In contrast to other film versions, Jekyll was portrayed as a rather bland and faceless person, while Hyde was presented as suave and handsome. This reflects director Fisher's belief in what critics (such as biographer Wheeler Winston Dixon) called "the charm of evil".Wheeler Winston Dixon. The Charm of Evil: The Films of Terence Fisher (with an introduction by John Carpenter).Metuchen N.J. and London: Scarecrow Press, 1991. 574 pages. The film is also unusual in that it is one of the few where the Jekyll/Hyde character does not die in the story's conclusion.
The film was released in North America under the titles House of Fright and Jekyll's Inferno.
Plot summary
Henry Jekyll's wife Kitty cheats on him with his friend Paul Allen (who hounds money from Jekyll). Ignoring the warnings of his colleague and friend Dr. Ernst Littauer, Jekyll concocts a chemical potion which he hopes will help him learn the depths of the human mind. Testing the potion on himself, he transforms into Mr. Hyde, a young and handsome, but also murderous and lecherous beast. Soon, Hyde becomes bored with conventional debauchery, and when his eyes catch... Read More