The Invisible Man

THE INVISIBLE MAN (15)

D: Leigh Whannell

Universal/Blumhouse/Goalpost/Nervous Tick (Jason Blum & Kylie du Fresne)

US/Australia 2020

124 mins

Thriller/Horror

W: Leigh Whannell [based on the novel by H.G. Wells]

DP: Stefan Duscio

Ed: Andy Canny

Mus: Benjamin Wallfisch

Elisabeth Moss (Cecilia Kass), Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Adrian Griffin), Aldis Hodge (James Lanier), Storm Reid (Sydney Lanier), Harriet Dyer (Emily Kass)

Loosely based on H.G. Wells' novel and originally intended to be part of Universal's "Dark Universe" series of films (put on permanent hiatus due to the commercial failure of 2017's The Mummy), Leigh Whannell's adaptation of The Invisible Man brings a new angle to a timeless, chilling horror story.

Elisabeth Moss plays Cecilia, a victim of domestic abuse who flees from her psychotic boyfriend in the middle of the night.  A short while later, she discovers that he had commit suicide and she is the main beneficiary of his fortune, gained through scientific breakthroughs, and soon becomes haunted by strange happenings, convinced that he isn't really dead and is still stalking her.

The film certainly owes a debt of inspiration to the 1950's French classic Les Diaboliques, but doesn't come anywhere close to plagiarism. I could also argue that 2018 thriller Unsane may also have inspired this new take on old material.

Elisabeth Moss is excellent in the lead, a victim of a toxic relationship driven even further into paranoia, and Whannell does an excellent job cranking up the tension throughout.

Unfortunately, the film does have an ending which I found rather unconvincing, but it's quite forgivable considering the build-up is incredibly well done.

7/10