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I, Monster is an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s story, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886),. However, it is an adaptation of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde that is for some reason pretending not to be an adaptation of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The title of the story and the name of the good Dr Jekyll and his alter ego have been changed – although in every other regard I, Monster is an exceedingly faithful adaptation of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The book’s other characters – Utterson the lawyer, Poole the butler, Lanyon the doctor – are there and moreover have the same names they do in the book.

Around the turn of the 20th century. Dr Charles Marlowe is experimenting with a drug that lowers patients’ social inhibitions – it causes a prim woman removes her clothes, an angry man becomes like a child. When Marlowe takes the drug, he becomes cruel and malicious under its influence. Marlowe’s lawyer and friend Frederick Utterson then learn about Marlowe’s violent friend Edward Blake. Blake trampled a girl and then ran into Marlowe’s house and used a cheque written in Marlowe’s name to pay her father hush money. Utterson believes that Blake is blackmailing Marlowe. As he investigates, Utterson makes the shock discovery that Blake is Marlowe’s alter ego who emerges under the influence of the drug and that Marlowe is having increasing difficulty controlling him.

Director: Stephen Weeks
Cast: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Mike Raven, Richard Hurnbill, George Merritt, Susan Jameson, Marjie Lawrence, Aimee Delamain
Country: UK
Genre: Horror

BD25 | 1080p AVC | 01:15:20, 01:20:39 | 22.2 Gb + 3% rec
Language: English
Subtitles: English

Extras:
• Two presentations of the film: the original 75-minute theatrical cut; and the extended 81-minute version
• Audio commentary with director Stephen Weeks (2020)
• Audio commentary with Weeks and film scholar Sam Umland (2005)
• The BEHP Interview with Peter Tanner - Part One, 1914-1939 (1987): an archival audio recording, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring the celebrated editor in conversation with Roy Fowler and Taffy Haines (1:15:05)
• Introduction by Stephen Laws (2020): appreciation by the acclaimed horror author (5:57)
• Stephen Weeks at the Manchester Festival of Fantastic Films (1998): archival video recording of the director in conversation (15:47)
• Interview with Milton Subotsky (1985): archival audio recording of the famed producer (3:01:50)
• Interview with Carl Davis (2020): the renowned composer discusses his score (18:07)
• Image gallery: publicity and promotional material
• UK Original theatrical trailer (3:01) / US theatrical trailer (1:47)
• Kim Newman and David Flint trailer commentary (2017): short critical appreciation by the genre-film experts (1:47)