Dr. Evil with Austin (along with Basil Exposition and Number 2), and is angered that Austin won the "International Man of Mystery" award, while he, the academy's best student, was overlooked. In the first film, Dr. Evil is an internationally known criminal genius cryogenically frozen in 1967 and reawakened in 1997. Like Austin Powers, he faces challenges in acclimating to the new period (although he has his staff, who remained behind, to help him). He often places his little finger near his mouth, especially when excited or to emphasize a statement. Although expanded upon, this signature move may have been taken from
The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll biographer Wheeler Winston Dixon) called "the charm of evil". The film is also unusual in that it is one of the few where the Jekyll/Hyde character does not die in the story's conclusion. The film was released in North America to theaters under the titles House of Fright and Jekyll's Inferno and on American TV under its original British title. Dr. Henry Jekyll's wife, Kitty, cheats on him with his friend Paul Allen (who hounds money from Jekyll). Ignoring the warnings of his colleague and friend Dr. Ernst Littauer, Jekyll concocts a chemical potion which he hopes will help him