The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll

The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll

Year: 1960

Runtime: 88 mins

Language: English

Director: Terence Fisher

HorrorHorror

After a series of scientific experiments aimed at unlocking the inner self and controlling human personalities, the benevolent Dr. Henry Jekyll inadvertently frees his darker alter ego, Edward Hyde, a sadistic, murderous creature whose sole pleasure is killing. The story pits Jekyll’s kindness against Hyde’s cruelty.

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Timeline & Setting – The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1874

The events unfold during the late Victorian period, a time of rapid scientific curiosity and rigid social codes. The era’s opulence and shadows shape the characters’ choices, with salons, laboratories, and nightclubs illustrating the clash between propriety and temptation. The period culminates in a public reckoning at the coroner’s court, underscoring the era’s emphasis on appearances and consequence.

Location

London, England

The film is set in 1874 London, a city of gaslit avenues and social stratification that frames the drama between science, wealth, and romance. Varied locales—from drawing rooms to club basements—reflect the era’s appetite for progress and danger. The city’s atmosphere amplifies the duality at the heart of Jekyll and Hyde, balancing refinement with crime.

🕰 Victorian era 🌆 London 🕯 Gaslit streets

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:56

Main Characters – The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960)

Meet the key characters of The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Edward Hyde - Paul Massie

A mild-mannered scientist whose ambition to probe the human mind leads to a dangerous transformation. He grapples with the moral consequences of his experiments as Hyde embodies repressed desires and violence.

🧠 Intelligent ⚖️ Moral conflict 🧪 Scientist

Kitty Jekyll - Dawn Addams

Jekyll’s wife, drawn into a perilous situation by Hyde’s obsession. She experiences fear and vulnerability within a web of romance and deceit, highlighting the cost of a double life.

💃 Woman 💔 Vulnerable 🏠 Domestic life

Paul Allen - Christopher Lee

Jekyll’s friend who borrows money and becomes entangled in the surrounding affairs. His involvement propels the plot and intensifies the consequences of Jekyll’s dual existence.

🤝 Friend 🧩 Catalyst 🗝 Complex

Inspector - Francis de Wolff

A police investigator who confronts the crimes and the enigma of Jekyll and Hyde. He embodies the external pressure of law and order in a case clouded by scientific overreach.

🕵️ Investigator ⚖️ Authority

Maria - Norma Marla

An exotic dancer whose murder underscores Hyde’s brutality and deepens the mystery surrounding Jekyll’s experiments. Her fate marks a turning point in the investigation.

💃 Victim 😢 Tragedy

Dr. Ernst Littauer - David Kossoff

A colleague who voices scientific concern about the dangerous drug and its effects. He serves as a foil to Jekyll’s ambition and a witness to the unfolding peril.

🧠 Scientist 🧭 Moral guide

Nightclub Bouncer - Oliver Reed

A figure from the city’s nightlife who adds atmosphere of vice and danger. He helps depict the seedy underside of Victorian London.

🕶 Enforcer 🎩 Nightlife

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:56

Major Themes – The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960)

Explore the central themes of The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

⚗️ Duality

The story pivots on a scientist’s attempt to separate mind from impulse, yielding Hyde as a dangerous alter ego. It explores how intellect and desire can coexist within a single person, and how a breakthrough can unleash violence as easily as knowledge. The ongoing struggle to keep Hyde contained drives the plot and raises questions about human nature.

🔥 Obsession

Hyde’s fixation on Kitty reveals how passion can escalate into coercion and danger. The narrative ties romance to power, showing how desire can destabilize respectable life and precipitate murder. Kitty’s vulnerability mirrors the broader theme of how personal longing Can ignite catastrophic outcomes.

⚖️ Justice

Guilt and accountability are filtered through legal eyes as the coroner’s court weighs Jekyll’s experiments against Hyde’s deeds. The plot questions whether the scientist can be held responsible for a monstrous persona he ostensibly created. The resolution tests notions of justice, truth, and the separation (or lack thereof) between man and monster.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:56

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Gothic Psychological Horror Movies like The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll

Stories where repressed desires manifest as monstrous alter egos.If you liked The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll, you'll find more chilling tales of split personalities and scientific overreach here. This list features movies that explore the darkness within, set against atmospheric gothic backdrops, where characters confront their monstrous alter egos with bleak consequences.

gothicchillingunsettlingpsychologicalgrimatmospherictensemelancholic

Narrative Summary

The narrative typically follows a protagonist's well-intentioned but flawed experiment or pursuit that inadvertently liberates a repressed, violent identity. This alter ego acts out the protagonist's darkest impulses, leading to a series of crimes and a desperate, losing battle for control. The story arc is a tragic downward spiral towards psychological and physical destruction.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped together by their shared focus on the psychological horror of duality, a consistently dark and tense tone, and a steady pacing that builds towards an inescapably bleak conclusion. They create a cohesive experience of grim, atmospheric dread centered on the theme of the monster within.

Movies about Scientific Hubris like The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll

Experiments that unlock humanity's worst instincts, leading to tragedy.Explore more movies like The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll where ambitious experiments lead to disaster. These films feature chilling narratives about the dangers of playing God, the loss of control, and the tragic fallout from crossing the boundaries of nature, often with a high emotional weight.

chillingtensegrimunsettlingtragicthought-provokingcautionaryatmospheric

Narrative Summary

The plot follows a predictable yet compelling pattern: a breakthrough in science or medicine promises a great benefit but instead reveals a horrific flaw, typically within human nature itself. The inventor becomes the first victim of their creation, losing everything—their reputation, loved ones, and often their life—in a cascade of violence and despair, serving as a cautionary tale.

Why These Movies?

This grouping is defined by a central theme of fatal ambition, a high-stakes narrative where control is lost, and a uniformly dark, serious tone. The pacing is steady, building tension as the experiment fails, and the endings are almost always tragic, emphasizing the heavy price of hubris.

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The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll Summary

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The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll Summary

The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll Timeline

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The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll Timeline

The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll Spoiler-Free Summary

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