Brandon Hurst Archives

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)

Rating: ★★★

Feb 13, 2009Evil Personality Within Unleashed

Classic silent version of the Jekyll and Hyde story. A reasonable if not truly standout version, dominated by John Barrymore's highly melodramatic performance in the title roles

Director: John S. Robertson

Actors: John Barrymore, Brandon Hurst, Charles Lane, George Stevens

Category: Horror

13 February 200914 October 2025 by Roog

The Man Who Laughs (1928)

Rating: ★★★★

Sep 11, 2009Historical Horror/Man With a Frozen Grin

Adaptation of a Victor Hugo historical novel about a man with his face surgically altered into a grin – an image that later inspired Batman’s The Joker. This has clearly been intended to imitate Lon Chaney’s grotesque performances of this era and is exquisitely made by the great Paul Leni

Director: Paul Leni

Actors: Conrad Veidt, Mary Philbin, Olga Baclanova, Brandon Hurst

Category: Horror

11 September 20095 January 2025 by Roog

Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)

Rating: ★★★½

Feb 1, 2001Mad Scientist

This throws out all of the Edgar Allan Poe story except for the title and the ape and instead makes a Bela Lugosi mad scientist film. An entertainingly lurid affair strongly influenced by German Expressionism

Director: Robert Florey

Actors: Bela Lugosi, Bert Roach, D'Arcy Corrigan, Brandon Hurst, …

Category: Horror

1 February 200110 May 2023 by Roog