First things first, I don’t enjoy horror films and they usually haunt me for weeks. But I wanted to see The Invisible Man, so I got a ticket for the earliest matinée and hoped for the best.
The Invisible Man is originally a novel by H.G. Wells, which is adapted numerous times for the big screen. This version follows the haunting of Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) by her ex-boyfriend, after she runs away from him but can’t escape his abuse. The film is more of a thriller than a jump-scare horror film, and has elements of mystery and also sci-fi.
As the story mainly follows just one main character, performance holds great importance in the film. I like seeing Elisabeth Moss on screen and I think she is a skilled actress, even though some critics don’t believe so as she plays one role for so many years (As Mad Man’s Peggy for 7 seasons and Handmaid’s Tale’s June for 3 seasons). Nevertheless, I am very much convinced by her acting and can say she is great in The Invisible Man, too.
We are speaking of an invisible villain here. So, in most of the creepy scenes, Moss is by herself and either fighting the air or getting beaten up without any other character on screen. These scenes could easily be cringe-worthy or lame, but are indeed very scary.
As I mentioned earlier, I don’t watch as many horror films and I don’t know how the main characters usually cope with the terrorization, but the way Cecilia does was something that I completely identified with. She is horrified. She is not heroic, or brave, or fearless. She just wants this torment to end. She is an ordinary woman, not unlike me!
I remember asking myself continuously as I was watching the film: “Could I have done this? Or this? What would I do now?” In my opinion, all these show how convincing the acting was and how realistic the story is conveyed. With some additional sci-fi technology, we get to follow the story of domestic violence which is not far away from our world. A woman is forced to handle everything herself due to the lack of support by friends and institutions. I liked how the case is structured to be as closest possible to be picked from our everyday life.
From a technical point of view, camera and sound worked well for me. The tracking shots of the “invisible man” were successful in elevating tension. I found the use of sound effects to be modest; meaning that you don’t find yourself stiffed in your seat because of the alarming sounds but because of the disturbing events itself. Otherwise would be a bit cheating, I guess.
“But there’s a moment about midway through the new film “The Invisible Man” that shocked me so vividly, I did something I’ve never done at a horror movie: I shot out of my seat and let out a scream. As the scene continued, I couldn’t move. The woman next to me also screamed, uncontrollably. It was heaven.”
The scene that Erik Piepenburg admits to make him scream, made all the others in the theatre gasp with me that morning. We did not see that coming. With all other fellow viewers that chose to start the day with The Invisible Man, we left the theatre shook, but definitely satisfied.
Let me know how it goes for you.