2014 Horror Countdown: The Invisible Man Returns (1940)

The Invisible Man Returns (1940), dir. Joe May, Universal Pictures

Many critics consider the Invisible Man Returns to be the last ‘A’ horror picture from Universal before they began their slow descent into solid ‘B’ territory.  That is debatable, but the film is a pretty decent follow to the Invisible Man and it wisely doesn’t try to simply copy the preceding film.  

Things are looking bad for Geoffrey Radcliffe (Vincent Price). He’s presently in jail awaiting his date with the executioner for the crime of murdering his brother at the coal mine they own. Dr. Frank Griffin (John Sutton) visits with Geoffrey the day before the date. The guards are quite surprised when they check in after the doctor leaves and find an empty cell. 

This alarms the Radcliffe Mine manager Richard Cobb (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) greatly. As a known associate of Geoffrey, the authorities might blame his escape on him. Cobb has been busy trying to commute Geoffrey’s sentence, a fact that Geoffrey’s girlfriend Helen Munson (Nan Grey) is very grateful. He is also worried that she seems to be spending so much time by herself and acting very peculiar.

It turns out Geoffrey is invisible now thanks to Dr. Griffin (the younger brother of Claude Rains from the previous film) and he is trying to clear his name. Geoffrey and Helen are meeting at a farmer’s house where Geoffrey explains his plan and why they have to hurry. The drug that made him invisible (called duocaine here as opposed to the monocaine of the first film) is also slowly making him mad. Meanwhile, Police Inspector Sampson (Cecil Kellaway) recalling the last case of invisibility decides to put pressure on Dr. Griffin.

From there it is a race against the clock as Geoffrey tries to figure who framed him and get a cure before the police or his own madness do him in. As far as sequels go, this does a fine job of continuing the story of an invisible man. Price does a wonderful job, although his Radcliffe lacks the manic edge of Rains’ Griffin. Alan Napier (Alfred from TV's Batman) has a small but pivotal role as mine foreman Willie, who has secrets of his own.