Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1913)

Synopsis

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a 1913 silent horror film based on Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 gothic novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Directed by Herbert Brenon for producer Carl Laemmle's company IMP (which he later changed to Universal Pictures), the production stars King Baggot in the dual role of Jekyll and Hyde.

Dr. Henry Jekyll sends a note to his fiancée, Alice, and her father to say that instead of accompanying them to the opera, he must give more time to his charity patients. At Jekyll's practice, his friends Dr. Lanyon and Utterson, a lawyer, ridicule him for what they consider his dangerous research. Alice and her father also visit Jekyll's rooms, but although apologetic, the doctor insists on devoting his time to his patients. That night, however, Jekyll undertakes a dangerous experiment, swallowing a drug intended to release his evil self. His body convulses, and he transforms into a hunched, twisted figure.

Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1913 film) (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0).