An Appreciation of Universal Horror's "Invisible Man" Franchise

Scene from The Invisible Man

This Friday will mark the latest interpretation of the H.G. Wells classic "The Invisible Man." Starring Elisabeth Moss, the updated version already has proven to be an intense update that finds the story tying more to themes of toxic masculinity than the feeling of not being seen. In fact, there have been many interpretations throughout the years, though few will ever be as interesting as the franchise that started it all. Back in the 1930s, the Universal Horror label did their best to create the cinematic icons of every horror character imaginable. Audiences are undoubtedly more familiar with Frankenstein, Dracula, and to a lesser extent The Wolf Man and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. However, there's one that exists in the fray and has a more interesting legacy over six films. The Invisible Man in 1933 started a franchise that was never as acclaimed or consistent as its peers, but it does serve as an interesting alternate path that horror could've gone down, embracing romantic comedy, World War II espionage thrillers, and the more general sense of camp. While it may have one of the weakest franchises of Universal Horror, it's easily the most fascinating.

The Runner-Ups: James Whale in "The Invisible Man" (1933)

Every Oscar season, there are a handful of actors who get tagged with the "snubbed" moniker. While it is always unfortunate to see our favorites not honored with at very least a nomination, there's another trend that goes largely unnoticed: those who never even got that far. The Runner-Ups is a column meant to honor the greats in cinema who put in phenomenal work without getting the credit that they deserved from The Academy. Join me every other Saturday as I honor those who never received any love. This list will hopefully come to cover both the acting community, and the many crew members who put the production together.

The Directors Project: #33 - James Whale

Scene from Cinema Paradiso

With the many lists and essays written on the subject of film, there has been one thing that The Oscar Buzz has tried to understand: Who is my favorite of the film world? For 10 weeks this summer, I will be exploring this with a countdown of the Top 50 names based on a numerical ranking of ratings from various sources, the following is a list of directors who rank above everyone else. With occasional upsets, this is intended as both a discussion opener as well as a better understanding of me as a film critic and fan. Please enjoy and leave any comments you have regarding the entry's selection.