An 1886 horror classic was Robert Louis Stevenson’s short novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Robert Louis Stevenson was already an established author, but had not delved into the realm of horror stories previously. (Instead he was known for novels like Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and A Child’s Garden of Verses.) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was quite a departure from his other works. This unique novel, which was so far ahead of it’s time, made Stevenson famous around the world.

The story is based on the true tale of Deacon William Brodie, a respected gentleman of Edinburgh whose life ended swinging from the gallows. By day, Deacon Brodie was one of the finest architects and craftsmen of Scotland, but by night, he led a band of thieves that prowled the streets at night.

While Deacon Brodie was the inspiration for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson penned the novel in about 3 days after having a very vivid dream of such a being: a man with 2 different and opposing personalities. Dr. Jekyll was an upstanding citizen, a conservative chemist born to wealth who invented a potion that allowed his alter-ego to come out in full-force. Mr. Hyde was a vile scoundrel who sought thrills in cruel and criminal activities. Soon Mr. Hyde becomes the dominant personality and Dr. Jekyll only a shadow.

Robert Louis Stevenson was a master story teller. In spite of his life-long tuberculosis illness, he managed to travel the world, penning classic works we still enjoy today. He was a dreamer in the literal sense, attributing many of his ideas to dreams he had which were given to him by his own “brownies” or “the Little People” who lived in his brain and conjured up ideas while he slept.