The Jekyll and Hyde story brought up to date. Jekyll (William Hurt) is now Jessop, a scientist; Hyde, the hairy other self he releases when dabbling in secret potions prepared by South American medicine men from lizards, human blood and psychedelic mushrooms. This psychological mess is dressed up in pounding, eye-hurting, top-of-the-pops style by Ken Russell, who seems to have told his cast to jabber their dialogue so fast that the audience won't have time to digest its latent absurdities. Russell certainly drums the shock value home at a good 95 per cent, with the aid of superb special effects. But the ending, spectacular though it is, finally reveals this as a film with nowhere to go. Drew Barrymore makes her film debut at the age of five.


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