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2020’s Invisible Man is neither an adaptation of the novel by H.G. Wells nor is it a remake of the classic 1933 film. Its big-screen life cut short by the COVID-19 outbreak but you can now see it at home for the price of about two movie tickets (depending on the region). There’s a lot of scary stuff happening outside and if you want something to frighten you while you’re indoors, it’s a great choice. Written and directed by Leigh Whannell, it’s a horror film that taps into today’s fears.

Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) escapes her violent, controlling boyfriend with the help of her sister, Emily (Harriet Dyer), her friend James (Aldis Hodge) and his daughter (Sydney (Storm Reid). Still reeling from Adrian's cruel grasp on her, Cecilia learns from Tom Griffin (Michael Dorman) - Adrian’s lawyer brother - that he committed suicide after she left. Despite this, she becomes convinced Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) is alive, that he's found a way to make himself invisible and that he's now stalking her.

Even before she learns of his death, Adrian still has a tight grip on Cecilia. She can barely walk out the door to get the mail but she's done it. She's escaped. Actually, she's landed in an even worse situation. She can’t convince anyone of what's happening. The more she sticks to her story, the more her credibility diminishes. It’s a living nightmare. She’s being stalked, she’s being controlled, her reputation is being tarnished and she’s being gaslighted all at once.

Something unusual happens to you while watching The Invisible Man. Fairly early, on, we’re shown the title is not metaphorical. Cecilia IS being pursued. You know there’s nothing to see but nonetheless, your eyes constantly dart across the screen, trying to spot something you know can’t be seen. When Cecilia peeks around a corner, you crane your neck to emulate her. When the camera lingers on an empty room, you lean forward, thinking you’ll notice something. It builds anticipation and tension.

The scares are effective, the way this horror story amplifies real-life fears is intelligent. A lot of the picture's success comes from Moss, who is excellent. You know she’s right but when you see her scrambling to explain her situation, you don’t only understand why no one believes her, you begin to doubt her sanity too.

In the cinema, this would've been a lot of fun to watch. With the visuals stripped away, your ears go into overdrive. Suddenly, a stray noise will get your imagination sprinting and there would've been a lot more with dozens of "unseen" people around you. Watching at home doesn't take away too much from the experience, however, unless you turn on the subtitles. They’ll “tell you” which noises are important and which aren’t, which takes away some of the tension. That's a minor gripe. Overall, this is an excellent horror movie, the kind I wish we'd see more of because it works both as metaphor and straightforward horror. (March 22, 2020)

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