Making Of - Trailer - Production Stills - Isolated music-only track B&W - English - Mono

picture quality: Transfer better then from some big name studio, considering how old it is.

extras: enough, again considering how old it is and the source material


Bloodstains on your collar   February 27, 2003
Michael M. Wilk (Howard Beach, NY)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

Gloria Talbott was the Connie Francis of "B" movies in the 1950s. Having appeared as a child performer in the late 1930s, Gloria's heyday was in the 50s, appearing in several films, including "The Cyclops", "The Leech Woman", the infamously titled "I Married a Monster from Outer Space", and, of course,"Daughter of Dr. Jekyll", directed by legendary B-movie director Edgar G. Ulmer ("The Black Cat", "Detour","Bluebeard"). The setting is early 1900s England. The shapely, dark-haired and big-eyed Gloria plays plays Janet Jekyll (No, I'm not kidding!) who, having turned 21, returns to her ancestral home with her new husband John Agar,(No, I'm not kiddding!) to claim her inheritance. Janet, who has always thought her last name was "Smith" (No, I'm not kidding!) learns of her true name, and of her infamous father. Kindly(?) Dr Lomas, played by Arthur Shields, who was Barry Fitzgerald's real-life brother (No, I'm not kiddding!) is the executor of her late father's estate. Janet begins to be plagued by terrible nightmares, in which she has inherited her father's curse of lycanthropy (No, I'm not kiddding!), and attacks and kills young girls in her nocturnal prowlings. She wakes up with bloodstains on her nightgown, and learns that indeed, young girls have been murdered by a ferocious creature. Janet begins to doubt her own sanity...."Daughter of Dr. Jekyll" is a guilty pleasure, filmed on an obviously low budget, with spartan sets, ludicrous dialogue and costumes (John Agar's hideous striped jacket looks like one of John Payne's cast-offs from "Hello, Frisco, Hello", and one victim looks straight out of a Frederick's of Hollywood catalogue, in her black corset), and my favorite scene is in which Ms. Talbott and Mr. Agar are having breakfast, and through the lace-curtained window, one can see 1950s cars zipping down the street! (No, I'm not kiddding!) Also in the cast is the craggy and very American John Dierkes as "Jacob", a surly and suspicious handyman who always talks about "the lads" in the pub, and is laboriously carving out a wooden stake to plunge through "The werewolf Jekyll's heart" (No, I'm not kiddding!)The picture quality and sound on this DVD are superb, so one can really appreciate the tinsel sets and the aforementioned "breakfast scene" in their digitally enhanced crispness. There is also an interview with the late John Agar on the DVD, and a gallery of poster art and lobby cards. It's wonderful that such enjoyable, fun "junk" like this is treated with such reverence, and to give Mr. Ulmer his due, his films were never dull, and considering the miniscule budgets he had to work with, he delivered the goods, even though they were more than a little ridiculous. So, park yourself on your sofa with some refreshments, and enjoy "Daughter of Dr. Jekyll". ..... (sinister laugh) "Are you sure?" Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!!!!!!!!!!