The Possession of Mrs. Hyde

Axel Braun offers up a modern, provocative take on the iconic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story with a twist. Valerie Reilly (2019 XBIZ Best Actress Avi Love) is home from college on summer break visiting her mother Mary (Reagan Foxx) when she is introduced to the eccentric Dr. Jekyll (Tom Byron) and his mysterious lawyer Mr. Hyde (Seth Gamble). After a bizarre incident, Valerie begins to see and hear things that make little sense. Whether it is because of Jekyll’s strange medication, the lawyer’s inexplicable magnetism, Valerie’s own undiscovered desires or some combination of the three, she finds herself changing into someone she never imagined she would or could become.

This is the first feature of this type that I’ve ever seen, co-written by three generations of the Braun family; late industry legend Lasse Braun, his son, porn parody icon and Wicked Pictures contract director Axel Braun and Axel’s son Rikki Braun, also a Wicked Pictures contract director. Axel has spoken at length about how important this project was to everyone involved and the care they put into it shows plainly on the screen. It harkens back a time when porn features were a showcase for high art encompassing visual flair and electric arousal.

I applaud the choice to present the film in black and white as the format lends itself beautifully to pornography. The shadows created across the bodies of the performers drip with eroticism and create a unique stimulation that is difficult to achieve with color. The mood of the entire movie is enhanced by its black and white presentation as well. Were this a comedy, the presentation would have stood in competition with the narrative. But as a drama, the black and white aesthetic fits perfectly. It is a bold and successful choice.

This is one of those movies that keeps the audience guess the whole time. Not in a whodunit type of way, but more of a what the hell is happening, is everyone in this movie crazy kind of way. Love won the 2019 XBIZ Award for Best Actress in a Feature Movie for this film and it’s easy to see why. Her ability to slide between naive ingénue, sex-craving maniac and confused desperate victim was incredible and she deserved every bit of acclaim and laurels. Compare the scene where Valerie wakes up from the party encounter (perfectly confused) to the scene in the elevator (perfectly terrified and barely maintaining her composure) to the scene in the limo (perfectly unhinged sexually) and you begin to get an idea just how powerful Avi’s overall performance is.

Speaking of compelling performances, we’ve got to talk about Seth Gamble. The man showed unequivocally that he has possibly the greatest range of any male actor working in adult today. His performance is more than the standard businessman, it’s a tortured, mysterious sinister man who never reveals his true intentions. Gamble makes the audience fear, root for and feel awe for Edward Hyde all at once and it’s absolute poetry to watch.

The rest of the cast is equally compelling. From Tom Byron’s portrayal of the seemingly genuine Dr. Jekyll, to Reagan Foxx’s creepy interpretation of Valerie’s mother Mary Reilly, to Kenna James’s beautifully executed vision of Valerie’s mischievous friend Melanie Tramell, to Dustin Daring fully embracing his pivotal non-sex role as John Preston Hill, to Charlotte Stokely’s interpretation of indoctrinated secretary Kyla and industry legend Jessica Drake’s delivery of the skeptical behavioral analyst Sarah Walden, the entire cast brings their “A” game. The tone of the movie never breaks or loses its impact because everyone involved stays true to their character; even during their sex scenes which is essential to maintaining the momentum of a feature.

The sex in this movie is fantastic and in this situation, as stated earlier, the black and white format enhances every single sex scene. Seth Gamble, Victoria Voxx and Kenna James are electric together in a three-way set in a study. The energy is high, the music sets a mysterious tone that fits the scene setup and Gamble is simultaneously threatening, desperate and dominant. Victoria spends the majority of the scene on the brink of pleasurable destruction while Kenna is deliciously enraptured by the entire encounter.

Avi Love has a very intense scene with Ramon Nomar in which she exerts a voracious animalistic nature in regards to the sex. Avi’s face speaks volumes as she figuratively and physically devours Nomar’s Mario. She’s in control, but at the same time not in control and her demeanor during this sex scene does more than stimulate the viewer on a carnal level, it advances the story. Such wonderful work on the part of everyone involved.

The Brauns push some real boundaries in terms of the Wicked brand in the way the sex is framed between Avi Love and Charlotte Stokely. I won’t spoil it, but prepare yourself for a shock if you are familiar with Wicked Pictures sex scenes. This is not their typical fare, but it is so arousing, even longtime fans will likely find themselves flush with sexual excitement at the scene’s taboo nature.

Edward and Valerie Hyde (Gamble/Love) have a scene whose tension is built steadily as the movie progresses and by the time the audience gets to see them together, the anticipation is almost unbearable. It’s not often that a pornographic film can surprise the viewer with anal, but because of the intense and bewildering nature of this film’s plot, the audience never sees the anal in this scene coming and that makes the scene so much more satisfactory. It fits the narrative and it fits the characters and the Brauns deserve to be commended for capturing this tone perfectly.

Reagan Foxx has a raucous encounter with Ramon Nomar and Alex Legend that again, is so much more than a standard three-way sex scene. It has bearing on the story and it expands the depth of the character of Mary Reilly in a way that dialogue cannot. Again, this is incredible story composition by the Brauns.

“The Possession of Mrs. Hyde” is one of those rare pornographic feature films that makes people stand up and take notice that this is a powerful genre within the industry and has much more appeal than mainstream would have you believe. The story is an enhancement to the sex and the industry’s realizing there is a large fan base for this type of plot-based, sexy storytelling. This is far and away the best movie I’ve ever seen from Axel Braun. I watched this movie on Wicked.com so I was not able to view any of the special features.