The Invisible Man

Tags

2020’s, Aldis Hodge, Elisabeth Moss, Harriet Dyer, Horror, Leigh Whannell, Michael Dorman, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Storm Reid, The Invisible Man, Thriller

An update and reimagining of an old idea , The Invisible Man successfully crafts tension and scares, while lacing the story with topical awareness  and psychological chills.

We open with Cecilia Kass( Elisabeth Moss)escaping from her boyfriend Adrian Griffin(Oliver Jackson-Cohen) who she lives with in his high tech house. She is aided in her escape by her sister Emily(Harriet Dyer) and following this she goes to live secretly with childhood friend/ cop James (Aldis Hodge) and his daughter Sydney( Storm Reid).  After this we learn that Adrian had been controlling every aspect of their relationship and would regularly abuse Cecilia to the point that she thought she was losing her mind. Then Cecelia hears that Adrian has supposedly committed suicide.  Cecelia is shocked by this because Adrian was so in control of everything, including her and enjoyed the feeling of owning something. But nonetheless with his apparent demise, she attempts to recover from the abuse she suffered and start a new life. Unfortunately, a lingering presence won’t let that happen for Cecelia . What first appears to just be her being paranoid because of strange coincidences soon becomes clear that something is stalking her, though everyone thinks it is just the trauma talking. With events turning dangerous and her friends questioning her sanity, Cecelia starts to feel cut off from everything with no one believing her that Adrian is doing this somehow. Desperate and isolated by this point, Cecelia must muster all her strength in order to avoid going insane and figuring out just how Adrian is still able to torment her despite being apparently dead.

Right from the opening, in which we see Cecelia escape from Adrian’s grasp , Leigh Whannell places us right in the middle of tension and keeps it ticking away like a time bomb. Once Cecelia escapes, the tension and uneasiness is never far away as it bubbles away before steadily ratcheting things up notch by notch. Whannell is a skilled director and writer  who truly brings this creepy story to life and knows how to make an impact on the audience by pushing the right buttons and also throwing in some unexpected moments too .The themes of oppression of women and particularly abuse inflicted by toxic masculinity echo the real life events across the entertainment industry the past few years. The Invisible Man understands just how suffocating and damaging dealing with abuse like gaslighting can be and what it can do to your head. For that reason, it really stuck in my mind and I’m sure it will do the same to others who see it. One tiny niggle is that the film loses a bit of steam in the midsection and a little editing could have been a tad more efficient. But this is a minor gripe in one chilling and suspenseful horror thriller. Visually, the cold colours of The Invisible Man are hauntingly rendered and the usage of wide shots to test the audience into noticing whether something has moved is alarmingly effective . I mean the way the camera lingers with tension is so assured that you feel genuinely unnerved by it . And it’s put to amazing use during a particularly brutal sequence that is one continuous moving shot that has to be seen to be appreciated . The low hum of the score further exemplifies an unearthly presence that won’t stop until it is satisfied.

What gives The Invisible Man a lot of its power is the central turn from the always talented and watchable Elisabeth Moss. Exploring the desperation, isolation and eventual strength of her character, Moss doesn’t miss a beat as the abused woman slowly piecing things together. We buy into her anger, sadness and confusion, as well as the burning resilience waiting to burst through. And it’s all down to Elisabeth Moss, who has the ability to make us feel often without speaking a word( her expressive face does that to stunning effect.) For the time he’s on screen, Oliver Jackson-Cohen makes Cecelia’s abusive ex suitably slippery and chilling; you really buy into the fact that he could manipulate you anyway he wanted to. Harriet Dyer convinces as the sarcastic but caring sister , while the supportive and strong duo of Aldis Hodge and Storm Reid adds to moments of levity for Cecilia as she attempts to rebuild her life, little realising the nightmare has only just begun . Michael Dorman excels as Adrian’s mysterious brother who you are on the fence about and can’t help but question which side he is on given his familial ties. Not to take anything away from any of the other cast, but The Invisible Man belongs to Elisabeth Moss

Scary, unnerving and above all well acted(particularly by Moss), The Invisible Man is a horror/thriller that manages to get under your skin from the very beginning. Trust me, you’ll be checking over your shoulder when this movie finishes

Saw

Tags

2000's, Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Horror, James Wan, Ken Leung, Leigh Whannell, Michael Emerson, Monica Potter, Saw, Shawnee Smith, Tobin Bell

A horror movie that gave rise to a series of increasingly brutal follow ups, Saw was the benchmark of pushing the envelope yet retaining a story. Shot on a small budget and completed on a quick schedule, director James Wan and writer/ actor Leigh Whannell created a film that was grisly yet very well executed and with more psychological underpinnings than what followed. 

Two strangers, prominent surgeon Dr. Lawrence Gordon(Cary Elwes) and photographer Adam(Leigh Whannell) wake up in an underground bathroom. They are both chained to pipes and between them is a bloodied corpse holding a cassette player and a revolver. Both men seem to have no recollection of how they arrived in this dank, disused place. Soon discovering that the room is filled with clues and objects that may be useful, the two men use the cassette player to listen to the messages left. A gargled voice explains that Lawrence’s wife Allison(Monica Potter)and daughter Diana have been kidnapped and will be killed if Lawrence doesn’t kill Adam by a certain time. Adam is urged to escape, though it seems the only way to do that is to saw off his foot and crawl to hopeful safety. Soon memories start coming back to Lawrence who realises something awful about their predicament. Him and Adam are part of an elaborate and disturbing game set up by The Jigsaw Killer(Tobin Bell). He is a man who puts people who don’t appreciate life in horrifying situations involving torture to see how much they want to survive. As time keeps ticking by, we also witness a former detective named David Tapp(Danny Glover) who had previously runs in with Jigsaw, becoming dangerously obsessed with finding him. Both scenarios promise much in the way of horror and brutality for everyone involved with a killer twist.

Debuting director James Wan made a splash with Saw and its clear to see why. Wan possesses a keen sense of what unnerves the audience and a hold over a gloomy sense of style. Setting the film largely in one location was a great idea that paid off, with the flashbacks setting the scene even further for us in a gradual fashion. The cold,  washed out colour pallet adds to the grimness of Saw; bathing events in an uneasy hue that makes your eyes almost readjust to the bleakness. Certain comparisons can be drawn to Seven, and that’s quite a movie to take influence from. Saw however does it well and has its own twisted agenda going for it, so it is far from a copycat of the masterful aforementioned movie. Though later films would up the gore to excruciating levels, Saw itself is a bit more tame. There is definite gore and much unpleasant imagery to behold( like one unfortunate victim of Jigsaw in a maze of barbed wire), but it’s often shown briefly or in ways that don’t display everything. Take for instance when we see a victim of Jigsaw with a reverse bear trap strapped to her head. Instructed by the madman to retrieve the key to release her from sudden death, she must brutally kill a sedated man and find the object in his stomach. It would have been easy to make it a full on bloodbath, but Wan chooses to speed up footage and only display various parts do that our imagination does the rest of the work and makes us picture the horror. It’s one of many scenes where you see bits of the gore but it’s largely left up to us to visualise what is happening in the story in that particular grisly. 
Once the film opens up in narrative terms, it feels more expansive and puzzling with the history of characters explored after what seemed like such a straightforward premise. Granted the set up is simple but effective, but Wan and Whannell are clearly interested in playing with the formula as well as injecting some pertinent questions on the nature of morality and desperation. Saw isn’t without its flaws( sometimes the script shows that it’s from a novice and a few times things can move too quickly to focus), yet this shouldn’t detract from a creepy as well as horrifying film that knows how to get under your skin. It’s hard to forget the clown like puppet that acts as the terrifying mouthpiece for Jigsaw, uttering the now infamous line “ I want to play a game”. This moment and visual has become synonymous with the film and rightfully so as it’s chilling. One of the best elements in Saw is the score from Charlie Clouser. It has an industrial influence that hums away with an electronic pulse that underscores the mounting terror of the film. 

Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell head the movie as the imprisoned men. Elwes is all trying to remain calm under pressure with a seemingly sensible and arrogantly strait-laced head before really cracking up, while Whannell in an early acting role is the more showy and in your face, never seen that still for long. Occasionally both actors go a little overboard( especially Whannell in a few stretches), but what still remains is good acting as we buy into the shared terror between them that can’t be denied. Sure no Oscars are coming their way for this, but they are acceptably good in their given parts and sell a lot of the horror we witness. They must be commended for holding our attention as the people who are basically on screen the most from start to finish. 
Danny Glover is suitably intense as the obsessed and verging on full breakdown former detective who provides the other half of the story and an axe to grind with Jigsaw. Ken Leung provides more backstory to the case as Glover’s parter in investigation and the two work well off each other. Michael Emerson, with his large eyes and uneasy demeanour, has us on edge with his delivery of a man caught him the game but not in the way you might think. Monica Potter on the other hand is just required to be terrified and not much else, as her character doesn’t have much in the way of development. Props must be given to Shawnee Smith for her one scene that truly traumatises; the reverse bear trap one where most of her acting is through her eyes and they evoke such a feeling of desperation and visceral pain it’s astounding. Despite limited screen time and mainly just the use of his voice, Tobin Bell creates one of horror’s most memorable villains in Jigsaw. That voice will send unending shivers down your spine and it’s down to that and Bell’s embracing of the twisted philosophy of the character that you buy into it.

A creepy and nail biting horror that is both stomach churning and psychological, Saw is a definite recommendation for horror fans out there. 

Insidious

Tags

2010's, Angus Sampson, Barbara Hershey, Horror, Insidious, James Wan, Leigh Whannell, Lin Shaye, Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Supernatural Horror, Ty Simpkins

Film Title

Insidious

Director

James Wan

Starring

• Patrick Wilson as Josh Lambert
• Rose Byrne as Renai Lambert
• Lin Shaye as Elise Rainier
• Barbara Hershey as Lorraine Lambert
• Ty Simpkins as Dalton Lambert
• Leigh Whannell as Specs
• Angus Sampson as Tucker

A creepy, unsettling horror movie with supernatural overtones, Insidious is nightmare inducing stuff that will have you sleeping with the light on for a long time after viewing it.

School teacher Josh Lambert and his songwriting wife Renai have recently moved into a new house with their three children; Dalton, Foster and baby Cali. Everything is going well for the family until one event sets in motion something very terrifying. Young Dalton falls while exploring the attic and is rendered comatose, with the doctors saying he might never come out of it. Devastated by this, Josh and Renai try to make their way through this unimaginable situation the best they can. But strange events soon take hold that can’t be explained; Renai hears strange whispers on the baby monitor but finds no one there, Foster recalls seeing his comatose brother walking around at night and many more creepy events soon occur. Terrified, the young couple moves house in an attempt for a fresh start. But it appears that whatever is causing these events has followed them or more specifically Dalton. It is here that Josh’s mother Lorraine begins to tell of similar events happening to her and that she knows someone who may be able to help. Enlisting the help of paranormal investigator Elise, and her team, the Lambert’s soon learn that something very sinister is afoot involving Dalton that links to the realm of supernatural and an unusual gift that the young child possesses. Having to overcome their fears, the Lambert’s attempt to get their son back from wherever he is before it is too late.

James Wan directs with a real flair for the material here, crafting uneasy tension, jolts of terror and slow-building menace. Rather than just hit us from the very beginning, he slowly but surely litters the proceedings with strange events, while also giving something of a heart to the story as we witness the parental concern and nightmare of Renai and Josh.I did feel that somewhere in the second half of Insidious, it ran a little out of steam with some of the supernatural stuff. But it still kept me riveted as well as terrified, as it had built up very nicely and had done a number of unexpected things. One such thing is the fact that Insidious could easily having been just another haunted house movie, but instead the family moves house and the evil follows. This little detail helped me appreciate the film for not falling prey to that genre trapping. The visual palette is one of muddy mauve, faded yellow and melancholy grey, that gives Insidious that feeling of dread and the blurring of what we know and what we are scared to know. There are genuine rings of emotion in Insidious, predominately from the reactions of the parents while trying to figure out how to save their son from terror. Thankfully this drama is balanced with the scare factor and the two mingle very well together, instead of overwhelming one another. A score of unusual sounds and sudden jolts of terror is effectively used throughout Insidious and males it very chilling and nail-biting.

Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne are immensely convincing as the devastated parents attempting to save their son from the harm of the supernatural and unknown. The two work very well together as we see their differing attitudes of what to do, but them being united in their battle to free Dalton. Lin Shaye is delightfully eccentric but full of warmth and knowledge as the medium Elise, who is brought in when every other avenue seems closed. Barbara Hershey is very good in her supporting role of Josh’s mother who knows a little bit about some of the supernatural events happening. In the pivotal role of the comatose Dalton, Ty Simpkins is exactly right in conveying the terror and providing some chills when supernatural events take hold. Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson add some comic relief as paranormal investigators under the command of Elise and armed with an arsenal of unusual gadgets.

Bone-chilling, unsettling and filled with terror, Insidious is horror filled with creepiness and startling images.