Hammer Films is delighted to announce that their upcoming horror thriller Doctor Jekyll will be available exclusively in the UK on Digital Download from 11th March 2024.
An isolated mansion, a mysterious locked room, creepy corridors, a dusty cellar and a mad doctor… Hammer Horror is back! Dive into the haunting and enigmatic world of Doctor Jekyll.
Starring the incomparable Eddie Izzard in a role like you’ve never seen before. A fresh, horror-filled take on a timeless tale, this adaptation promises to send shivers down your spine.
Adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novel, Doctor Jekyll is directed by Joe Stephenson (Chicken, McKellen: Playing The Part), and also stars Scott Chambers and Simon Callow, as well as Lindsay Duncan, Jonathan Hyde, Morgan Watkins and Robyn Cara.
“In a year that marks a monumental milestone for Hammer Films, our 90th anniversary, we are proud to present ‘Doctor Jekyll’. This release is not just a new chapter in our storied history but a celebration of Hammer’s enduring legacy in horror cinema. Featuring the incredibly talented Eddie Izzard, under the skilled direction of Joe Stephenson, ‘Doctor Jekyll’ is a film that captures the essence of what has made Hammer a household name in horror. As we honour our past, we are also paving the way for a future filled with innovative and spine-tingling storytelling. We’re excited for audiences to dive into this haunting adaptation, available on digital platforms from 11th March, and join us in celebrating a year of landmark significance for Hammer Films.” Hammer Films COO, Jonathan Lack.Director Joe Stephenson commented “With ‘Doctor Jekyll’, I wanted to make a film that honours what has been before and doesn’t get made anymore, and still gives something fresh and unique to a 100yr old, often told, story. Our film, with its mystery narrative and purposeful melodrama, led by the incomparable Eddie Izzard and brilliant Scott Chambers, is designed to be surprising from the off. Hammer Films has always been synonymous with boundary-pushing horror, and with ‘Doctor Jekyll’ we wanted to honour that tradition but simultaneously take the structure, humour and horror styles of what people remember and love and bring them back for new audiences to discover. I’m excited for genre fans to discover our adaptation, and hopefully be drawn into the world we have created and go along for the ride!”
Doctor Jekyll will be available on Digital Download from 11th March 2024
ABOUT HAMMER FILMS
Incorporated in November 1934, Hammer is one of the oldest film companies in the world and will celebrate its 90th Anniversary this year.
Despite resolutely covering a number of genres across the decades, Hammer became so successful that their very name became interchangeable with “horror”. So, alongside worldwide smashes Dracula and The Mummy, there was Quatermass and other science-horrors, an adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles, comedies (including Up the Creek and I Only Arsked) and a series of hard-boiled war pictures that included Yesterday’s Enemy and The Camp on Blood Island.
Hammer’s undoubted heyday, the 1960s saw the ongoing success of their series of sequels featuring Frankenstein, Dracula and The Mummy, making household names and cinema legends of both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Spreading their wings further into the horror genre they created a series of memorable monster shockers, including The Gorgon, The Reptile and Plague of the Zombies, as well as some unsettling and chilling psycho-terrors, most prominently Taste of Fear, Paranoiac and Hysteria.
1980 started on a high note with production of the legendary TV series Hammer House of Horror. Funding failed to materialise for further episodes, however, and though a co-production deal was subsequently struck for a series of TV movies entitled Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense, despite best efforts they were to be the last original productions from Hammer for over two decades.
Following several corporate buyouts and changes of management in the ‘90s and ‘00s, 2008 saw Hammer begin to produce movies again, racking up some notable hits – with both Let Me In and Daniel Radcliffe-starrer The Woman in Black becoming global smashes. Then things went quiet again…
In August 2023 Hammer was acquired by renowned British theatre producer John Gore. Revitalised and reinvigorated, Hammer will blend the nostalgic charm of its classic films with modern cinematic style and innovation. Preserving and respecting both its heritage and archive, Hammer is also actively planning an ongoing slate of new productions.
