The Invisible Man (2020) proves that horror can touch real problems in crazy ways

Cecilia escapes her evil ex and finds he might still be around in this new take on an old story.

Directed and written by Leigh Whannell (Upgrade)

Starring Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men), Aldis Hodge (Leverage), Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Haunting of Hill House), Harriet Dyer (No Activity)

Sitting down to most Blumhouse movies, I get a little apprehensive. We all know how Fantasy Island turned out, but then also Get Out. The Invisible Man proved to be hella fun and dark as well as an acute look at abuse and manipulation.

     Cecilia (Moss) escapes her asshat manipulative boyfriend's (Jackson-Cohen) house through his secret lab. Some time later after no contact and living at her friend's house (Hodge), she learns asshat has died and left her a chunk of change. Only one thing, she cannot do anything illegal. Cue a lot of weird shit happening that has Ceci believing the asshat is invisible and taunting her.

     Holy hell this movie is good. The first scene sets up the plot, a woman sneaking in quiet through a house. We know something is up, not what, but the direction by Whannell is amazing in the tension and deliberate pacing. Just amazing work that could have peaked into a standard stalker tale but continues with turns and new takes on an old tale.

     There's a theory that invisibility is an inherently evil power. There's very few "nice" applications for it to help humanity, only yourself. Have you read the original story? Do it, if you like older weird tales, but to sum up: an asshat gets invisible and becomes more asshat to the world. 

     Here, we get the story from the other direction, from the asshat's tormented victim. Ceci has been gaslit and manipulated and abused. The ultimate danger, besides the physical, is the emotional damage. This movie does what all good horror does best: reflect base fears. What if he comes back? What if she shows up here? What if they just won't leave me alone? These are questions abuse victims have recurring in even safe spaces, and this telling of the Invisible Man hones in on those questions and makes them real.

     And the ending… Well, even saying what I want to say spoils it, but let's just say that while not satisfying exactly, it will make you think about the nature of abuse and what it does to the psyche.