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Two-faced Killer: A Modern Thriller

Amateur award-winning dramatic thriller influenced by 1940s Universal Horror movies and made by husband and wife team John and Dede Wright.

Amateur film 1951 5 mins Silent

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Logo for East Anglian Film Archive

Overview

A horror thriller with a plot twist, Two-faced Killer, was shot on 9.5mm film by non-professional filmmakers, husband and wife John and Dede Wright. A Jekyll and Hyde tale, it was the winning entry in the Pathescope Drama Competition in 1951. With clear influences from the Universal horror movies of the 1940s, the film employs special effects makeup, trick photography, and quick cutting to elicit the psychopathy of the lead character.

A truly collaborative affair from the Wright family; Dede Wright provides the story, husband John directs and plays Jekyll, and John’s father Alfred Wright plays Hyde. John Wright was a keen amateur filmmaker. He was a founder member of the Westcliff Cine Club, he wrote for “Movie Maker” magazine and was one of the organisers of the “Ten Best” amateur filmmaking competition.