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The Invisible Man Returns (1940) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.4/10   801 votes
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Director:
Joe May
Writers:
H.G. Wells (characters)
Joe May (story) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Invisible Man Returns on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 January 1940 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller more
Plot:
The owner of a coal mining operation, falsely imprisoned for fratricide, takes a drug to make him invisible, despite its side effect: gradual madness. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. more
User Comments:
Chills, Humor, Tenderness and Passion more (22 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Cedric Hardwicke ... Richard Cobb

Vincent Price ... Geoffrey Radcliffe
Nan Grey ... Helen Manson
John Sutton ... Doctor Frank Griffin
Cecil Kellaway ... Inspector Sampson of Scotland Yard
Alan Napier ... Willie Spears
Forrester Harvey ... Ben Jenkins
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
81 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:
Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #5921)
Company:
Universal Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Vincent Price's first horror film, 13 years before House of Wax (1953) typecast him in the genre. He also provided the voice of the Invisble Man in Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948). more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: The wires holding the gun are clearly visible. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Mr. Cotton: I - I can't believe it's going to happen. Just two more hours, and they're going to kill him.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "Dark Angel: Brainiac (#2.10)" (2002) more

FAQ

Is this a sequel to the 1933 'Invisible Man'?
Why does Inspector Sampson blow his cigar smoke in that peculiar way?
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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful.
Chills, Humor, Tenderness and Passion, 26 August 2006
8/10
Author: Dan1863Sickles from Troy, NY

There are a lot of reasons why this 1940 sequel is better than the original INVISIBLE MAN. In the first movie, the Invisible Man was a dilettante, a haughty scientist who shot himself up with the invisibility drug "for kicks." Claude Rains played the character with such a supercilious air that it was hard to care when he lost it all.

But in this well-written sequel, the Invisible Man is a true hero. Geoffrey Radcliffe is a wealthy gentleman with class, courage, and a sense of humor. Someone has framed him for murder, and with the help of his devoted girl friend and trustworthy company doctor, he sets out to make things right.

Vincent Price is perfect as Geoffrey. He gives this invisible man plenty of guts, along with goodness, humility, and a wonderfully self-deprecating sense of humor. When madness sets in, of course, Price can babble with the best of them. But this time around, you care. This is a man who ran his business empire for the benefit of the workers, a man who can tease his weeping girl friend about how "lucky" she is not to see his face.

Ladylike and innocent-looking Nan Grey is a horror legend for her bit role as the waif-like streetwalker in Dracula's Daughter. Here she gets to play the same gentle, sensitive type, only warmer and more womanly. Watching Helen Manson sit up all night watching over her suffering love, falling asleep in her chair, and fainting at the sight of his disfiguring bandages, you will fall in love with her yourself. It's easy to see why Geoffrey loves her enough to risk madness and death to be by her side, and why the villain was willing to stoop to murder for her sake.

Sir Cedrick Hardwicke is mostly remembered today for playing kindly, kingly old gentlemen in epics like THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. But here he is a ruthless, cold villain, a murderer who fights for greed and gain. The attraction to lovely Helen is only hinted at, just a glance here and a tender word there. But it gives just the right touch of depth and tragedy to an amazingly nuanced performance.

Just as many critics feel Dracula's Daughter was a deeper film than Dracula, so INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS may well be an improvement over the original classic.

Long live Universal Horror!

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