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The Invisible Man

The Invisible Man

H.G. Wells’ fantastic, out-of-this-world show!

193371 minApprovedMidcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Director
James Whale
Starring
Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan, Henry Travers

After experimenting on himself and becoming invisible, scientist Jack Griffin, now aggressive due to the drug's effects, seeks a way to reverse the experiment at any cost.

Where to watch

Where can I watch The Invisible Man?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists The Invisible Man streaming on IndieFlix via Prime Video, Peacock and Prime Video and to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about The Invisible Man?

The Invisible Man earns 13 badges, led by Top 1% in Horror and Stood the test of time.

Show 5 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Cast

Reception

Is The Invisible Man worth watching?

The Invisible Man's Midcredits score is the 95th percentile of all films, from 149K ratings across 6 sources. 84% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

95th percentile

Better received than 95% of films

99th percentile among Horror97th percentile among 1930s
Acclaim (how much people like it)93rd
Approval (how many liked it)94th

77 /100

93rd percentile of all films

99th percentile among Horror96th percentile among 1930s

Critics 87 · Audience 76

Critics liked it more than audiences did.

Rating distribution

Most people land high, with a thin tail of low scores from those it didn't reach.

84% liked it

94th percentile of all films

98th percentile among Horror97th percentile among 1930s
84% rated it 7–1016% rated it 1–6

Critics 95% · Audience 85%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of critics approved than audiences.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 2 wins / 2 noms overall

93rd percentile

149K ratings across platforms

93rd percentile among Horror99th percentile among 1930s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 2% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$328K
Worldwide gross$29K

Returned 0.1× its budget — 20th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

The film is a technical landmark with pioneering visual effects, anchored by Claude Rains's voice, but its supporting performances are broadly theatrical.

Fans praised

  • Claude Rains's commanding vocal performance despite being unseen
  • Groundbreaking special effects that still impress
  • James Whale's deft blend of horror and dark humor

Detractors panned

  • Una O'Connor's shrill, grating overacting
  • Stilted, theatrical performances from supporting cast

What stands out

Effects and spectacleDivisive92

Seamless invisibility tricks still impress nearly a century on

ActingDivisive88

Claude Rains's voice-only performance carries the film; some find supporting cast hammy

OriginalityDivisive85

Pioneering concept and execution for its era

Atmosphere78

Snowy village, shadowy inn, pervasive paranoia

DialogueDivisive75

Witty, quotable lines from Griffin's megalomaniac rants

TensionDivisive72

Psychological dread of an unseen stalker

HumorDivisive70

Darkly comic trousers scene wins fans; detractors find it silly

Plot and storyDivisive60

Simple mad-scientist tale with logical police procedural

Preferred by

Women vs men

Preferred by Men

Men scored it 26 points higher than women.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Under-30s vs over-30s 3 points apart
  • Critics vs users 9 points apart
  • US vs non-US 3 points apart

Watch experience

What is The Invisible Man like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Scary: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you want to be scared.

It is intense, has a few laughs and leaves you satisfied.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Nothing out of the ordinary.

What it feels like

Scary.

The answer rests on this: Moods
DreadTenseThrilling
Heaviest: late
Register
Melodramatic · 9% of films: Heightened emotion, played large.Playful
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
TonePlays its horror and mad scientist material straight, but punctuates it with dark, mischievous humour.
The rideThe early village scenes build dread around the bandaged stranger, then the film shifts to tense cat-and-mouse; the heaviest stretch is Griffin's death and final visible face.
StructureConventional beginning, middle, and end following Griffin's descent and the police pursuit.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Satisfied.

Cathartic · 6% of filmsUnsettling
Why it leaves you this wayThe death of the mad scientist brings relief, but his chilling voice and crimes linger.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Tragedy
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9% (this title): Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% (this title) · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Tragedy: A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin. · Corruption arc: Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).

9% of films fit this archetype

with Overcoming the monster underneath

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeA scientist's invisibility serum drives him mad, turning him into a murderous tyrant whom the police must hunt down.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfPower
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3% (this title)
  • Power 7% (this title): Power 2% (this title) · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% (this title) · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Power

Power · 2% of filmsObsession · 3% of films: A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Isolation · 5% of films
Warns its theme: Presents its theme as a danger or a coming cost.Community stakes: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe film explores how absolute power, unchecked by conscience, corrupts and isolates its wielder—Griffin's invisibility becomes a weapon for tyranny.
StanceThe film warns against unchecked power and scientific hubris: Griffin's invisibility is a metaphor for the corrupting nature of absolute power, told from the perspective of a single antagonist-turned-monster.

The world

ContemporaryRuralDomesticInstitutionalRealistic
Orchestral classicalExperimentalSupportive music · original score · Heinz Roemheld
SettingThe village of Iping and a country manor in early-1930s England
MusicHeinz Roemheld's score mixes eerie orchestral passages with early electronic (theremin) effects to underscore the invisible threat.

Content guide

Is The Invisible Man okay for kids?

Approved

The Invisible Man is rated Approved. As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at moderate (42/100), sexual content at minimal (10/100), language at minimal (10/100), drug and alcohol content at moderate (38/100) and frightening material at moderate (47/100). Overall it is heavier than 23% of unrated films.

Ratings in 6 other countries
  • UKPG
  • Germany16
  • FranceTP
  • Belgium12
  • Hungary16
  • ItalyT
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
Heavier than 20% of all filmsHeavier than 23% of unrated films
Violence & Gore
Moderate
typical for an unrated film
heavier than 35%
Sex & Nudity
None / Minimal
light for an unrated film
heavier than 12%
Profanity
None / Minimal
light for an unrated film
heavier than 18%
Alcohol & Drugs
Moderate
typical for an unrated film
heavier than 54%
Frightening / Intense
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for an unrated film
heavier than 39%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Nothing here is extreme. The strongest element is frightening material, heavier than 39% of unrated films.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does The Invisible Man have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in The Invisible Man?

Cast

5 of the 10 billed cast had never appeared on screen.

Claude Rains
as Dr. Jack Griffin aka The Invisible Man
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Gloria Stuart
as Flora Cranley
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
William Harrigan
as Dr. Arthur Kemp
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Henry Travers
as Dr. Cranley
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Una O'Connor
as Jenny Hall
Breakout: Their highest-reaching film role at the time, and they went on to a career at least 3 times their standing then.
Forrester Harvey
as Herbert Hall
Breakout: Their highest-reaching film role at the time, and they went on to a career at least 3 times their standing then.
Holmes Herbert
as Chief of Police
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
E.E. Clive
as Constable Jaffers
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Dudley Digges
as Chief Detective
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Harry Stubbs
as Inspector Bird
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.

Crew

Directed by

James Whale

Written by

R.C. SherriffH.G. Wells

Cinematography

Arthur Edeson

Edited by

Ted J. Kent

Music by

Heinz Roemheld

Produced by

Carl Laemmle Jr.

More like this

What are movies like The Invisible Man?

Movies like The Invisible Man include The Invisible Man Returns (1940), Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Hollow Man (2000). Of the 10 closest matches, two are films by James Whale, and most are stories about scientists.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with The Invisible Man?

989 other films share the rarest tag below, premise: creation runs amok. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.