Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde (1976)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Very disappointed :(

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Attempting to work on a special formula, a doctor attempting to fix liver cancer in his patients inadvertently stumbles across a special formula that turns him into a dangerous criminal and tries to keep it under control while his personal life is threatened by the change.This one wasn't all that bad of a Blaxploitation effort or even a true horror film. What really works well for this one is the fact that there's quite a bit of fun to be had here with its traditional horror elements taking place within the confines of the blaxploitation story. The first half here showing his slow transformation into the titular beast following his honest quest to carry out the experiment for the necessary procedure and then just accidentally stumbling upon the change makes for quite a fun horror- based effort throughout here. Those scenes, from the patients' change in the hospital to the first round of changes he experiences where he goes out and begins attacking the goons on the city streets makes for some rather fun times here as this one really ups the action makes for quite an improved pacing during this section. There's even more good fun in the final half as the fact that this one really enhances the action with him going on a more pronounced and explicit rampage as it involves elements quite common-place here with the pimp encounter in the alleyway as well as the stalking and brawling inside the girlfriends' house that leads into the foot- chase that carries across the city which becomes quite fun and has a great overall resolution to it all. Still, while these are quite enjoyable, there are a few flaws to be had here that hold this one down. One of the main elements wrong with this one is the fact that there's just barely any action within here as the film goes for more of a slow-build to his change in favor of scenes showing his good- natured doctor career as well as the tepid and feeble romance that really drags the film to a halt. Each of these really holds it back, with the good-natured doctor role being so clichéd and hammered home in the first few minutes that it really doesn't need to be repeated throughout here to further that particular storyline while the romance is again clichéd and formulaic in these kinds of films. The way she steadfast refuses to accept the truth and stays with him as long as she does before she does turn him in for his crimes is way too long to really make an impact in here as the scenes of them leading up to that are just bland, boring and really make the film feel far longer than it really is since it's quite a quick film overall. As well, the make- up effects are simply terrible and look laughable more than terrifying which does make for a rather goofy main villain when it's hard to feel terrified by him. These here are what hold this one back.Rated R: Graphic Language, Violence, Nudity and drug references and use.

I love the film BLACULA (1972), but this Blaxpoitation flick is a dull misfire that had potential to be entertaining in an offbeat way early on, but then blows it. Bernie Casey is a laid back and soft spoken scientist whose experiments with a formula for liver preservation cause him to turn into a light-skinned albino who likes to go around killing people, especially hookers. There are some fun moments, like 'Hyde' beating up a group of thugs on the street, and later mowing down a chick with his Rolls Royce. The first transformation scene involves a female patient who Casey uses as a guinea pig, and her makeup is quite creepy, featured in a quick sequence that sends a chill through you -- but that's about all; most of this then turns into slow-moving tedium, unfortunately. Also features Rosalind Cash, known for her role opposite Charlton Heston back in THE OMEGA MAN (1971). The best I can conclude about DR. BLACK, MR. HYDE is at least it's not quite as bad as BLACKENSTEIN (1973). *1/2 out of ****

Blacksploitation classic tells the story of Dr. Henry Pryde (Bernie Casey) who is working tirelessly to find a cure for liver disease. He develops a serum that shows potential but, he can't perfect it without human experimentation. After a failed test on a dying woman, Henry decides to test the serum on himself. The result transforms the valiant doctor into a super strong, violent tempered… white man. Directed by Blacula's William Crain, this 70s horror treats it's story with respect despite how silly it is and Crain, as with Blacula, gets good performances out of his cast that also includes Rosalind Cash (The Omega Man) and Marie O'Henry as Pryde's love interest, a local hooker named Linda. Sadly, Larry LeBron's script from an idea by Lawrence Woolner doesn't nearly make as much use of the classic story it's based on as did Blacula, nor is Crain able to give this film the Gothic flavor and style he did with that film. It's pretty much a generic monster movie with Mr. Hyde stalking and killing Linda's fellow hookers and their pimps and the police trying to find and stop the killer. The obvious blaxploitation elements are present but, seem a bit forced here as opposed to Blacula where they were just part of the characters and their life at that point in time. Still the film does have that 70s nostalgia and is worth a look for those interested in the blaxploitation era of filmmaking. Also noteworthy as, the Mr. Hyde make-up effects on Bernie Casey are by the legendary Stan Winston.

"Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde" is cursed by the same affliction as its protagonist/villain: it is a good movie that constantly morphs into a bad movie, until finally it's nothing more than a bad movie.The plot starts off well, and is very intriguing at first. Dr. Pryde (Bernie Casey) is working with female colleague Billie Worth (Rosalind Cash) on a way to regenerate damaged liver tissue. He donates medical care to patients of a clinic in the Watts projects. There is some interesting tension in the movie's early scenes, as Dr. Pryde speaks frankly with one of his clinic patients, a prostitute named Linda (Marie O'Henry) that he's treating for hepatitis. Linda is an interesting character in the film, as the first time we see her, she's sitting nude on an examination table. A bold introduction for a character, especially a major one, and I don't remember many films where the director has made a move like this. Linda is very sympathetic, and Pryde seems to truly respect her, despite how some may look down on her profession.The attitude toward prostitution in the film is very matter-of-fact, which was fairly daring for a movie made in the early 70s, and it even proves to be a pivotal plot element. Dr. Pryde has an emotional discussion with Linda about how his mother passed away, which he blames on the inhabitants of a whorehouse who refused to help her. The main three actors here (Casey, Cash, and O'Henry) are all in very good form, which helps give the movie an unusual lift in quality.It's in the details that the film starts to go wrong. If the early scenes with Casey had not been so good, it might have been easier to accept that he descends into a dual personality after taking some of his own liver serum, which of course turns him into a rampaging beast. But considering that Pryde shows so much real interest and respect for Linda at the outset, it's impossible to understand why he would betray her the way he does. After taking a single injection of the serum himself, he then decides to woo Linda on a date, lays a big line on her about not wanting her "professional services" and simply wanting her company, and then he reveals that it was all because he wants her to allow him to inject her with the serum. We lose our sympathy for Pryde, and immediately the film unravels.The Mr. Hyde creature is a strange one. One of the characters in the film refers to it as a "haint", which I don't get. My grandmother was southern, and I know full well that a "haint" is a ghost. Mr. Hyde is just Casey with some contact lenses, facial molds, and white makeup. It's funny how the people in the film are so easily duped by the transformation; in one scene, Hyde rampages inside a seedy bar, gets cut, and bolts outside into the parking lot, where he reverts to Pryde. His pursuers don't recognize him at all, despite the fact that he's wearing the same clothes, bleeding, and all that's changed is his complexion. Hyde doesn't even really look "white", as the movie suggests, and it's hilarious that the black folks in the movie pretend to be fooled by it. Perhaps if the makeup had been more shockingly white, it would have been an effective contrast.It bears mentioning that the film's director also made "Blacula", a film that is eons better than this one. "Blacula" was pure silliness too, but it was very entertaining and it never betrayed its characters the way this one does. "Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde" also has a bigger problem: it has no thrills or chills. There is only one mild shock, when an old lady patient suddenly lunges at a nurse. There's also a fairly effective chase scene where Hyde goes after Linda in an abandoned warehouse.Unfortunately, the remaining parts of the movie are fair to awful. The supporting cast is mostly terrible, especially the policemen who are working on the Hyde case, and it seems as if this part of the script is really badly done. The situations in the film make no sense, including one scene where Mr. Hyde uses his car to run down a pimp in an alley, and the pimp takes out his knife and attempts to "stab" the grille of the car in self defense. Whatever! Maybe if he'd hit a vital belt or gasket, he would have had a chance.In a very strange ending, Hyde climbs the Watts towers and is shot down, just like King Kong. The image is surprisingly haunting, a human body inside the twisting metal of the tower, but it's not enough to make up for the gross sins that have come before it. It's worth mentioning that "Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde" is not nearly as bad as one of the other blaxploitation horror riffs, "Blackenstein"--but those of you who have actually SEEN "Blackenstein" will understand that this is not saying very much.