The Invisible Man (dir. Leigh Whannell), 2020

He mustn’t wake up. The coastal mansion, primarily constructed of glass and poured concrete, is impossible to sneak off from. The bathroom is visible from the bedroom, the kitchen from the bathroom, and so forth. So, when the film opens with Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) putting into motion a plan we never witness her concoct, but are well aware of regardless, the tension is high. Her husband, Dr. Adrian Griffin (a leader in the field of optics) is drugged and asleep. While able to turn off the security alarms, their dog accidentally sets of that of their vehicle, sending Cecilia fleeing over the walled property and into the woods. Her sister is supposed to be at a bend in the road, waiting, but no one is there. Headlights are approaching and Cecilia narrowly escapes. The intensity and stress of the opening scene will never truly wear off for the following hour and fifty minutes.

The Invisible Man, adapted from the H.G. Wells novel of the same name, is the most recent of several film adaptations over the last 90 years. In this iteration we follow Cecilia, the wife of a brilliant scientist, trying to recover from his abuse. She is in hiding at the house of a friend, somewhere her husband should be unable to find. Only two weeks after her escape, she learns he has killed himself. However, she can’t seem to shake his presence and soon receives clues that such a feeling is not in her mind. Terrifying, suspenseful, and unpredictable, The Invisible Man perfectly crafts a slow burning story that erupts into a violent terror. Operating as a parallel to the horror of domestic abuse, the constant threat and potential presence of Dr. Griffin is never shaken by Cecilia or the audience.

Taking a premise that, in reality, should never be truly believable or successful director Leigh Whannell has done just that. The film is fresh and terrifying and makes such an absurd premise feel believable, not to mention the underlying horror of being stalked by a person you can never see. We never delve too deeply into the science or why, allowing crumbs of context clues to lead the way. Technically, the films genre is heightened by the fitting editing, cinematography, and score: the camera motions are haunting and score generally terrifying at moments. The tagline of the film states “what you can’t see can hurt you” and it certainly rings true while watching the film.