The Invisible Man

H.G. Wells’s The Invisible Man has been a staple for the science-fiction/horror genre since it was first published in 1897. It told the story of a man named Griffin, whose research in optics resulted in a way to make the body neither absorb nor reflect light, thus rendering it invisible. But instead of using this discovery for good, he uses it to commit acts of violence and aggression, empowered by the fact that nobody could see him coming, even when it was too late. The novel has seen a multitude of adaptations throughout the decades, the most famous of which was the Universal Monsters version in 1933, directed by James Whale and starring Claude Rains in the title role. And now, here we are with an updated version – again from Universal with Blumhouse Productions – that takes the same basic pitch and says, “Y’know, what if we take this opportunity to talk about the challenges faced by people getting out of abusive relationships since that’s a subject that’s been getting more attention this days?”

The story centers on Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia, a woman who manages to escape an abusive relationship with an optics scientist named Adrian Griffin. Now living in the house of her best friend James (Aldis Hodge) and his daughter Sydney (Storm Reid), Cecilia finds out that Adrian has seemingly died as a result of suicide and has left his fortune to her. However, there is little cause to celebrate as Cecilia soon feels haunted by an unexplained presence, leading her to believe that Adrian faked his death and found a way to make himself invisible. Of course, such claims are dismissed as lunacy by her friends and family, and as time goes on, Cecilia’s life spirals further and further out of control with her friends and loved ones starting to worry for her sanity while she continues to be tormented by this invisible man.

I don’t usually go to see horror movies in theaters; the only reason I went to see this one was because I had read some of the book back in middle school and had seen the 1933 film. But this was a real treat; a suspenseful thriller that, like most of Blumhouse’s recent productions, relies more on luring the audience into an uneasy atmosphere rather than solely relying on jump scares. Writer/director Leigh Whanell once again shows a steady hand with the camera, letting it linger during a suspenseful scene, but also showing his chops as a great choreographer of action when the Invisible Man goes on his rampage of horror. What also helps is Benjamin Wallfisch’s score, which makes great use of ambient noses and electronic instruments as well as classical instruments.

The acting is good across the board; Elisabeth Moss is the standout as Cecilia, deftly showing her paranoia and growing fear of her ex-boyfriend. Aldis Hodge is great as her friend, Storm Reid is good as his daughter, and Oliver Jackson-Cohen pulls his weight in the admittedly light role of the Invisible Man. I’d say my only real problem is the twist concerning Adrian’s brother Tom, played by Michael Dorman. I won’t give away the twist, but I will say that it would have hit harder for me if he featured into the plot more than he did in the film. But then again, it may have made the twist all the more obvious. Who knows?

Either way, this is a great little thriller and a must-see for fans of horror and science fiction. Don’t miss out on it!