The Invisible Man (1933)

Directed by James Whale. Starring Claude Rains, William Harrigan, Gloria Stuart, Una O’Connor, Henry Travers, Dudley Digges, Forrester Harvey, E. E. Clive.

Classic translation of H. G. Wells’ story of a scientist who becomes unhinged after developing chemicals that turn him invisible to the naked eye, embarking on a “reign of terror” while authorities try to corner and eliminate him. Rains goes unseen until the finale, but his voice vividly embellishes an already formidable menace, brilliant but entirely without conscience or remorse; he may not be as esteemed as certain other members of Universal’s Classic Monsters roster (Dracula and Frankenstein’s creature, most notably), but this one might be the deadliest, wiping out hundreds of people in his killing spree (most of them from a catastrophic train derailment). Although rushed at times, James Whale and crew establish a frenzied pace that goes unrivaled amongst its horror peers from the era, and almost all of the special effects hold up marvelously even today. Walter Brennan and John Carradine each appear briefly, the latter acting under the name “Peter Richmond”.

86/100