by Daniel White
Handsome hunk Jon Hall returns for his second outing as the titular hero in Universal's The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944). However, unlike 1942's Invisible Agent where he did battle with axis enemies, he is very much the villain in this piece. Used to seeing Hall as an affable, easy going guy, I was surprised to find him such a nasty chap here. For unlike the previous films in the franchise, Hall's Bob Griffin is already unstable and disturbed. Seeking retribution from a married couple who wronged him in a diamond deal gone bad, he stumbles across an ambitious country doctor (the always welcome John Carradine) who renders him un-seeable. It's all pretty preposterous, illogical, and coincidental, but fun nonetheless.
What makes the movie watchable and entertaining is the extraordinary supporting cast that has been assembled. Besides Carradine, as the slightly deranged yet compassionate Dr. Drury, you have scene stealer Leon Errol as Higgins, a Cockney ne'er-do-well, and the perpetually scheming Gale Sondergaard, as one-half of the duo who swindled Griffin. Stage-trained professionals, their commitment and dedication to even a schlock production like this is commendable. They help elevate the movie and make it a fun excursion.
Universal Pictures produced six "Invisible Man" movies between 1933 and 1948, the last being the classic Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein, where Vincent Price makes a cameo appearance at the end. I have seen every one except Invisible Agent, which I'm trying to hunt down, and enjoyed them immensely. My heart skips a beat and I break out with a goofy smile whenever I settle down to watch a fright film and am greeted with the familiar opening Universal logo of the lone plane circling the globe. I've returned to my childhood and all is right with the world - at least for the next seventy five minutes or so.
With "scream queen" Evelyn Ankers, Alan Curtis, and Lester Matthews, The Invisible Man's Revenge is available on Peacock with other Universal Horror films from the thirties and forties. Happy Halloween!
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