All Business Halloween Day Part 3: The Invisible Man

Released: 1933. The Invisible Man is 84 years old this year.

Directed By: James Whale. Whale is an absolute titan of horror filmmaking giving us Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Old Dark House.

Plot: Claude Rains stars as Dr. Jack Griffin, a scientist’s assistant who upon doing his own research discovers how to become invisible. He does not, however, know how to become seen again. The film opens with Griffin searching for shelter at The Lion’s Head Inn. He is looking for peace and quiet to try to reverse his predicament. Being invisible and the drug that he used to become invisible are slowly driving him mad. He asks and pleads to be left alone by the innkeepers but when they do not comply he starts acting up, leading to him running wild in the town. Griffin’s want to be normal again is slowly replaced by a lust for power and money. He can do anything, and so he confides in his fellow assistant and plots to take that power.

Why To See It: Everyone knows what the Invisible Man looks like, but many have not seen this film. I hadn’t before tonight. For that reason alone it is worth a watch, to be hooked into this pop culture phenomena of Universal Monster movies. The Invisible Man, alongside Dracula, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein, The Mummy, and The Wolf Man defined the look and feel of these classic characters. Halloween is not Halloween without them. These are important pieces of history as well as being entertaining films.

Even if you ignore the historical importance of The Invisible Man you will still find a very entertaining film. It is gorgeous, filled with swirling snow and special effects that hold up better than you would think. At this point we know how the effects were achieved (wires and models and such), so their believability relies on how meticulous they are used. Every door swing and thrown glass moves at the right speed at the right time. We feel like Dr. Griffin is there, even when Claude Rains is not.

Speaking of Claude Rains, he is phenomenal in this. Rains was not the first choice to play the lead, it was intended for Boris Karloff. While Karloff would have been amazing in the part, it would have deprived us of Rain’s second film performance and a truly stunning bit of work. He is working without the use of his face, leaving him to turn in a very physical performance. The way he uses his hands to reveal emotion and character reminds me a lot of what actor Doug Jones does today. Sometimes Rain’s doesn’t even have his body to work with, only his voice and boy does he sell it.

Tonally this film is an oddity. Whale knows that there is a tragedy at the heart of this story, and yet he is keenly aware of how fun and ridiculous the main conceit is. A perfect example is Griffin’s escapade through town. Here is a man pleading to be left alone so he can save himself, which is tragic. When the police come to remove him from his studies he reveals himself to be invisible, which is horrific. Upon disrobing he leaves on his shirt and jumps around laughing and toying with the people in the room, which is comic. Then we shift back to horror as he chokes an officer. The movie regularly flows to whatever fits the scene best and it is a joy to watch.

Scare Factor: A lot more people die in this film than in any other Universal Monster movie that I have seen so far. Like a lot. Griffin at his craziest is not a nice fellow. It is also pretty creepy to watch him take off his bandages and disappear. He could literally be anywhere at any time and like I mentioned before he is a crazy killer. The films age, style, and humorous flourishes keeps any of this from being truly scary.

Recommended?: Yes. This movie is simply iconic. It is immediately amongst my favorite horror films from this time period. It is funny, thrilling, has an exquisite lead performance, and is extremely economic in its storytelling (only an hour and twelve minutes long). I highly recommend this film.