Actress Elisabeth Moss is haunted and hunted by The Invisible Man, a psychopathic and abusive ex-boyfriend who is ‘dead’ to all but her
THE Invisible Man is a modern tale of obsession.
Emmy award winner Elisabeth Moss is Cecilia Kass (Moss), who is trapped in a violent, controlling relationship with a wealthy and brilliant scientist. She escapes in the dead of night and disappears into hiding, aided by her sister Emily (Harriet Dyer), their childhood friend James (Aldis Hodge) and his teenage daughter Sydney (Storm Reid).
But when Cecilia’s abusive ex, Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), “commits suicide” and leaves her a generous portion of his vast fortune, Cecilia suspects his death was a hoax.
A series of coincidences turn lethal, threatening the lives of those she loves. Her sanity also begins to unravel as she tries to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
Blumhouse Productions’ latest thriller is produced by Jason Blum and directed by Leigh Whannell.
The film is also produced by Kylie Du Fresne for Goalpost Pictures Australia.
The Invisible Man is part of Universal Pictures’ family iconic monsters in motion picture history, including Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, Phantom Of The Opera, and The Creature From The Black Lagoon.
These infamous characters have endured because they represent a wide range of cultural fears and anxieties.
“We’re the first of a new generation of Universal Monsters movies,” Blum said in a recent interview.
“Universal is working on a handful of them, but ours is the first. So, that’s nerve-wracking but also a lot of fun.”
“Our aim was to make the stories relevant to today, and that’s just what Whannell has done with The Invisible Man.”
For Whannell, The Invisible Man has been in the back of his mind since he was a boy skipping school to watch Universal’s Monsters on television.
What he appreciates about the villain is that his story has not been told too many times.
“If you make a film about a character that is globally beloved, you’re dancing with danger.
“With The Invisible Man, I felt that there was a freedom there. Of course, people know of this character but I felt he was a bit of an underdog when it comes to the horror villains.
“I’m a big horror fan, and I’ve enjoyed being a part of horror films.
“After I made Upgrade, I was bitten by the action-movie bug. There’s something about being on a film set and orchestrating a car chase or a fight scene that’s so addictive.”
While Wells’ original character was a scientist who devolved into madness, Whannell was more interested in the object of the villain’s obsession.
As he crafted a modern story of obsession, he imagined the story from the perspective of Cecilia Kass, a smart, capable architect in San Francisco who is imprisoned by her violent, abusive and powerful boyfriend.
He allegedly commits suicide but Cecilia suspects he is not dead but has made himself invisible using his ground-breaking invention to torture her.
Her theory sounds insane and even paranoid. She finds herself questioning her own sanity, while also trying to protect herself and the people she loves.
“It is the journey of a victim being stalked. I can see a lot of these themes of women being victimised or not being believed-somebody trying to prove that something terrible is happening to them but not being able to convince anybody of it.”
Du Fresne, who has produced Australian television and cinema for more than 25 years, was drawn to Whannell’s treatment of the heroine’s narrative.
“Whannell knows how to write strong women incredibly well. It certainly didn’t surprise me that his take on The Invisible Man was from that of a female perspective. He’s flipped the focus and the perspective of this character into a strong woman.
According to Moss, the film intentionally plays with classic horror-film tropes.
“When the medicine cabinet opens and closes, you expect somebody to be back there. The same thing happens when the refrigerator door opens. Building the suspense was really fun for us, for instance, turning on a light in a dark room and seeing that shape in the corner is actually a coat rack.”
Describing her character, Moss said Cecilia is a smart, strong woman but she has been traumatised beyond recognition.
“Her relationship has affected her view of herself and her world. She’s anxious, paranoid and fearful.
“When she suspects that Adrian is stalking her, her family and friends doubt her interpretation of events.
“She has strong relationships with her sister Emily and best friend James. Still, as Cecilia seems to unravel, the bonds of those relationships are tested.
“What we don’t know is whether her belief that Adrian is still alive is real or just in her imagination.
Moss added that Whannell crafted Cecilia as a strong, talented and capable heroine.
“He wanted Cecilia to be someone with her whole life in front of her, but it was suddenly cut short by a toxic relationship.
“By getting into the wrong one, her life’s been put on pause. She was suffocated by her partner. As she escapes, she finds her strength.”
It was important for Whannell to create a lead character that completely unravels.
He said: “I like the old saying that, when you’re writing a film, you’ve got to take your protagonist, put him up a tree and throw rocks at him.
“The more adversity your lead faces, the greater the conflict. I wanted the odds against Cecilia and the forces amassing against her to be insurmountable — to the point where the audience is thinking, how is she possibly going to get out of this?”
Moss and Whannell are united in their vision of the film and her role.
“Lizzie would push me to keep examining the dialogue and the script.
“And I would push her to be more physical. She was doing a lot of things that were pretty miserable.
“That included shooting in the middle of winter, at 3am, with rain machines flooding the set. She would be soaking wet while everybody else was wearing thick jackets standing under tents.”
Moss believes this has been the most challenging role of her career.
“It took me 10 minutes to understand Leigh’s take and how modern and relevant this film could be.
“I love how he upended the idea of The Invisible Man. It’s a great metaphor and completely relevant to our time.”
Moss was often on screen alone for entire scenes, playing against someone she could not see.
“There’s a certain point where Cecilia is convinced that Adrian’s always in the room. It’s like I developed a sixth sense for where he was but nothing was ever there.”
Moss added: “I think it’s important to give space for women to be weak. You can be strong and scared at the same time. And you can be strong and weak at the same time. You can be a feminist and still lose your voice. That’s important to remember and important to be able to see.”
The Invisible Man opened in cinemas nationwide yesterday.