The Invisible Man: Reinvention of Horror
Originally a superhero movie starring Johnny Depp, The Invisible Man follows Cecilia after she leaves an abusive relationship. After her abuser mysteriously dies and Cecilia thinks she is finally free weird occurrences begin to happen and she must prove that she is being stalked. Director Leigh Whannell re-imagines the Invisible Man as a domestic abuser and uses it to explore abusive relationships, agoraphobia, gaslighting and toxic masculinity.
The film is shown through the perspective of the abused rather than the abuser. Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia is seen as mad by those around her when these strange occurrences begin to escalate and leaves her versus a phantom menace. Cecilia knows that someone is out to get her and it messes with her mental state severely. The horror in this film is played up by traditional film making instead of using modern visuals that add to the realness of Cecilia's reality. The use of his simple camera shots and movements to the empty spots are truly horrifying and suspenseful to the audience. The shots of nothing tell us so much. His approach reminds us that horror doesn't have to e the most extreme thing but even the simplest moves can incite a feeling of terror.
Moss's performance holds traumatic power int the ways she acts out of desperation and rage of being terrorized but not believed by anyone. The film has social issues tied into it of a woman being abused and can't free herself because the abuser is nowhere in sight. She is the woman who feels unheard and invisible. Moss uses the slow-burn to express how abusive relationships can still manage to keep its hold on you even when you think you have been freed. Moss is stuck in a game of terror as those around her believe she can't get over Adrian that it drives her mad.
The entire movie captures your attention as twists start to occur. There is one scene that is so unforgettable that it causes you to feel shocked and leave an imprint in your mind of the most terrifying scene in the entire movie. Whannell manages to be bold and use the fear of the unknown to reimagine a new nightmare that hasn't been explored in the horror genre. There is not only a thrill but you feel the emotion from what is happening in the film. The new Invisible Man is a complex mind game filled with suspense and thrill.