Hammer Studios was once one of the most legendary names in all of horror. Films like Horror of Dracula and The Curse of Frankenstein reinvented what horror could be in the 50s and 60s. The famous studio has quietly made a comeback in the last decade and their upcoming film Doctor Jekyll just dropped its first poster.
The poster taps into the gothic era of the genre, an era that originally helped make this studio famous, with very heavy shadows. Star Eddie Izzard, clouded in silhouette as Dr. Nina Jekyll stands in the center of the poster and in front of a window. The window is covered in curtains with the yellowish light trying to break through the room. However, all it reveals is Mr. Hyde’s shadow waiting eerily on the floor. If you are a fan of Hammer’s classic horror films or atmospheric posters, this image will make you feel right at home in a frightening era that has felt long forgotten about.
The film, directed by Joe Stephenson and written by Dan Kelly-Mulhern, is based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s iconic 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. This adaptation “focuses on a reclusive Nina Jekyll (Izzard) finding friendship with her newly hired help, Rob, played by rising star Scott Chambers, who must work together to prevent Hyde from destroying her life.” The cast also includes Lindsay Duncan, Simon Callow, Jonathan Hyde, Tony Jayawardena, and Robyn Cara. Stephenson is also producing the film with Guy de Beaujeu and Liam Coutts. Christian Angermayer serves as the executive producer as well. Metro International Entertainment is handling the worldwide sales of the production and is currently selling the film at the Cannes Film Festival.
It is definitely going to be exciting to see what Hammer has in store for horror fans this time around. Like Dracula or Frankenstein, the story of Doctor Jekyll has seen countless film adaptations over the last century. Hammer is no stranger to the dark tale as, in their heyday, they made The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll in 1960 and Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde in 1971.
From the synopsis and the poster, this film looks to bring new twisted life to this classic split personality horror story. Also, it is going to be exciting to see what Izzard brings to the role. Izzard previously stated that she was, “very excited to be playing the role of Nina Jekyll in this new feature film, and it’s wonderful to be able to re-imagine this classic story in a modern way.” Stephenson added to that, praising Izzard, “with her being the extraordinary and versatile actress she is, playing against Scott’s natural talent to make us believe in the good in people, I can’t wait to bring this suspenseful take on the iconic classic to life."
Doctor Jekyll is currently in post-production in the UK and has no release date yet. However, since we now have our first poster for the film, a trailer for this production should be scaring us very soon. Until then, you can view the new gothic heavy poster for Doctor Jekyll down below.
