Old Horror movies aren't scary and have bad special effects. And they're Black and White, so nobody wants to watch them anyway.

Idiots! "The Invisible Man" is an atmospheric, funny, but dark film about a man turned insane monster. The first time I watched this I was shocked at the level of violent acts committed by Jack Griffin (the Invisible Man, played by Claude Rains). During the course of the story, he murders what amounts to hundreds of people. I also expected to feel some sympathy for him (a la Frankenstein's Monster). But I didn't. Griffin's science was flawed and his impatience not only turned him invisible, it also drove him to madness. There is nothing redeeming about Griffin and Director James Whale makes no real attempt to soften the character.

Whale's effort here sits in the middle of a timeline between his 1931 classic "Frankenstein" and 1935's masterpiece "Bride of Frankenstein". It's interesting to note the similarities in the savage behavior of the monster in "Frankenstein" and that of The Invisible Man's Griffin. Both go on rampages, but Frankenstien's Monster is a victim of the somewhat noble but miscalculated efforts of the Doctor. The Monster is a killer, but not by his choosing. Griffin however, is the creator of his own violent behavior. He originally attempts to make himself visible again, but the concoction that made him vanish also is making him mad. At some point, his mental switch is flipped, which eliminates his efforts to better himself and others. He's now a power hungry madman and decends further until he becomes a cold-blooded murderer. Griffin is actually a much greater danger than Frankenstein's Monster ever was.

It seems like Whale knows this story is depressing and heavy. He tries to lighten things up with side characters like Herbert and Jenny Hall (played by the grating Una O'Connor) but this film sets it's mood so well so early that it stays appropriately hopeless. And that's not a bad thing at all. In fact, it moves at a faster pace than "Frankenstein" and is a better film. Two years later, Whale made "Bride of Frankenstein" which rasied the bar to the point where it must be considered one of the greatest horror movies of all time.

"The Invisible Man" may be old and Black and White, but it has some really amazing special effects for its time. Anyone should be able to enjoy the effects for what they are, very creative solutions that simulate the movements of an invisible man. Chairs rock, windows and doors open, objects float effortlessly through the air. These effects wouldn't be much better if they were created today. There were also some very impressive scenes, my favorite of which was the original introduction of Griffin, who struggles through a winter storm seeking shelter at the Hall's pub.

The conclusion of the film came in a hurry as is usually case with older movies. It wrapped things up fast and did so in predictible fashion. I can think of a couple of other endings I would have preferred but ultimately I'm not complaining about the way it closed.

I think it's fair to say that James Whale was one of the true geniuses of early film making and that his three movie run of "Frankenstein", "The Invisible Man" and "Bride of Frankenstein" ranks right up there with other famous director hot streaks.