21 May 2024
On This Day
21 May 2024 Cheryl

21 May 1908: Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde premieres

Newspaper advertisement for Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde 1908 silent movie

Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde has been called “the most filmed work of literature in the silent era.” To date, there are more than 123 film adaptations, not including stage and radio adaptations, parodies, and imitations. [1]

On 21 May 1908, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, an American adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella, premiered in Chicago. Directed by Otis Turner, this early cinematic endeavour is considered the first American horror movie. As silent films rarely exceeded 15 minutes, the production faced the challenge of capturing the novel’s dark themes and retaining the story’s suspense within a limited timeframe. The script had to condense the complex story, using title cards and visuals to convey Dr Jekyll’s disturbing transformation into Mr Hyde without spoken dialogue, and the screenplay was adapted by George F. Fish and Luella Forepaugh from their own 1897 four-act stage play, resulting in a number of plot differences from the source. The film starred Hobart Bosworth as Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde and Betty Harte. No known copies of it exist today.

The movie premiered at Chicago’s Wood’s Museum Theatre, a popular venue known for showcasing early movies. The dim atmosphere of the theatre heightened the eerie mood, immersing viewers in a new kind of storytelling that explored human duality. The theatre’s location in a bustling city and its reputation for presenting innovative shows helped draw an audience curious to see Stevenson’s haunting tale brought to life.

The public’s reaction was one of awe mixed with palpable dread. Many were familiar with the novel’s themes of repression and darkness, but witnessing them on screen was a novel experience. Though simple by modern standards, the film’s shadowy imagery and unsettling scenes effectively conveyed a sense of horror, leaving viewers with lingering questions about human nature.

Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde paved the way for future horror films, setting a precedent for future films to explore complex, psychological themes and helping to establish cinema as a powerful story-telling medium.

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