The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944) Review

"In this house, you've got to believe what you can't see."

-Dr. Peter Drury

After escaping from a mental institution, the unhinged Robert Griffin (Jon Hall) seeks revenge against his old friends, the Herrick's, who he believe own him a great deal of money.  Griffin comes across a mad scientist, Dr. Peter Drury (John Carradine), who is doing experiments in invisibility.  Griffin becomes invisible to aid in his quest for vengeance.

What Works:

Jon Hall, who was also the main character of the previous movie, but as a different character, is very good.  He's violent and crazy, but isn't trying to be the original Invisible Man.  His character is more subtle and direct in his madness.  He isn't trying to take over the world.  He has a personal vendetta and that's it.

John Carradine is always great and it's fun to see him play a mad scientist.  He doesn't get as much to do as one might hope, but whenever he's on screen, he shines.

Finally, the special effects are a lot of fun, as always.  They are the staple of this series and they continue to deliver.

What Works:

The first four films of this series cover four different genres, which is fascinating, but the 5th film pretty much goes back to the story of the original.  It's all stuff we've seen before and doesn't tread any new ground.

There are also a good amount of boring segments of the film.  Griffin spends a good chunk of the film dealing with the Herrick's and Herbert Higgins (Leon Errol) and those storylines just aren't that interesting.

Finally, all of the characters that aren't Griffin and Dr. Drury are pretty dull and don't add much to the film.

Verdict:

The Invisible Man's Revenge is where the series starts to tread water.  The effects are great and both Hall and Carradine are fun, but the rest of the movie is uninspired and boring.

 5/10: Meh