To get us through this, director Frears takes us down long corridors, across creaky chain-linked bridges and through huge cement bunkers - all on Jekyll's estate, which must take up a couple of city blocks. And he does so with dark, gloomy, almost black-and-white (if there were any white) cinematography.

Instead of the desired creepy ambience, however, it just causes eyestrain.

Add to that Frears' penchant for gore and all those long, languid camera shots of Roberts' face in closeup, as she looks nervous or sad or scared or any combination of those emotions, and the result is one dull movie.

In fact, the only aspect that builds suspense comes as audience-members try to anticipate when Roberts will try that tentative cockney accent or simply let her own Southern drawl take over.

In the end, Roberts should probably be commended for trying to stretch her abilities. Too bad the film instead demonstrates her limitations.

"Mary Reilly" is rated R for violence (including child abuse), gore, profanity, vulgarity, brief partial nudity (a topless prostitute) and sex.