#CreatureFeature - The Invisible Man

I cannot tell you how many years it’s been since I’ve seen The Invisible Man (1932), and I’d forgotten how wonderful this adaptation is. The effects are ingenious. When he takes the bandages from his head, it’s breathtaking. If they were to do it today, it’d be all CGI and gross.

I love Una O’Connor, she is an absolute delight to watch, I wish she was in more of the movie. Though when Gloria Stuart takes the spotlight, mesmerizing me with her beauty, I forgot all about Una. Claude Rains plays the Invisible Man, but we never see his face until the end. After taking the chemical, not only does he become invisible, but he changes mentally, and he’s physically stronger, and deranged.

It is funny that when he walks out of the barn in the snow that it’s shoeprints not bare feet. The ending is so abrupt, I wonder if they didn’t know what else to do. And those are my only critical points in this movie. I can’t tell you enough to see this movie the first chance you get.

I give The Invisible Man 4 out of 5 Stars.

Next is the movie with the opening credits that say, “The Sequel to The Invisible Man”, but I see The Invisible Man Returns (1940) more as a spin-off since it’s a whole new cast with Vincent Price as the Invisible Man. Our femme fatale in this film is Nan Grey as Helen Manson. She knows how to give good face; wow, is she amazing and stunning.

The story is about clearing Sir Geoffrey Radcliffe of killing his brother Michael, while Dr. Griffin looks for the antidote to return Radcliffe to being visible; this is the brother of the original Invisible Man and the only real tie-in to the original. Soon Radcliffe starts to change, and it becomes more than clearing his name.

Vincent Price is so young in this film, I can almost not recognize his voice since we don’t see him until the end as was with the first movie. The Invisible Man Returns is more of a drama with a dash of Sci Fi thrown in, but it’s worth the watch, even if it’s just 1940 glamour.

I can only give The Invisible Man Returns 3.5 out of 5 Stars.