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Edge of Sanity

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5.3/10 • 53

1989-04-141h 31m

HorrorThriller

Beware the beast within!

When his experiments into a powerful new anesthetic go hideously awry, respected physician Dr. Jekyll transforms into the hideous Jack Hyde. As his wife Elisabeth passes her time in charitable work, rehabilitating the district's fallen women, Hyde is drawn into an escalating cycle of lust and murder that seems to know no bounds.

Directors
Gérard Kikoïne
Editors
Malcolm Cooke

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Anthony Perkins

    Anthony Perkins

    Dr. Henry Jekyll / Jack "The Ripper" Hyde

  2. Glynis Barber

    Glynis Barber

    Elisabeth Jekyll

  3. Sarah Maur Thorp

    Sarah Maur Thorp

    Susannah

  4. David Lodge

    David Lodge

    Underwood

  5. Ben Cole

    Ben Cole

    Johnny

  6. Ray Jewers

    Ray Jewers

    Newcomen

  7. Jill Melford

    Jill Melford

    Flora

  8. Lisa Davis

    Lisa Davis

    Maria

  9. Noel Coleman

    Noel Coleman

    Egglestone

Reviews1

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Wuchak Avatar

Wuchak

Oct 17, 2022

6/10

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde meets Jack the Ripper with Anthony Perkins In London, 1888, Dr. Jekyll accidently discovers a form of smoking crack in the Victorian Era and thus his bestial alter ego, Mr. Hyde, goes on murderous excursions in the dead of night with oversexed prostitutes being his preferred prey. Glynis Barber is on hand as his beautiful, trusting wife, Elisabeth. "Edge of Sanity” (1989) is like a Hammer horror flick updated to the late 80s, mixing "The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll" (1960), “Demons of the Mind” (1972) and “The Creeping Flesh” (1973) with “Psycho III” (1986). While it’s superior to “Demons of the Mind,” it’s not quite as good as the other three. You can tell it’s low-budget, but makes up for it with Perkins’ knockout performance and creative artistry in cinematography, lighting, positioning and sets. Like “The Creeping Flesh” and “Taste the Blood of Dracula” (1970) the movie interestingly explores the contrast of legalism with its counterpart libertinism. Society and religion enact laws that restrain the beast within, which makes everything good on the surface but, underneath, there’s a licentious monster wanting to get out. The production doesn’t hold back with its depictions of the sadistic and debauched. As such, there’s an excess of sordidness and quite a bit of gore, which is apropos for Mr. Hyde and Jack the Ripper. So this is a very hard R-rated production. If you’re in the mood for a Victorian milieu, black coats, cobblestone streets, alluring women, a ghastly killer and lush colors, “Edge of Sanity” should fill the bill. It’s the precursor to “From Hell” (2001) a dozen years prior, just on a lower budget. The film runs 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot in Budapest, Hungary, with 2nd unit work done in London. GRADE: B-

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  • Edge of Sanity poster
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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
$102,000.00
Keywords
prostitutecocaineinvestigationjack the rippermurder of prostitutevictorian englandmurdermad doctordoctordrugsjekyll and hyde