If there’s one thing Hollywood likes, it’s remakes, and The Invisible Man has seen its fair share. Over the years, the timeless H.G. Wells book, first published in 1897, has seen many cinematic iterations. Some of them have been good, others bad, but never great. Until now.

Written and directed by Australian filmmaker Leigh Whannell, who shot to fame after writing the classic low-budget gory horror film Saw (2004), the supernatural horror film Insidious (2009) and some of their sequels, The Invisible Man is one of the most unnerving psychological thrillers of the year so far. This sci-fi/horror film is cleverly written, cleverly directed, and offers a scare or two that had some audience members in my screening openly gasping.

It could also be potentially triggering for people, especially women, who have been the victims of domestic abuse and gaslighting. The villain of this film essentially takes domestic abuse and gaslighting to an almost supernatural level.

The film is about Cecilia Kass, played superbly by Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale), as a woman in an abusive relationship with optics scientist Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). Adrian is something of a Mark Zuckerberg type, and a wealthy tech entrepreneur. He has a laboratory in his own home and is a pioneer of cutting-edge optics science. He is also a psychopath.

The Invisible Man is one of the must-watch psychological thrillers of the year so far

After getting tired of being mistreated, Cecilia finds the strength to act. She drugs Adrian with her prescription of Diazepam and makes her escape from the house. She’s almost caught but flees with help from her sister Emily (Harriet Dyer). Later, she gets shelter with her long-time friend James Lanier (Aldis Hodge), a detective, and his teenage daughter Sydney (Storm Reid), who wants to become a fashion designer.

A few weeks later, she’s shocked to learn that Adrian has committed suicide. What’s more, he has left her five million dollars. After using the money to help Sydney with her education, she tries to start a new life. Here, things take a creepy turn.

Whatever she tries to do, Cecilia feels like her life is being sabotaged. Initially, the gaslighting is subtle; a job interview ends up in embarrassment; the stove catches fire; she has a fainting spell. She knows she’s not responsible, but high levels of Diazepam is found in her blood by the doctors.

It could also be potentially triggering for people, especially women, who have been the victims of domestic abuse and gaslighting. The villain of this film essentially takes domestic abuse and gaslighting to an almost supernatural level.

Then, the gaslighting grows more serious. She’s sitting with Sydney, when an unseen entity slaps the teenage girl at an opportune time, making it look like Cecilia is responsible. Sydney and her father are upset, and feel that Cecilia is spiralling. No one believes Cecilia when she suggests that her abusive boyfriend is alive and manipulating them.

Had the film not actually been called The Invisible Man, we might have also wondered if she was suffering from mental health issues thanks to the clever filmmaking. The abuse continues until the film goes from a deliberately-paced suspenseful slow burn to a chilling horror film. It uses clever camera work and the power of suggestion to play tricks on our minds. It also intelligently uses the occasional jump scare.

The Invisible Man has a couple of flaws. The narrative can be a touch heavy-handed while there are a few plot holes that should have been resolved by modern technology, except that they would have stopped the film dead in its tracks. Overall, these nitpicks aren’t enough to hold The Invisible Man back from being one of the must-watch films of 2020 so far.

Rated R for some strong bloody violence, and language

Published in Dawn, ICON, March 8th, 2020