Synopsis
Working in Dr. Cranley's laboratory, scientist Jack Griffin was always given the latitude to conduct some of his own experiments. His sudden departure, however, has Cranley's daughter Flora worried about him. Griffin has taken a room at the nearby Lion's Head Inn, hoping to reverse an experiment he conducted on himself that made him invisible. But the experimental drug has also warped his mind, making him aggressive and dangerous. He's prepared to do whatever it takes to restore his appearance.
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Cast
- Claude RainsDr. Jack Griffin
- Gloria StuartFlora Cranley
- William HarriganDr. Arthur Kemp
- Henry TraversDr. Cranley
- Una O'ConnorJenny Hall
- Forrester HarveyHerbert Hall
- Holmes HerbertChief of Police
- E. E. CliveConstable Jaffers
- Dudley DiggesChief Detective
- Harry StubbsInspector Bird
Recommendations
- 100
Austin Chronicle
The story is one of those great mad scientist tales in which the potion invented with the best intentions for its enhancement of human life becomes instead an evil force bent on its destruction. The visual effects here are pretty great - and at first comedic - as the Invisible Man smokes and brawls and rocks in a chair. Oh, but then the horror happens. - 100
San Francisco Chronicle
Claude Rains' performance in the title role of The Invisible Man may be outtasight, but you can still see the hand of director James Whale. - 100
TV Guide Magazine
Few debuts have been as impressive or odd as that made by the voice of Claude Rains in this macabre classic based on the novel by H.G.Wells. - 100
Empire
If you set aside Frankenstein as more of a horror film and King Kong as a fantasy, The Invisible Man is the first truly great American science fiction film. - 90
The New York Times
The story makes such superb cinematic material that one wonders that Hollywood did not film it sooner. Now that it has been done, it is a remarkable achievement. - 80
Chicago Reader
James Whale's 1933 film plays more like a British folk comedy than a horror movie; it's full of the same deft character twists that made his Bride of Frankenstein a classic. - 80
Vanity Fair
This thriller falters between grim humor and silly comedy. Adapted from the II. C. Wells novel, it has an amusing and legitimate British feeling in its early scenes. - 80
Time Out
The real strengths of the movie are John P Fulton's remarkable special effects (Rains removing his bandages to reveal nothing, footsteps appearing as if by magic in the snow), lending much-needed conviction to the blatant fantasy; and the fact that we never see the scientist without his bandages until the very end of the film.
