Decades of Horror Decades of Horror 1970s Featured Gruesome Podcasts The 70's

DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE (1971) – Episode 175 – Decades of Horror 1970s

“I walked the streets, brooding on the bitter irony that all I wanted to do for humanity, for life, would be cheated by death… unless I could cheat death.” And eventually, he discovered… you can’t cheat a cheater. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they discuss Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde(1971), a Hammer film with a twist on the classic Robert Louis Stevenson story.

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 175 – Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel!
Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content!
https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

A Victorian scientist tests a serum that transforms him into a sensuous murderess.

Bill describes Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde as a mid-level Hammer film searching for the magic mix that can reverse the company’s fortunes during the beginning of its decline. At the same time, he gives the filmmakers credit for their creativity and for the transformation scenes that, though not perfect, are well done. Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde was not at the top of the list of Hammer films he hadn’t yet seen, but Jeff’s glad he did experience it. He praises the filmmakers and actors for depicting the Jekyll and Hyde variations as somewhat androgynous, helping to make the transformations believable. He also likes the triple threat of Jekyll/Hyde, Jack the Ripper, and Burk & Hare nicely combined into one story by writer Brian Clemens. Doc, who chose Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde for this episode, also describes it as an example of Hammer reaching for some answers. To him, the way the film’s themes are handled doesn’t really hold up while admitting the failure might be a product of the times in which it was made. He also describes Dr. Jekyll as a role more complex than many, possibly making it Ralph Bates’ best Hammer role.

The 70s Grue-Crew universally laud Martine Beswick’s performance and lament the absence of any character in the film for which to root. For those wishing to watch, or rewatch, Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde, the film is available to stream from Tubi, Freevee, The Roku Channel, Peacock, Hoopla, and several PPV sources. The film is also available as a Blu-ray disc from Scream Factory. Of course, this information is as of the time of this writing.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode in their very flexible schedule, chosen by Jeff, will be Blue Sunshine (1977). That one should be a fun trip. (See what I did there?)

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com. 

Jeff Mohr
Jeff lives smack dab in the middle of the cornfields of Iowa and is a long-time horror fan. His first remembered encounters with the genre were The Wizard of Oz, Tarzan gorilla chases, and watching the first broadcast of The Twilight Zone episode, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." While he now qualifies as an old fart, he strives to be an Old Boy. Paraphrasing Robert Bloch, he has the heart of a small boy. He keeps it in a jar on his desk. Jeff has written for Horrornews.net and SQ Horror Magazine. He currently writes for Gruesome Magazine and is a co-host of the Decades of Horror podcasts - The Classic Era, 1970s, and 1980s - and the Gruesome Magazine Podcast.