Astounding.....
The film features very little bloodshed, all of which is contained within the last five minutes, yet it's darker and more visceral than any film for decades yet to come. The agonized wails of those undergoing vivisection, coupled with Kathleen Burke's pathos inducing reactions to the threat of further treatment call to mind a complete understanding of the torment suffered by those who, without anesthetic, are taken under the knife for prolonged operation and experimentation.
And, of performances, Charles Laughton provides the film with one of those rare villains who is well written, well-acted, and yet who does not warrant any of the audience's sympathy. Laughton's Moreau is a cruel, pitiless, taskmaster whose only motivation is an insatiable thirst for knowledge unhindered by ethic. And Arthur Hohl's conscience stricken Montgomery provides a worthy foil for the comparison.
And lastly, the creature makeup itself was fantastic. Again the story finds itself several decades ahead of itself as Ouran, the pigman, and several of the others looked truly unlike any other special effects creations of that era. Wally Westmore's makeup artistry ranks among those of Lon Chaney or Frankenstein's Jack Pierce. It is with no surprise that I discover that it was Westmore who transformed Fredrick March from the gentlemanly Dr. Jekyll to the brutish and ape-like Eddy Hyde.
I can only wonder why this film is not as well remembered as other horror films such as Dracula and Frankenstein. Being released in 1933, it's possible that the rise of the Hays Code would have made its rerelease impossible for nearly two decades or perhaps the implied violence was more than audiences of the 30s could handle. Whatever the case, I certainly feel as though it deserves greater recognition than what it has received.