The Invisible Man (1933)

My Review

“The Invisible Man” is a science fiction horror movie about a doctor whose research stumbles upon a new drug which can make people invisible. He experiments on himself, and it soon becomes apparent that a side effect is insanity. The heavy drama proceeds from there, very well handled by director James Whales (“Frankenstein” 1931), who used ground-breaking special effects, good performances, and an excellent screenplay by R. C. Sherriff. It was adapted from the 1897 novel of the same name by H. G. Wells.

The cast includes Claude Rains as the invisible Dr. Griffin, Gloria Stuart as his fiancee, Henry Travers as his mentor, William Harrigan as Dr. Kemp, Una O’Connor as Jenny, Dwight Frye as a reporter, and Dudley Digges, Henry Stubbs, and E. E. Clive as policemen. Gloria Stuart’s prolific career ran from 1932 to 2004, with appearances in prominent films like “Gold Diggers of 1935,” “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm” (1938), “The Three Musketeers” (1939), “My Favorite Year” (1982). and “Titanic” (1997).

The watchable thriller “The Invisible Man” was popular at the Depression Era box office for producer Carl Laemmle Jr. and Universal Pictures. Sequels were released in 1940, 1942, 1944, and “Abbot and Costello Meet the Invisible Man” (1951). Other remakes came out in 1992 starring Chevy Chase and in 2020 starring Elizabeth Moss.