Edge of Sanity (1989) Movie Review
Written by: ML
Edited by: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Gerard Kikoine
Producers: Jacques Fiorentino, Harry Alan Towers
Writers: J.P. Felix, Ron Raley
Date Released: April 14, 1989
Cast:
Anthony Perkins as Dr. Henry Jekyll / Jack “The Ripper” Hyde
Glynis Barber as Elisabeth Jekyll
Sarah Maur Thorp as Susannah
David Lodge as Underwood
Ben Cole as Johnny
Jill Melford as Flora
Noel Coleman as Egglestone
Briony McRoberts as Ann Underwood
Harry Landis as Coroner
Basil Hoskins as Mr. Bottingham
Rating = 3/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
The story is about a man who was having nightmares about his childhood trauma. He saw his father having sex with a prostitute and got physically abused because of that. When he inhaled chemical fumes, he turned into his alter ego, Hyde, who was then capable of lashing out to the source of his trauma. He started killing prostitutes at night and got addicted to the chemicals. As he was able to enact his sadomasochistic tendencies, he began to absorb Hyde’s mind and had trouble staying as Jekyll. He came to a point where he killed his wife who knew of the truth just so he can continue with his murderous ways.
Gore Factor
The opening scene had a bloody woman’s face haunting Dr. Jekyll in his dreams. As a slasher and serial killer movie, the bloody murder scenes consist of slitting the throat and slicing using scalpel. The violence and lack of remorse from Hyde is notable, aside from his hideous physical features.
The Grave Review
This movie was a nice take on the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story. It showed the connection of personality disorders and serial killing, though the victims were almost always showing frontal nudity.
In terms of acting, Anthony Perkins was perfect for the role since he was already known for his insane characters. Aside from Hyde’s hideous look which was totally different from Jekyll, his facial expressions and movements make it easy to distinguish. The only problematic acting was from the prostitutes and their fake laughs.
The good about this movie was the montage of hallucinations and camerawork towards the end. It clearly showed that Jekyll was already on the edge of his sanity and losing his mind to Hyde even without the chemical formula. The only questions left were about the satisfaction he gets from being Hyde and when the murder addiction will end.
Speaking of ending, it was a bit shocking because of the fact that it had no closure. Hyde was never caught for his crimes. Jekyll can continue his secret murders. With his last will and testament left to Hyde, there was an open-ended question of whether Jekyll will permanently give in to Hyde’s personality to live out his killing spree forever. There was no resolution as to how it helped him deal with this traumatic past.
Overall, this movie is a good watch for fans of multiple personality horrors and serial killers.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives Edge of Sanity (1989) three graves out of five graves.
Do you agree with our review? Comment below.
Join the Conversation