Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde

Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde (1976)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

The black Dr. Henry Pride (Bernie Casey) takes a formula that turns him into an evil white man. Here's another blaxploitation film but this one here is actually pretty good thanks in large part to the very good performance by Casey. The film is over the top in every way possible from the non-stop Kung Fu fighting to the wonderfully funny pimp. The first scene where the evil white guy is about to get jumped by three hoods is priceless.

This film hasn't been officially released but it is out there in bootleg form.

Even though I had heard nothing but bad things about this film, I still wanted to see it for myself. This is indeed a bad film. I watched what looked to be a tv quality version of the film but that won't help the fact that the film is pretty bad with no redeeming qualities because overall, it's just a poor film and trying to tie itself to a literary classic (albeit a modern day retelling of that classic). What makes it worse is the fact that Mr. Hyde's makeup is so bad it makes him look "white" and he escapes being captured because he looks like a white man. This is a poor retelling of the classic and an uninspired film overall.

This film opens with a socially conscious physician named Dr. Henry Pride (played by Bernie Casey), who strives to alleviate suffering in the inner city of Los Angeles. When he is not assisting those in need of medical attention, he devotes nearly all of his waking hours to working on a cure for liver disease that he hopes to finalize soon. Unfortunately, when he cannot find any willing volunteers for his research, he decides, in a moment of desperation, to use himself as a guinea pig- with disastrous results, as he becomes a homicidal maniac targeting prostitutes living and working nearby. Rather than reveal any more, I will simply say that, although the overall plot has been used numerous times in the past, I found the idea of using it within the framework of a blaxploitation setting to be quite compelling. Admittedly, the low-budget production values did limit the film to some extent; however, it still managed to entertain me for the most part, and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

I remember seeing this film advertised on an Atlanta TV station late night in 1976: then I saw the rating, "R", and being 10 years old with religious parents I knew I'd never see it. Little did I know then that VCRs were just around the corner. Dr. Pride is looking for cures in liver diseases, and he discovers a formula that doesn't do too much for the liver but makes the user a monster. After a botched attempt on an old lady at the hospital he tries it on himself...becoming Mr. White Monster. This film isn't very scary, but its mighty entertaining. I can see how William Crane (the director) probably was making a statement about drug abuse. Bernie Casey is good as the doctor. The film also stars Rosiland Cash and was distributed by Dimension Pictures (Kingdom of the Spiders & Ruby).

Henry Pride (Bernie Casey) is a successful yet altruistic black doctor who develops a serum that he hopes will cure liver disease; when he tests the formula on himself, he transforms into a white psycho who kills prostitutes and pimps.

Although, at face value, Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde is a trashy example of blaxploitation horror, it does attempt to explore deeper themes that would have resonated with its intended black audience. With Dr. Pride transforming into a bestial white man, the film equates whiteness with power and corruption, a belief understandably held by many in the black urban underclass; it also explores the idea of black guilt over attaining success and status in a predominantly white profession, and likens the doctor's repeated use of his serum to drug addiction, an issue that affects the poor and underprivileged. There's plenty to dig into if you enjoy films with social commentary...

But what about the more 'fun' aspects of the film?

Let's start with the obvious: Mr. Hyde's appearance. White face paint and some light prosthetics work does not convincingly turn a black man into a caucasian, and the scenes in which the transformed Dr. Pride is mistaken for a 'honky' are hilarious. The make-up was created by FX legend Stan Winston, but it is far from his best work.

Mr. Hyde throwing people around like rag dolls: extremely comical, but hugely entertaining.

Silky the pimp: I love a stereotypical pimp and Silky ticks all of the boxes.

The nudity, courtesy of Marie O'Henry as Linda, the hooker with a heart: no exploitation film is complete without gratuitous T&A and Linda's completely naked health checks at the free clinic are about as gratuitous as it gets. If Dr. Pride wasn't so kind and upstanding, I'd be questioning his ethics...

Johnny Pate's funky soundtrack.

The King Kong inspired finalé that sees Mr. Hyde scaling the Watts Towers (one of LA's more unusual landmarks).

Better than Blackenstein and Scream Blacula Scream, but not as enjoyable as Abby or Blacula, this is mid-tier blaxploitation horror that can be commended for addressing social issues along with its escapism. 5.5/10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.