Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
A celebrated physician unleashes a brutal alter ego when an experiment turns his fascination with human duality into an uncontrollable double life.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- eerie
- foreboding
- classic horror night
- silent cinema viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a dignified and effective silent production, especially John Barrymore's commanding dual performance, though some viewers found its premise and disturbing mood unsettling.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
John Barrymore plays Jekyll and Hyde as opposing personalities whose conflict increasingly governs the same life.
Hyde's increasingly extreme appearance is central to the film's horror and to Barrymore's performance.
Sir George Carewe urges Jekyll to pursue sensual experience, prompting the experiment that releases Hyde.
Jekyll's laboratory work seeks to separate human nature into distinct personalities through a formula.
Films like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and why
The Phantom of the Opera
early horror cinema, dual identity, transformative makeup, and psychological repression
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
silent-era gothic horror, grotesque physical transformation, and morally transgressive obsession
Frankenstein
classic horror built around scientific experimentation, bodily transformation, and forbidden knowledge
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
psychological horror, alter ego dynamics, and stylized expressionist darkness
Movie Details
- Director
- John S. Robertson
- Release Date
- 1920-03-18
- Runtime
- 79 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (166)
Cast
- John Barrymore
- Brandon Hurst
- Martha Mansfield
- Charles Lane
- Cecil Clovelly
- Nita Naldi
- Louis Wolheim
- Alma Aiken
- J. Malcolm Dunn
- Ferdinand Gottschalk
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Screambox Amazon Channel, FlixFling, Cultpix, Bloodstream, Chilling
- Rent
- Amazon Video, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde about?
- A celebrated physician unleashes a brutal alter ego when an experiment turns his fascination with human duality into an uncontrollable double life.
- What is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as moderate.
- What did critics think of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a dignified and effective silent production, especially John Barrymore's commanding dual performance, though some viewers found its premise and disturbing mood unsettling.
- Which films are like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?
- Films with a similar feel include The Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Frankenstein, and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
- How long is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde runs 79 minutes.
- Where can I watch Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?
- In United States, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Screambox Amazon Channel, FlixFling, Cultpix, Bloodstream, Chilling.
