Is there any doubt that James Whale, more than any other person - actor or director, is the MVP of classic Universal horror? Nobody was better at infusing these seemingly simple monster movies with metaphor (which indisputably reached its peak with the follow-up to this film, Bride of Frankenstein), nor were any of the other Universal directors able to maintain such forward momentum or suspense in their pictures. (Outside of the three pictures Whale directed, Universal wouldn't have another film with as much verve and craft until Creature from the Black Lagoon, over 20 years later.) Compare the stuffy drawing room drama of Tod Browning's Dracula with the humor-laden inn scenes here, or the kinetic action scenes on display (containing a surprising amount of violence and a large body count) with those of the preceding, unfortunately flat The Mummy. That Whale was able to make such a gripping picture when his main character is either completely off-screen or concealed under layers of gauze is even more testament. Claude Rains certainly did his part, too - we might be lacking a face for him, but his voice fills the screen and is larger than life, especially as his character becomes ever-more unhinged throughout the picture. Whale is also wise to surround the invisible man with vivid supporting characters, and this might be the funniest of the Universal monster cycle. The innkeep's hysteric wife, the bumbling constable, the nebbish townspeople - there's always a supporting character to keep events from flagging. Oh, and the special effects are pretty fucking nifty, especially for the year in which it was made.
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