The Invisible Man Returns
Encyclopedia
The Invisible Man Returns is a 1940 horror
science fiction film
from Universal. It was written as a sequel to the 1933 film The Invisible Man, which was based on the novel The Invisible Man
by H. G. Wells
. The studio had signed a multi-picture contract with Wells, and they were hoping that this film would do as well as the first. It would be followed by the comedic The Invisible Woman
later the same year.
The screen play for this movie was written by Lester Cole
and Curt Siodmak
(as Kurt Siodmak). The film director was Joe May
, who had previously directed The House of the Seven Gables
. (May's native language was German
, and he spoke little English
.) The cast of the film included Vincent Price
(in his first horror-film role), Cecil Kellaway
, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Nan Grey
, Alan Napier
and John Sutton
.
The movie ran for 81 minutes in black and white with mono sound. The movie holds a 89% at Rotten Tomatoes
The production ran slightly over budget, costing $270,000, but it returned good box office revenues. The special effects by John P. Fulton
received an Oscar nomination
.
In the chronology styled documentary, Ted Newson's 100 Years of Horror (1996), Price recalls that the undressing of the scarecrow scene took several hours to shoot, for only three minutes of on screen time. The transparent effect was done with black velvet covering the actor.
Another sequel, The Invisible Woman
, would be released later in 1940. Universal would revisit the concept in the 1951 comedy Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man
. (At the end of the 1948 film Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
, Vincent Price
makes a brief voice-only cameo as the Invisible Man; however, the 1951 film features a different "Invisible Man" character played by a different actor.)
The Invisible Man Returns is set in 1906. The Invisible Man (1933) was set in 1897, and a scene in Returns has the police inspector saying that those events happened "9 years ago".
) is sentenced to death for the murder of his brother Michael, a crime he did not commit. Dr. Frank Griffin, the brother of the original invisible man, injects the prisoner with an invisibility drug. As Radcliffe's execution nears, he suddenly vanishes from his cell. Detective Sampson (Cecil Kellaway
) from the Scotland Yard guesses the truth while Radcliffe searches for the real murderer before the drug causes him to go insane.
The Radcliffe family owns a mining operation. The recently-hired employee Willie Spears (Alan Napier
) is promoted within the company, stirring Radcliffe's suspicions. After forcing Spear's car off the road, Spears is scared into revealing that Richard Cobb (Sir Cedric Hardwicke), Radcliffe's cousin, is the murderer. After a confrontation, a chase scene ensues during which Radcliffe is struck by a bullet from Sampson. Cobb is killed falling from a coal wagon, but not before confessing to the murder.
Radcliffe, dying from blood loss and exposure, makes his way to Dr. Griffin. A transfusion of blood makes Radcliffe visible, allowing the doctor to operate and save his life. (Vincent Price actually only appeared in the film for one minute, and spent the remainder of the movie as a disembodied voice.)
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
science fiction film
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
from Universal. It was written as a sequel to the 1933 film The Invisible Man, which was based on the novel The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man is a science fiction novella by H.G. Wells published in 1897. Wells' novel was originally serialised in Pearson's Weekly in 1897, and published as a novel the same year...
by H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
. The studio had signed a multi-picture contract with Wells, and they were hoping that this film would do as well as the first. It would be followed by the comedic The Invisible Woman
The Invisible Woman
The Invisible Woman is a science fiction, comedy film that was released near the end of 1940 by Universal. It is the third film follow Invisible Man and The Invisible Man Returns which had been released earlier in the year. The comedic writers Robert Lees and Fred Rinaldo wrote the screenplay in...
later the same year.
The screen play for this movie was written by Lester Cole
Lester Cole
Lester Cole was an American screenwriter.Born in New York City, Lester Cole began his career as an actor but soon turned to screenwriting. His first work was "If I had a Million." In 1933, he joined with John Howard Lawson and Samuel Ornitz to establish the Writers Guild of America.In 1934, Cole...
and Curt Siodmak
Curt Siodmak
Curt Siodmak was a novelist and screenwriter. He made a name for himself in Hollywood with horror and science fiction films, most notably The Wolf Man and Donovan's Brain...
(as Kurt Siodmak). The film director was Joe May
Joe May
Joe May , born Julius Otto Mandl, was a film director and film producer born in Austria and one of the pioneers of German cinema....
, who had previously directed The House of the Seven Gables
The House of the Seven Gables
The House of the Seven Gables is a 1668 colonial mansion in Salem, Massachusetts, USA. The house is now a non-profit museum, with an admission fee charged for tours, as well as an active settlement house with programs for children...
. (May's native language was German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, and he spoke little English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.) The cast of the film included Vincent Price
Vincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
(in his first horror-film role), Cecil Kellaway
Cecil Kellaway
Cecil Lauriston Kellaway was a South African-born character actor.Cecil Kellaway spent many years as an actor, author, and director in the Australian film industry until he tried his luck in Hollywood in the 1930s. Finding he could get only gangster bit parts, he got discouraged and returned to...
, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Nan Grey
Nan Grey
Nan Grey was an American film actress. She was born Eschal Loleet Grey Miller on July 25, 1918 in Houston, Texas.-Career:...
, Alan Napier
Alan Napier
Alan William Napier-Clavering was an English actor, best known for portraying Alfred Pennyworth in the 1960s live-action Batman television series.-Early life and career:...
and John Sutton
John Sutton (actor)
John Sutton , who was born in Rawalpindi, British India , was actor of British parentage.-Filmography:*Rawhide as Lord Ashton...
.
The movie ran for 81 minutes in black and white with mono sound. The movie holds a 89% at Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
The production ran slightly over budget, costing $270,000, but it returned good box office revenues. The special effects by John P. Fulton
John P. Fulton
John P. Fulton, A.S.C. was an American special effects supervisor and cinematographer.-Biography:...
received an Oscar nomination
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
.
In the chronology styled documentary, Ted Newson's 100 Years of Horror (1996), Price recalls that the undressing of the scarecrow scene took several hours to shoot, for only three minutes of on screen time. The transparent effect was done with black velvet covering the actor.
Another sequel, The Invisible Woman
The Invisible Woman
The Invisible Woman is a science fiction, comedy film that was released near the end of 1940 by Universal. It is the third film follow Invisible Man and The Invisible Man Returns which had been released earlier in the year. The comedic writers Robert Lees and Fred Rinaldo wrote the screenplay in...
, would be released later in 1940. Universal would revisit the concept in the 1951 comedy Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man
Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man
Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man is a 1951 comedy horror film directed by Charles Lamont and starring the team of Abbott and Costello alongside Nancy Guild.The film depicts the misadventures of Lou Francis and Bud Alexander, two private detectives investigating the murder of a...
. (At the end of the 1948 film Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is a 1948 American comedy horror film directed by Charles Barton and starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It is the first of several films where the comedy duo meets classic characters from Universal's horror film stable...
, Vincent Price
Vincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
makes a brief voice-only cameo as the Invisible Man; however, the 1951 film features a different "Invisible Man" character played by a different actor.)
The Invisible Man Returns is set in 1906. The Invisible Man (1933) was set in 1897, and a scene in Returns has the police inspector saying that those events happened "9 years ago".
Plot
Sir Geoffrey Radcliffe (Vincent PriceVincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
) is sentenced to death for the murder of his brother Michael, a crime he did not commit. Dr. Frank Griffin, the brother of the original invisible man, injects the prisoner with an invisibility drug. As Radcliffe's execution nears, he suddenly vanishes from his cell. Detective Sampson (Cecil Kellaway
Cecil Kellaway
Cecil Lauriston Kellaway was a South African-born character actor.Cecil Kellaway spent many years as an actor, author, and director in the Australian film industry until he tried his luck in Hollywood in the 1930s. Finding he could get only gangster bit parts, he got discouraged and returned to...
) from the Scotland Yard guesses the truth while Radcliffe searches for the real murderer before the drug causes him to go insane.
The Radcliffe family owns a mining operation. The recently-hired employee Willie Spears (Alan Napier
Alan Napier
Alan William Napier-Clavering was an English actor, best known for portraying Alfred Pennyworth in the 1960s live-action Batman television series.-Early life and career:...
) is promoted within the company, stirring Radcliffe's suspicions. After forcing Spear's car off the road, Spears is scared into revealing that Richard Cobb (Sir Cedric Hardwicke), Radcliffe's cousin, is the murderer. After a confrontation, a chase scene ensues during which Radcliffe is struck by a bullet from Sampson. Cobb is killed falling from a coal wagon, but not before confessing to the murder.
Radcliffe, dying from blood loss and exposure, makes his way to Dr. Griffin. A transfusion of blood makes Radcliffe visible, allowing the doctor to operate and save his life. (Vincent Price actually only appeared in the film for one minute, and spent the remainder of the movie as a disembodied voice.)