Do not let age fool you. This is one of the scariest movies around. Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1920) is scarier. But still this is a very scary movie. Great special effects. Great acting. Great story line. It is not as scary as Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931). But that one is hard to top. It is still very scary. Far more scary then silence of the lambs ever could be. Not quit as scary as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1941). But still very scary. I just watched now and I have the h.e.b.e.j.e.b.e.s I am on vacation in Florida now. It's night time and I 'm in my condo. This is a very scary movie. Very scary very scary very scary very scary very scary. If you like to get scared you should see this movie.

The earliest Jekyll and Hyde movie known to this date stood the test of time for me by the end of the quick 10 minute film. When it comes to silent films the music chosen in the background has to be near perfect, although it sounded good at times, the music screeched too often leaving me cringe at moments. Cruze's portrayal of the doctor and the madman was fairly well done and the initial transformation scene was better than I expected. The film could have added a few more shots of written in story lines but the plot was easy to follow. This movie is the start of my deep dive in old horror classics and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1912 silent film was a good way to begin.

This is the oldest version of "Jekyll and Hyde" in existence. The film stars James Cruze, who is most famous for his film "The Covered Wagon". It was made by Thanhouser Film C. and was released on January 16 1912. and clocks in at about 11 min. I may have took a star away due to the fact that it could have been longer(the 1913 version was 26 min. only a year later). Actually, in a 1963 interview, a stock crew member named Harry Benham who worked at Thanhouser, said that he portrayed Mr.Hyde in some scenes. When you watch the film you can tell them apart because James is taller and their Hyde makeup is slightly different.The film starts off with Jekyll briefly talking with an elderly man apparently about drugs. Then Jekyll locks himself in his lab and tests his "potion" on himself. Immiediatly a dark haired taloned beast appears in the chair, looks in his mirror (he is slightly shorter than before mmmmmmmmm)takes the drug again and transforms back into Jekyll, and then begins to write something down.Jekyll (with his wife a ministers daughter) meet each other in front of her house and talks with her father. The next scene shows Jekyll reading a book cries out in agony rushes into his lab and now Jekyll is Hyde, Hyde grabs his hat runs out into the street knocks down a little girl rushes back to his lab and transforms into Jekyll.Jekyll is talking to his wife in the the park and then he suddenly runs away kneels down and in the next shot is Hyde. He runs back, tries to strangle her, her father comes (from nowhere) and Hyde kills him instead. Jekyll says to his wife he is "going away" and then he runs back to his lab, a card says his potion is gone now he must remain Hyde to the end. Hyde is in his lab now. He go's on a rampage destroying his lab looking for something. Police have tracked down Hyde and are breaking down the door. just as they are about to break the door down, Hyde takes a fatal dose of poison........... when the police come in Hyde is dead. THE ENDEven though this version is short, it is still pretty good and recommended.

Ah, the days before the world wars -- was the last great military activity the civil war of the 1860's? Mr. Hyde wears strange false teeth and is rather anal about hanging up his hat before destroying his alter-ego's laboratory. The Doctor's fiancee, a minister's daughter, wears two pretty dresses, one in white, then one complete with fur pelts, all in black after her father's demise. Dr. Jeckyll's jacket had satin accents at the collar. Each location is to be treasured for its simplicity. There is a cinematically framed image of people running down a sidewalk -- my favorite scene (I also like the shot in Cameron's Titanic where the boy sends a top spinning across the parquet floors of the ship's deck.)