Hammer Films Returns With Doctor Jekyll

The legendary Hammer Films became a staple of many a horror lover and monster kids film appetite over the years, with their "gothic" and "darker" takes on the classic characters like Dracula and Frankenstein, as well as many original stories over the years, before fading away in the 80s.

Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Veronica Carlson, and Ralph Bates are just a few of the many legendary names that spring to mind when you think of Hammer Films. They had a hell of a run, and now, under new leadership, Hammer Films is back, and might have a new name to add to that list of legends in Eddie Izzard.
The first film under the Hammer banner, is a new take on Stevenson's  The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, entitled Doctor Jekyll. This one features the aforementioned comic legend Eddie Izzard as Doctor Jekyll, in a performance that is thrilling and downright creepy enough to possibly put Izzard in line as the new face of Hammer Films. Izzard really showed dramatic acting chops, and enough campiness, to really give off that "Hammer performer feel", meant in the best possible way. Hammer fans will know exactly where I'm coming from.  Their performance was above and beyond what I expected and really hope to see more Izzard in Hammer's offerings to come.

Izzard was joined in the cast by Lindsay Duncan (Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance which I loved) and Scott Chambers (probably better known as a producer of films like Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey, under the name Scott Jeffrey), among others. Great casting. Great performances all around. 

Outside of Izzard impressing me by showing a range I personally didn't realize they had, I was most impressed by the director Joe Stephenson, and his ability to take, what is basically a smaller budgeted indie film, and make it feel like a much bigger production. 

Overall, I enjoyed Doctor Jekyll, and love how they worked within their means, but still delivered a solid, thrilling film, with an interesting and fresh take on a story we've heard so many times over the years.

I really hope Hammer Films, under award winning theatre producer John Gore, rides this momentum into a new era of classic horror movies for this new generation of fans. 

Doctor Jekyll becomes available for digital download March 11th.

Check out this trailer

Besides this site, I dabble in voice acting/voiceover work, regularly contribute to genre magazines, and am best known for co-hosting a Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award Nominated podcast called the Steve & Crypto Show. We cover pop culture and horror, with an emphasis on promoting and supporting creators, whether you're making movies, comic books, art, or anything else that pertains to horror, pop culture, and nerdy stuff! 

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