The Adult Version of Jekyll & Hide

Adult Version of Jekyll & Hyde, The (1972)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

The title pretty much tells you all you need to know in this David Friedman produced sexploitation pic. Dr. Leder (Jack Buddliner) is in an antique store when he discovers the notes of Dr. Jekyll. He takes them home, does a few experiments and soon finds himself raping and killing women. Soon the good/bad doctor ends up turning himself into a woman (Jane Louise) who also goes on a sex hunt. Hammer did a similar film the previous year with much better results if you're actually wanting a decent attempt at making a movie. This thing here is clearly not trying to be "good" but instead just trying to keep the viewer interested for 90-minutes while a variety of women get undressed. This film was a major chore to sit through because it runs way too long and there isn't a single original idea to be found here. This is a sexploitation picture so you know there's not going to be too much plot but the direction is quite sluggish and makes the film drag. Lead actor Buddliner is incredibly bad in the part and isn't the least bit interesting or entertaining. What's worse is that the screenplay could have had fun with the male to female thing but the writing never even attempts anything. Instead we get one sex scene after another, which isn't a bad thing in small doses but in this film they just keep coming and getting slower with each new one. The women here are extremely beautiful as we get some natural ones as well as some that prove actresses were getting breast implants in the 70s. Future porn star Rene Bond appears as a secretary here and she's clearly the best thing in terms of nudity and acting (believe it or not).

You gotta love '70's porn! Funky music, big mustaches and lots of hair elsewhere, ugly men and women who seemed to be already well over 30 at the time. It seems that in the '70's age and looks were no requirements to enter the porn industry. It's funny to see how much the porn industry has changed. Just compare a '70's movie to a porn movie from this decade. The difference is so enormous, that '70's porn look so soft, friendly and almost innocent as well as simple amateur like looking, that it becomes often hilarious and entertaining to watch.

I think you could consider this movie to be a very soft-core one. Lot's of sexual actions are implied in the movie but very little is actually shown on screen. It makes the sex seem rather more distracting and boring than arousing and exciting. Basically only breasts are shown in this movie, which of course doesn't meet up by todays requirements.

Of course in a movie like this the story always becomes secondary but I do admire how they tried to give the story still a sort of main plot line, even though it makes far form sense all and is way too simple. It's not uncommon for porn movies to mix with well known stories and legends. This time the story of Jekyll and Hyde is the unlucky victim. Of course the movie doesn't follow the story at all and in this movie features a doctor who by an old book written by Mr. Hyde makes the formula to split his evil and good side. Only problem is that instead the good old doctors turn into a woman but hey this doesn't have to mean it's a problem right? Especially not in a simple, amateur like looking, sleazy '70's porn movie. The story doesn't ever really flow well and its totally unclear why Hide (the woman side of the doctor) kills all those innocent people. The movie seems to lack a real point and purpose with it's story but like I said before, I admire the attempt and it distinct this movie from most other '70's genre movies.

The movie is very cheap and amateur like looking with simple camera-work and scene build up. But I bet the actors (who of course are bad) had fun, with the 'real script' and characters they were portraying, rather than being in just another straight-forward porn movie without a storyline in it.

A must-see for the fans of '70's porn movies, which are quite a few.

6/10

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A non stop assault of hard gore and soft sex, The Adult Version of Jekyll and Hide is a concoction that would have had Robert Louis Stevenson rolling in his grave, although not necessarily out of anger. As the ‘Hide' title tips you off the film's aspirations lie firmly below the belt, in fact even before the opening credits we are privy to a couple on the job. The girl is Nurse Debby (Rene Bond) and the lucky guy on top is Dr Chris Leeder (Jack Buddliner). Leeder is engaged to a sweet girl named Cynthia- but is guided by murkier motives, he's after her money and hopes to run off with it and Ms Bond. Hunting for engagement presents in a old curiously shop Leeder discovers the notebook of the original Dr Jekyll. Later Leeder returns to the shop in a feverish panic, so much so that he strangles the owner when he refuses to sell the book to him. Leeder becomes obsessed with the world of Dr Jekyll and his monstrous alter ego Mr Hide- envisioning Jekyll (Buddliner again) transforming into Mr Hide, an animated pasty faced sex killer clad in top hat, cape and cane. Limping around impressive mock Victorian sets Mr Hide is picked up by a prostitute who offers him some ‘fun'. Unfortunately for the girl, her and Mr Hide's idea of fun are far from the same. Soon its a bareassed Mr Hide chasing the girl around the room with a whip making a bloody mess of her. ‘You must be barmy' she tells him surely one of the cinema's great understatements. Mr Hide finishes the night with his grotesque partypiece- ramming a red hot poker in the girl's privates. Leeder daydreams more and more about Mr Hide's sex crimes each one more viler than the last. It so consumes his life that he misses his engagement party to experiment on himself. One sip of Dr Jekyll's special brew and the rolly-polly Buddliner is transformed into ‘Miss Hide' (Jane Tsentas)- who makes her entrance in this world when her breasts burst out of Leeder's shirt. Despite her leggy, blonde appearance Miss Hide is a knife wielding nymphomaniac as lethal as her male counterpart. By night she prowls LA bars looking for men to pick up,leading to the films most infamous encounter, where Miss Hyde castrates a sailor during some back alley sex, holding the bloody member up for the stunned seaman. Leeder gets sick of reading about Mr Hide's sex crimes as well as coming home every night in knickers and a mini skirt, but fearing the law decides to ‘Hide' out by turning back into the femme fatale. Not even Rene is ultimately safe from Miss Hide's paws and ends up dragged to the floor for a unique interpretation of ‘Chris particularly wanted us to get together'. Under the direction of L Ray Monde (known to his mother as Lee Raymond) and money from several United Airline pilots- The Adult Version of Jekyll and Hide always impresses, its bright comic book like lighting style partially belies its low budget and set bound roots. Only the fickle finger of obscurity has kept the film from being the notorious of the notorious. In a typically ‘tender' moment Mr Hide breaks into a girl's house ties her up, rapes her, then beats her about the head with what looks like a soda siphon. Distributed by David F Friedman's EVI company the film was moderately successful, but you get the feeling that many venues decision to cut out some of the ‘goodies' seriously weakened the film. Few films were ready and willing to go all out in the sex and horror stakes as The Adult Version of Jekyll and Hide was, and justly it really has to be seen intact with all the scandal and outrage that its content incurs. There isn't any deep profound meaning to be found here- sex and violence is all that The Adult Version of Jekyll and Hide is really about. Made at a time when softcore was going down for the count its very much the old guard resorting to tried and tested violent shock value to win back an audience. On its own perverse terms The Adult Version of Jekyll and Hide is also an equal opportunities film offering space for its psycho male and the allure of the violent sexy female with each of the sexes dishing it out as good as the other. Its also well cast, with everyone looking like a character you'd imagine to see strolling down Hollywood Boulevard in the early Seventies. Buddliner, the most seedy of protagonists looks perfect as both gigolo Leeder or sex psycho Mr Hide. As Miss Hide, Tsentas is menacing, seductive and appropriately towers over most of the cast. Tsentas appeared in few films- although the hardcore Sacrilege in which she plays a go-go dancing Witch terrorizing a Ray Davies lookalike is well worth seeking out. One of the more famous Hide alumni is legendary cutie Rene Bond. Like Tsentas, Bond had graduated from early hardcore such as the mind boggling Girl in a Basket. Eventually the films got softer and the budgets got bigger as did her breasts thanks to the wonders of implants. The Adult Version of Jekyll and Hide sees her in all her sex kitten glory, running around the surgery half naked teasing the lumbering Mr Buddliner who has all the sex appeal of a big flea's armpit. An enduring image from a film that will leave few sleazemongers short changed or with their jaws undropped. The Adult Version of Jekyll and Hide is an exploitation film in everyway that matters- equal parts eye candy and eye opener.

I can tolerate quite a lot of extreme cinema-types (feel free to check some of my other user comments) and detect something good to tell about them always. But this…this is just weak over the entire line. The adult version of Jekyll and Hide is a David Friedman production. Friedman often cooperated with Hershell Gordon-Lewis who's known in the cult circuit as one of the pioneers of gore cinema. Their films are too silly, but often very imaginative and amusing. This film, unfortunately, is yet another story. Friedman simply produced and left the rest up to people I'm not familiar with. This thing has very little to see with Robert L. Stevenson's classic novel and handles about a dumb, ugly doctor who gets obsessed by Dr. Jekyll's notebook he found in an old bookstore. He fixes the drink and transforms into a hot, long-legged blond nymph. It's supposed to be an X-rated HORROR film, but since they didn't have any budget for horror, they simply focus on the X-rated sequences. A lot… The nudity (male as well as female) is explicit, but never shocking or too perverted. Absolutely nothing happens that's worth mentioning except maybe the castration of a well shaped sailor; the only `ouch' moment in the entire film. Dull, uninteresting and a waste of time. If you do consider watching it, you better keep your finger on the `fast forward' button at all times.

Dr. Chris Leder (Jack Buddliner, who is ugly enough to make ME feel amazingly good about my body) goes to a bookstore with his fiancé, Cynthia (Jennifer Brooks, better know as "that one girl in that flick where Elvira shows her hoo-haas). He sees a book he wants but waits till he's alone to go get it. The store owner isn't selling, so Chris naturally strangles him. (i hesitate to say kills because he blinks "after death). He then uses the book to turn himself into MISS Hyde. A pre-breast enhancement, pre-hardcore star, Rene Bond (quite easily the only redeeming value of the movie) also stars as secretary of Dr. Chris in this hard soft-core film. This film was hard to sit through & I know that ANY movie released on the "Something Weird" label is for acquired taste. Do yourself a favor and skip this. See Hammer's "Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde" instead, which is miles better.

My Grade: D

DVD Extras: Commentary by David F. Friedman; Theatrical trailer; gallery of exploitation art

Eye candy: all the girls get nude at one point in the film

ANTI-Eye candy: Jack Buddliner gets nude (giving the word cocktail weenie a new meaning, frankly I feel sorry for the guy)