Leigh Whannell's The Invisible Man could be the first truly great horror film of 2020, and the best sci-fi horror movie of the year.
Known to genre fans for writing or directing numerous films, such as Saw (one through three), the Insidious franchise, Dead Silence, and Cooties, as well as numerous acting roles within the sci-fi and horror genres and beyond, Whannell has established himself as an icon within the genre. Blumhouse's attachment to The Invisible Man, which could boost the studio into picking up more within the Dark Universe in the future, solidified it as a must-see film in 2020 for many horror fans. Even so, the majority of horror releases this year have been disappointing on many levels. Blumhouse's most recent release, Fantasy Island, tried to cross elements of science fiction with horror, but failed to capitalize on the core of either, hence it falling flat.
Whannell's 2018 film, Upgrade, gave fans a taste of what the director can do in the sci-fi/horror space. With a well-known franchise that has endured in interest and popularity despite only really having one solid film to carry on H.G. Wells' legacy - although Hollow Man did try - The Invisible Man seems poised to be a sure winner. There's a few key reasons why this movie could be a game-changer, as many other sci-fi horror crossover efforts, such as Alien, have accomplished before.
The Invisible Man Could Change The Game For Sci-Fi Horror In 2020
Sci-fi horror movies have been a staple of both genres for decades, spanning back to the 1950s and even before, and H.G. Wells has been a big part of that. Alongside The Invisible Man, Wells' stories such as the author's 1987 novel is regarded as a classic. Granted, the James Whale 1933 film showed a more palatable angle to its titular character than what Whannell's vision has promised, but sometimes, source material begs for an upgrade.
In The Invisible Man, Whannell isn't afraid to put Kevin Bacon's well-meaning scientist who uses himself as a guinea pig and goes insane, then violent in 2000's Hollow Man. In Whannell's vision, Adrien (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) has seemingly premeditated his crime by faking his death, dangling money in front of his ex, putting a stipulation on the deal, and then torturing her.
As he started out writing, there's no doubt that Whannell can tell a good story; since he serves as both writer and director for the film, and has stated that his vision of The Invisible Man is the version he'd always wanted to see, but had never been tackled by anyone else before. While other classic Universal villains have maintained their ability to scare, Wells' character has lost his threatening visage through the age of time, and from the trailers, Whannell seems poised to fully realize - and capitalize - on the notion of someone using science to be absolutely vicious.
