of Horror Collection: Hammer Films DVD collection along with Curse of the Mummy's Tomb, Scream of Fear and The Gorgon. The collection was released by Sony Pictures on October 14th, 2008.


 * First aired on network television on CBS in 1972.


 * Director Terence Fisher previously directed The Brides of Dracula. His next film is Curse of the Werewolf in 1961.


 * Final horror film work for cinematographer Jack Asher. Earlier in 1960, he shot The Brides of Dracula.


 * Writer Wolf Mankowitz was nominated for a BAFTA award for his first film, Expresso Bongo, which was directed by horror film director Val Guest. Mankowitz also collaborated with composers David Heneker and Monty Norman who also worked on The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll. Mankowitz won the BAFTA in 1962 for Best British Screenplay, which he shared with Val Guest for The Day the Earth Caught Fire.


 * The casting of Christopher Lee as Paul Allen is in stark contrast to most of Lee's other roles where he usually plays evil villains. Lee has stated that the role of Paul Allen is one of his favorite film parts, likely because it gave him the opportunity to try something different.


 * Christopher Lee and Francis De Wolff also appeared together in Moulin Rouge in 1951.


 * Francis De Wolff, Joy Webster and Oliver Reed also appear in Terence Fisher's 1961 film The Curse of the Werewolf.


 * Composer Monty Norman is best known for creating the infamous James Bond theme song introduced in Dr. No and featured in every James Bond movie (in some variation) ever since.