Here's a sleazy take on the old Jekyll and Hyde story - with all the gratuitous sex and violence you would expect from infamous exploitation producer Harry Alan Towers, and then some! EDGE OF SANITY is an utterly bizarre film the majority of it takes place in standard period setting, with atmospheric camera-work on the cobbled alleyways at night and authentic buildings.
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EDGE OF SANITY might not be a complete success but it's European feel and its willingness to show skin and violence makes it worth watching. Everything is just set up to get to the next nude woman and next killing. As I said, there are some flaws including the pacing of the picture and the fact that there's really no story at all. He's certainly believable as the kind doctor but he also brings a certain coldness to the role of the killer. As Norman Bates proved, the actor could play various ranges and I thought he was perfect here.
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Of course, the greatest thing going for the movie is the performance of Perkins. Many of the prostitutes here are slashed up very brutally so this movie certainly scores in regards to its adult nature. You've also got some very graphic murders, which were obviously a nod to the Jack the Ripper killings. There's a lot of kinky sex on display as well as plenty of nudity. Sexuality was always a part of the novel and it came into play for a few of the screen adaptations but never quite like this. The film benefits from really taking a perverted spin on the classic Jekyll and Hyde story. Obviously you want to watch the unrated version, which clocks in at 90-minutes, a full five-minutes longer than the R-rated version that was shown in American theaters. Director Gerard Kikoine made some adult movies early in his career and he certainly doesn't shy away from the sexuality because that is on 100% blast and especially when you compare it to other horror movies from this era. EDGE OF SANTIY is a very flawed movie but at the same time there are a lot of interesting things in it.
Flash forward several decades and Jekyll (Anthony Perkins) is a highly respected doctor who accidentally takes a potion that turns him into a mass murderer. Edge of Sanity (1989) ** 1/2 (out of 4) As a young child, Henry Jekyll was severely beaten by his father after getting caught watching him with a prostitute.