It’s back to the blaxploitation ranks today with the horror movie Dr. Black, Mr Hyde. We don’t love the poster, but it’s all there is. In the film, Bernie Casey plays a dedicated physician who in his spare time is designing a serum meant to regenerate dying liver cells. As with so many cinematic researchers, there comes that moment when he tests his work on himself, and the results are about as bad as can be. He becomes a maniac who runs riot amongst the ranks of L.A. pimps, dealers, and other denizens of ghetto streets and velvet walled cocktail lounges, but becomes especially obsessed by a hooker played by Marie O’Henry. The cops get on his trail, and his survival quickly seems to be a long shot. That gets sorted out in a well staged climax that echoes King Kong, but set at the famous Watts Towers.
Most websites say Casey is turned into an albino by his serum. That’s certainly what it looks like, considering it’s him in pancake white makeup, but in script terms he’s supposed to have been turned into a white man. The filmmakers just didn’t have the efx skills to put that across effectively. Is having Casey transform from altruistic blackness to evil whitenss heavy-handed? Surely. But for blaxploitation it’s on the nose. After all, Casey’s doctor is not actually named Black, but Henry Pride. Heavy, dude. Pride goeth before the fall. Watts Towers, see?
You have to give Casey credit. He was an NFL running back and wide receiver before movies, and is probably the best actor to come from the ranks of pro sports at that time. We checked his background and were surprised he hadn’t graduated from an acting program. Obviously, time is a quality multiplier in filmmaking. Rehearsals and retakes are essential parts of good acting, which is one reason blaxploitation acting, generally lacking those advantages, can be below average. But Casey is good even working within the budgetary constraints of a second tier film production. So, feel free to watch. It isn’t great, but it isn’t an embarrassment. It was filmed in 1975 and 1976, and had a premiere today in 1976, but really didn’t get a wide release until 1979.
