The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944)

An eccentric scientist helps a fugitive from the law become invisible, unwittingly giving him the power to exact revenge on his former friends.

Director:

Ford Beebe

Writers:

Bertram Millhauser, H.G. Wells (characters)

Stars:

Jon Hall, Leon Errol, John Carradine

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jon Hall	...	Robert Griffin
Leon Errol	...	Herbert
John Carradine	...	Doctor Drury
Alan Curtis	...	Mark Foster
Evelyn Ankers	...	Julie Herrick
Gale Sondergaard	...	Irene - Lady Herrick
Lester Matthews	...	Sir Jasper Herrick
Halliwell Hobbes	...	Cleghorn
Leyland Hodgson	...	Sir Frederick Travers
Doris Lloyd	...	Maud
Ian Wolfe	...	Feeney
Billy Bevan	...	Sergeant
Grey Shadow	...	Grey Shadow

Storyline

An eager scientist tests his new formula for invisibility on an escaped fugitive. When the formula works the criminal runs off to terrorize a family he believes cheated him out of a fortune years earlier.

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Plot Keywords:

fugitive | revenge | invisibility | reporter | psychopathic ward | 

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Taglines:

THEY'RE MARKED...for DEATH! (original print ad - mostly caps)

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 June 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Vingança do Homem Invisível

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Grey Shadow also appeared with Leon Errol in the 1945 RKO short It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog.

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Goofs

During the last half of the film, visible wires/strings are used to stage many of the invisibility effects, most notably in the scene where the invisible Robert Griffin lifts the unconscious Mark Foster up unto a table. And in three different close-up shots of Brutus (Dr. Drury's dog), we see a wire holding up the dog's muzzle.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Malty Bill: Two pounds, seven for the Burberry and the hat.

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Connections

Follows The Invisible Man Returns (1940)

User Reviews

Universal's second-best Invisible Man movie

Generally speaking, the horror films from the "New Universal" period (1937-1946) aren't as good as the ones from the era when Carl Laemmle, Sr. and Jr., were still in control of the studio (though "Son of Dracula," a moody masterpiece, is not only the best in Universal's vampire cycle but the finest vampire film ever made in the U.S.). "The Invisible Man's Revenge" isn't the equal of the peerless 1933 Laemmle-era original, but it's certainly better than the previous run of "New Universal" Invisible Man movies. Jon Hall, relatively dull as the hero in "Invisible Agent," proves surprisingly effective as a full-throated villain (in this version he's a psychotic madman BEFORE becoming invisible); Leon Errol's dry wit is several cuts above the usual un-funny "comic relief" in these films; Lester Matthews and Gale Sondergaard make a nice guilt-ridden couple for the Invisible Man to have his titular revenge on; Alan Curtis and Evelyn Ankers are certainly more than competent as the romantic leads; John Carradine is in good form as the rather dotty scientist with the invisibility formula; and the direction by Ford Beebe, usually a name associated with Universal serials, is convincingly Gothic and well-paced. Universal was on the downgrade as a horror studio by then (and their only further foray into invisible man-dom would be an Abbott and Costello vehicle in 1953) and some of the effects work is sloppy, but on the whole this film is convincing and vividly atmospheric. Incidentally, in "The Face of Marble" from Monogram two years later (another underrated film with a fine sense of atmosphere even though its plot doesn't make a lick of sense even by the meager standards of horror fantasies!), John Carradine also played a mad scientist who had a dog named Brutus.