Jekyll and Hyde...Together Again

Director - Jerry Belson (Cops, The Odd Couple)

Starring - Mark Blankfield (Dracula: Dead and Loving It, Sweet Evil), Bess Armstrong (True Blood, Tales from the Crypt), and Krista Errickson (The Paper Boy, Deadly Lessons)

Release Date - 1982

Genre - Sci-Fi/Comedy

Tagline - "The comedy that examines modern living through chemistry"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've watched some crazy ass horror films the last week or so.  I started my strange journey with the highly inconsistent Killjoy series which starts out horribly before blooming into a pretty entertaining horror comedy.  I followed up those films with the outrageous sex horror comedy Sexsquatch and the sequel Sexsquatch II: Teenape vs. Sexsquatch.  Both were fun in their own ways but the first film was leagues better.  When I finished with these films I decided it was time to check out the latest Emir Skolonja flick, Confessions of a Homicidal Prostitute.  It was intense and really made a social statement with the story.  After seeing CoaHP I wanted to see something funny again.  Wasn't in the mood for a sad or depraved movie.  I looked through my stack and saw that I still needed to review Jekyll and Hyde...Together Again.  This one was sent my way from Olive Films.  Thanks guys!

     The film follows brilliant doctor Jekyll who has a bright future but decides to step down from surgeon so he can work on a cure for all illnesses.  However, a very wealthy man is dying and wants Jekyll to save his life.  The stress of work and his future wedding affects his work and he accidentally creates a drug that, when snorted, transforms him into Hyde - a drug fueled sex crazed maniac.  Now, Jekyll must subdue his wild side or put his future in jeopardy.

     I didn't know how to approach this film.  Was it going to be a straight forward early 80s horror comedy or would it be a black comedy?  I had no idea.  Prior to receiving the review copy I had no idea that the film even existed but I am not glad that I took the time to check it out.  The film was pretty funny, wild at times, and gave us the tired and true Jekyll and Hyde story we know and love.  The acting in this one is not consistent.  Mark Blankfield was brilliant in his dual role.  He was funny and chaotic when he was Hyde while being withdrawn and awkward as Jekyll.  This was a great contract and gave Blankfield room to showcase his talents.  The remainder of the cast is nowhere near as bold or entertaining as Blankfield and his two characters.  The story for this one is true to the Jekyll and Hyde story we all know but set in the early 80s with drugs, sex, and punk rock.  The film was a little sleazier than I expected and we all know how much I love sleaze.  The humor was dated but that doesn't stop it from being funny.  It reminded me a lot of the blaxploitation films that I love so much.  With that being said, some of the characters were over-exaggerated but they were unable to give them personalities or properly develop them.  They fell flat and felt out of place.  Finally, those of you looking for blood and gore must have missed the part where I said this one was a comedy.  The laughs were a plenty but, as I said earlier, they are very dated to the time period.  Overall, Jekyll and Hyde...Together Again was a pretty damned entertaining film.  If you are looking for something different than Porky's and Animal House then this would be the one I recommend for you.  Check it out.