The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll

The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (released in the US as House of Fright) is a 1960 British horror film directed by Terence Fisher and starring Paul Massie, Dawn Addams, Christopher Lee and Oliver Reed. It was produced by Michael Carreras and Anthony Nelson-Keys for Hammer Film Productions. The screenplay was by Wolf Mankowitz, based on the 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Bernard Robinson was Production Designer, Clifford Parkes was Production Manager, Roy Ashton did Makeup, and Don Mingaye was Art Director. John Peverall and Hugh Marlow were assistant directors. Janina Faye had a small role as Dr.Jekyll's adolescent neighbor Jane. The film had a working title of Jekyll's Inferno at one point. This was Oliver Reed's first film for Hammer, and Christopher Lee considered it one of his very best roles. This was also the first Hammer film to be distributed in the US by AIP. Filming went from Nov. 23, 1959 through Jan. 22, 1960, and it was trade shown on Aug. 20, 1960, and premiered at the Pavilion on Oct. 7, 1960.

In contrast to other film versions, Jekyll was portrayed as a rather bland and homely 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". Critics wondered why Jekyll's beard disappeared each time he turned into the younger-looking (smooth shaven) Mr. Hyde though.

The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll was released to theaters in the UK by Columbia Pictures on October 24, 1960, and in the US by American International Pictures on May 3, 1961 under the title House of Fright. It fared poorly in the US, which explains why AIP's next interaction with Hammer was in the early 1970's (with Lust for a Vampire).