The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1886) Book Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

You know, I have to admit that when I was a kid I was a total nerd... I mean I was a computer programmer, I loved (and still do) stuff like Star Trek & Star Wars.... I used to read the paper when I was barely in the double digits (and I actually understood it.)

But one of the things that I used to do when I was still in the single digits & and barely in the double digits (I still like to do so, I just don't get the opportunity to do so as much as I used to like to,) but that being that I used to read a lot of the Victorian era classics!

One of these books, and one that I have enjoyed in it's various big screen adaptions, and still enjoy in it's novel form is, 'The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde' (1886)!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="210"] A true classic... One worth checking out![/caption]

I mean this awesome story tells the tale of a man... a Doctor who finds out the horrible truth about the duality of good vs. evil, when he makes a potion that turns the kindly, 'Doctor Jekyll' in to a homicidal maniac, 'Mr. Hyde'!

Well I will be honest with you guys and say this, I can't really say that there is anything wrong with this story at all, it is engrossing, it is timeless... I mean people who have never read the original story or have seen the movies or what not knows about Dr. Jeykll & Mr. Hyde should enjoy it... Despite it's age...

If you haven't checked this one out yet, then I do recommend doing so, it is well worth it if you get a chance!

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1912) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

You know what folks, besides the fact that I do enjoy writing these blogs and reviews for Hellinspace, I also feel that I have a duty almost as an archivist of the Horror and Science Fiction genre, to try and give you guys the most complete encylopedia (so to speak) of those two genres, and not give only a partiail representation (i,e... Not just doing modern movies, or books from the 80s and the like.)

No in this case I mean trying get a review up for the earliest Horror and Science Fiction movies to have come out, or the earliest heavy duty song that created the ancestry to heavy metal and the like...

That is just part of the reason why enjoyed, Dr. Jeykll & Mr. Hyde (1912)!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] A surprisingly fun silent film![/caption]

Written by: Thomas Russell Sullivan & Directed by: Lucius Henderson (The Scarlet Mask). Starring: James Cruze (The Great Gabbo), Florence La Badie (The Return Of Draw Egan) & Marie Eline (Uncle Tom's Cabin).

This is the classic tale of Dr. Jeykll (James Cruze), who has a theory... That theory is that there is a specific drug cocktail that will specifically bring out the good and the bad in a person...

Well after he tries it out, he brings out, 'Mr. Hyde', his truly evil side out to play...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] One of the earliest Mr. Hyde's to grace the big screen![/caption]

Now during this time he ends up taking it a lot and after awhile he can't control the transformations... And what is worse, he finds the woman of his dreams (played by: Florence La Badie)!

So Doctor Jekyll is going have to figure out a way to stop the transformations from occurring before Mr. Hyde kills him and the woman he loves, as well as everyone else in the village!

In the end, I found this movie to be a lot of fun... I found it interesting in another aspect... Well there was definitely a horror angle to it... But this one was definitely set up more for the drama of it, and I imagine that women going to the theater in 1912 to see this movie probably cried a fair amount!
The only problem with this one is that it is dated, and unless you are a fan of Silent films (which I am quickly becoming,) then this movie probably is not the movie for you...

http://youtu.be/UqkeemU7fyk

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea (1870) Jules Verne - Book Review

[caption id="attachment_385" align="alignright" width="353"] Official Score = 2 Devils[/caption]

To be honest here, I never really quite expected that the 19th century would still have very relevant Science Fiction novels when I was a kid, I mean the ones that I was able to get my hands on were all novels that had to do with antiquated concepts that finally died out when reality began to set in a little bit for those making Science Fiction movies in the 1970s!

Such notions as Aliens on Venus and the like, or in the case of the 19th century, supposedly there was novel that had something to do with the idea of using an over-sized cannon to shoot some one to the moon...

Never the less though, a lot of these antiquated notions to me always seemed to be rather quaint and quite fun! But there was one 19th century novel that I found to be quite fascinating and what was even more amazing was the concept behind it... That novel of course being, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="289"] Jules Verne was definitely ahead of his time with this one![/caption]

Now part of the reason why this concept was so fascinating is because you have to look at what this novel would deal with, (i,e... Captain Nemo and his adventures on board the, 'Nautilus', an electrically powered submarine), well back then the concepts of a submarine were almost unheard of... I mean in 1870, Submarines were still in their infancy and were hardly used at all if ever in Naval Warfare!

But you know what the best part of this novel was for me was not just the science involved, (although I was pretty impressed with the concepts behind this novel no matter where it took you, but for me being as young as I was when I first read this novel, I found this one in particular to be rather fascinating in that it really kind of gave an interesting first look for me at how amazing and precious and truly awesome and scary the ocean can really be!

In the end, this novel was a lot of fun with both points of, 'awe' and points of fear, but in the end, it is a fun one and definitely worth reading this historically classic novel if you get a chance!