The modern retelling of H.G. Wells’ classic novel “The Invisible Man” explores the horrors of domestic abuse with a villain that isn’t a fantastical creature, but a manipulative husband with expansive resources to exact his terror. After Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) barely escapes the abusive household she is haunted by the lingering presence of Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), her optics-tech mogul husband who she believes faked his death to torment her even further.
Even in his supposed death, Adrian gaslights Cecilia by slowly unraveling her psyche. Having convinced those closest to her that he is dead, he methodically drives friends and family away from Cecilia by constantly, and expertly, making her look unhinged. The first half of the film is slow as it lays the groundwork of this trauma and torment, but is essential in making the payoff more effective.
Director Leigh Whannell does an incredible job maximising a small budget, a powerful tool in an era of the standard blockbuster costing over $100 million. With a production budget of only $7 million, Whannell delivers an impactful sci-fi horror film that never once feels cheap, even in the moments that utilize special effects. His playfulness with the camera is as clear here as it was in his previous low-budget sci-fi film, “Upgrade.” In both films, there are moments where he synchronizes the camera movement with the actor. In “The Invisible Man” he uses this technique to focus intimately on Cecilia in a moment where she faints. Whannell is keenly aware of the power of less being more; he can make an empty doorway feel occupied by an unseen presence, and the effects are chilling.
An equal share of the success of this film lies in the hands of its star, Elisabeth Moss. As Cecilia, Moss delivers a deeply troubled woman that is scarred and not believed by anyone. Her performance depicts her slow descent into what appears to be madness, but is really a justified anger and fear caused by her torment and isolation. Moss doesn’t play a damsel-in-distress, she is scared understandably, but she is also smart, resourceful, and fights back for herself and those around her.
With a small budget and an invisible antagonist, the visuals of this film could easily have come off as laughable instead of scary. The results though are extremely effective in utilizing the space and surrounding during the interactions to create a believable, formidable villain. Early in the film, Moss drags a blanket back to bed and it snags on something. Quickly she notices the footprints of someone standing on it in front of her. The slow walk forward of the unseen person is horrifying yet incredibly simple. Like the characters in the film, the audience cannot see the attacker and are left to imagine where they may be or what they are doing, which can be scarier than the reality.
“The Invisible Man” is a fantastic new take on an old story. Making the story revolve around domestic abuse adds a strong psychological complexity to the film and its characters and contextualizes the use of invisibility in disturbing ways. Instead of a man descending into insanity following an experiment that leaves him invisible, here the villain uses his creation to further inflict his calculated abuse. Whannell combines the real-world horrors of abuse and trauma and the sci-fi elements of invisibility to create a remarkably grounded horror film. It’s intimate and small, which makes it all the more frightening. The film puts a single face to the horror experienced in this film, and in doing so, creates an incredible experience.
