The Invisible Man (1933)

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Classic Horror Special

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As far as classic horror villains go, I have to admit that the Invisible Man is one that I can't help but appreciate for what he his. Much like a Joker type, he sort of runs on chaos, upon realizing what he can get away with while invisible.

Scientist Jack Griffin (Claude Rains) was always given permission to conduct some of his own experiments while Working in Dr. Cranley's (Henry Travers) laboratory. One such experiment, however, has managed to turn him invisible, and in the beginning, we see Griffin trying to work out how to be normal again.

However, the drug named monocane, mixed with the chemicals that made him invisible, has also messed with his mind, making him dangerously unpredictable and violent. He even forces Kemp (William Harrigan), another assistant to Cranley, to be his visible partner in his reign of terror. Meanwhile, Jack's fiancee, and Cranley's daughter, Flora (Gloria Stuart) worries for him, and may or may not be the only thing that can calm the Invisible Man's killer attitude.

For me, the scariness of this one comes from the simple idea of someone invisible, running around, doing whatever they want. On top of that, you never know if someone invisible is right next to you, listening to your conversation (which they address a few times throughout the film). The whole idea behind 'The Invisible Man' seems to play on a fear of invasiveness as well as the unknown. We also have the subtext of "playing God", much like we see in 'Jekyll and Hyde'.

Performances are great here, all around. Rains goes just the right amount of over the top for an otherwise sophisticated character who has cracked. Add to that the cool camera effects that made the invisibility work, and you've got a great all around villain. The only downside to this guy is that he's basic. Though I enjoy the chaos incarnate character, his whole deal is basically to take everything over, using invisibility as an advantage. He even speaks of things like "invisible armies" and whatnot.

Altogether, I can say that this was a lot of fun, and though a bit dated, still manages to be a good thrill. I particularly enjoyed Claude Rain's performance here, as you get quite the contrasted character, going between stern sophistication and mad anger. He's really quite an intense character who pretty well steals the show here.

​This was a great, groundbreaking film for its time as far as special effects go, right down to making invisible shoe prints in the snow (wait, he shouldn't be wearing shoes!). These effects still hold up fairly well. Dated, yes, but you can also most definitely admire them for their time. It's not without a few goof-ups here and there, but it's still a really fun time.

4/5 

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