Anthony Perkins will always be remembered for his legendary role as the psychopath Norman Bates from the Psycho films. He certainly had a long and successful career, but the role he originated in 1960 would follow him through 1990 when he portrayed the character one last time in Psycho IV: The Beginning.
Bates wouldn’t be the only crazy character that Perkins would portray; there was another pair (or trio) of iconic characters that he would add to his resume before passing away in 1992 at 60 years old: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in Edge of Sanity (1989). Arrow Video has delivered the cult classic to Blu-ray in a jam-packed special edition.
When the young Henry Jekyll catches his father cheating, it doesn’t take long before he’s beaten by him for spying. After the whipping, he begins to develop a sadomasochistic fetish that he carries with him into adulthood. As an adult in the late 1880s, Jekyll begins to run experiments, which involve him ingesting a mix of cocaine and ether, unleashing an entirely different personality in Mr. Hyde. He soon goes on a killing spree across England, losing himself to the lethal mix and driving himself to the edge of sanity.
I’ve always found Edge of Sanity interesting because it balances this brutal, silly, slasher premise with what can be best described as arthouse flair. Director Gerard Kikoine somehow manages to wrangle all these elements and make it work. There are a few jump scares, a pinch of humor, and a truly strong performance from Perkins.
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It was a nifty idea to try to incorporate true-life murders (Jack the Ripper) into this particular narrative with beloved fictional characters. The supporting cast is just as important as the star, delivering strong performances. A special shout-out to Glynis Barber as Elisabeth Jekyll. She was able to bring some levity and humanity to this disturbingly original slasher film.
The Blu-ray is loaded with features, including an audio commentary from David Flint and Sean Hogan, an interview with producer Edward Simons, a brand new interview with Nightmare USA’s Stephen Thrower, a new interview with Dr. Clare Smith, author of Jack the Ripper in Film and Culture, a career-spanning interview with director Kikoine, and plenty more.
Edge of Sanity is a unique film that stands out among other ’80s slashers for being a period piece yet still feeling very much like a product of the beloved time period. Arrow Video brings you a disc you’ll be able to enjoy for many years to come.
