The Invisible Man's Revenge

Plot synopsis:
An eager scientist (John Carradine) tests his new formula for invisibility on an escaped fugitive (Jon Hall). When the formula works the criminal runs off to terrorize a family he believes cheated him out of a fortune years earlier.
Robert Griffin (Jon Hall) is nothing but a mad, psychopathic killer who should be locked away for good. Still he manages to escape from the secluded Cape Town mental institution where he has been committed, and now he is looking for revenge on the respectable Herrick family. A family consisting of Sir Jasper and lady Irene, and their daughter Julie, who are engaged in entertaining, and inspecting, Julie's new boyfriend, newspaper journalist Mark Foster, in the family residence. Later that night Julie and Mark leave the residence together, and Sir Jasper and lady Irene are left alone. That's when Robert decides to pay the couple a visit. Quite unexpectedly he enters the residence and accuses the couple of leaving him to die out in the African wild, injured, when they were on a safari together. The Herrick couple defends themselves, claiming they were told that he was dead and not injured, but Robert doesn't buy their explanation. He demands they give him his share of the diamond fields they all discovered together on the safari. Jasper tries to tell Robert that the diamond fields were all lost in a series of bad investments.
Robert refuses to give in, threatening to sue the Herricks, and to calm him down and get him off their backs they offer him a share in an estate, the Shortlands. His counter-proposal is that they should arrange for him to be married to their daughter Julie. After saying this he is drugged by Lady Irene and passes out in their home. The Herricks realize that their old friend and companion has gone completely mad, and while they are frightened of what he could do to them if they don't comply to his wish they see no problem with stealing the agreement made or pushing him further along the path of insanity with their betrayal. They search Robert's clothes and finds the written partnership agreement they all entered into some time ago. Taking the paper they next callously throw Robert out of their house. Robert nearly drowns where he lies, unconscious, but is saved by a local Cockney cobbler by the name of Herbert Higgins (Leon Errol).
Herbert decides to use this new found possibility - the information he got from Robert - to blackmail the Herricks. He is unsuccessful, as Jasper calls on chief constable Sir Frederick Travers (Leyland Hodgson). The chief constable declares Robert's claims to the Herricks' estate as void and orders him to leave his jurisdiction. Robert leaves for London, but on his way he happens to come by the home of eager scientist Dr. Peter Drury (John Carradine). This scientist is involved in some questionable research, and is very eager to find a suitable subject to test his new experimental formula on - a formula for invisibility. Robert asks that the doctor try it on him, and he agrees, completely in the dark of the fact that Robert wants to use this to get his revenge on the Herricks. Robert forces Jasper to sign over their entire estate to him. He also finds time to help his saviour Herbert to win a game of darts at the local inn.
Jasper secretly also agrees to give his daughter's hand in marriage to Robert - if he ever regains his visibility. Robert goes back to the scientists laboratory and witnesses how the doctor restores visibility to his dog Brutus, by giving him a blood transfusion. Robert breaks into the laboratory and knocks the doctor unconscious, before performing a blood transfusion on himself, using the doctor's blood. The transfusion results in the doctor's death, and to avoid capture Robert sets the laboratory on fire and takes off just before the police arrive on the scene.
Robert changes his identity to "Martin Field" and moves in with the Herricks at the estate which he is now owner to. When Herbert finds out about Robert's return he makes a futile attempt to blackmail him too, and out of pity - and perhaps thankfulness - Robert pays the man a 1000 pounds to get rid of him. Robert has one condition for paying the money: that Herbert kills the doctor's dog Brutus, who has followed Robert back to the Herrick estate after the fire.
Robert starts losing his visibility one day at the breakfast table, with Julie and her fiancé Mark present. He tricks Mark to follow him down into the wine cellar, where he knocks the man out, starting another, second blood transfusion with Mark's blood.
Chief constable Travers arrives at the estate after he has found out about Robert's return. With some help from Herbert and Jasper they break into the cellar just as the transfusion is about to be completed, in time to save Mark's life. Robert is attacked by the still very much alive Brutus, and killed. Mark tells the others that Griffin went insane when he was locked up in the asylum, and meant no one any harm until he escaped.

Tags: good versus evil, revenge, murder

Review:
"The Invisible Man's Revenge" isn't the equal of the peerless 1933 Laemmle-era original, but it's certainly better than the previous run of "New Universal" Invisible Man movies.
Jon Hall, relatively dull as the hero in "Invisible Agent," proves surprisingly effective as a full-throated villain (in this version he's a psychotic madman BEFORE becoming invisible); Leon Errol's dry wit is several cuts above the usual un-funny "comic relief" in these films; Lester Matthews and Gale Sondergaard make a nice guilt-ridden couple for the Invisible Man to have his titular revenge on; Alan Curtis and Evelyn Ankers are certainly more than competent as the romantic leads; John Carradine is in good form as the rather dotty scientist with the invisibility formula; and the direction by Ford Beebe, usually a name associated with Universal serials, is convincingly Gothic and well-paced.
Universal was on the downgrade as a horror studio by then (and their only further foray into invisible man-dom would be an Abbott and Costello vehicle in 1953) and some of the effects work is sloppy, but on the whole this film is convincing and vividly atmospheric.
Incidentally, in "The Face of Marble" from Monogram two years later (another underrated film with a fine sense of atmosphere even though its plot doesn't make a lick of sense even by the meager standards of horror fantasies!), John Carradine also played a mad scientist who had a dog named Brutus..
Griffin practically stumbles into the helping hands of Dr. Drury(John Carradine), who experiments with a new formula that makes animals invisible.
THE INVISIBLE MAN'S REVENGE (Universal, 1944), a promising title, directed by Ford Beebe, suggested by "The Invisible Man" by H.G. Wells, returns Jon Hall, recently from THE INVISIBLE AGENT (1942), in another caper revolving around the no-sight and sound about a man out for avenge those who had done him wrong.The story opens on the docks of London where Robert Griffin (Jon Hall) returns after five years of memory loss following a diamond field expedition in Africa.
Afterwards, Griffin stumbles upon the home of Professor Drury (John Carradine), a scientist who has discovered the formula of invisibility.
As an invisible man, Griffin gets his revenge, but in the process, does become what he is accused of being, a homicidal maniac.With this being the third "invisible man" story of the 1940s, not counting the comedy outing of "The Invisible Woman" (1940) starring Virginia Bruce in the title role, this latest installment gives some indication that the writers were attempting an original concept to an already unoriginal scenario.
One scene finds him impressing his friends at the pub in a friendly game of darts by hitting a target every time, compliments of his invisible friend.Evelyn Ankers, Universal's resident performer in the horror genre, who arrives 48 minutes into the story, is given little to do, compare to her secondary roles opposite Lon Chaney Jr. in "The Wolf Man" (1941); "The Ghost of Frankenstein" (1942) and "Son of Dracula" (1943), In fact, it's a wonder why Chaney never had the opportunity to assume the role as an invisible man, considering that he's played everything else in regards to Universal monsters.
An average production that contradicts its predecessors, the screenplay by Bertram Millhauser fails to mention Jack Griffin (Claude Rains) from THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933), to be the true inventor of the invisible formula, thus giving credit to another scientist, Drury.
Jon Hall may not have the charisma of Rains nor the distinctive voice of Vincent Price, but he does have the distinction of being the only actor to twice play an invisible man on screen, aside the fact that he was playing two different characters bearing the name of Griffin.Formerly available on video and currently on DVD as part of the "Invisble Man" collection, THE INVISIBLE MAN'S REVENGE did have occasional revivals on cable television's Sci-Fi Channel (1990s) and American Movie Classics (2001).
Not quite the closing chapter nor the finish of John Fulton's special effects department, Universal concluded this science fiction series with the comedy of ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE INVISIBLE MAN (1951), which they most certainly did.
So Invisible You Can't Even See Him. A rather weak and confusing script makes The Invisible Man's Revenge not nearly up to the standard set by the first Invisible Man film and the stylish performance of Claude Rains as the scientist who discovers the secret of invisibility and its trap.Our invisible protagonist in this film is Jon Hall who has come over to Great Britain from South Africa in the belief that Lester Matthews and Gale Sondergaard cheated him out of his half share of a diamond mine.
Even in the end, someone had a marvelous idea for the Invisible Man to get his comeuppance involving man's best friend and blew it in the execution.One very interesting performance in the film is Leon Errol, away from the comic parts he usually had.
He's still got some funny moments, but he's also a blackmailing scoundrel as well.The Invisible Man's Revenge is far from the best in the series.
1944's "The Invisible Man's Revenge" brought the infrequent Universal series to an end, apart from 1951's "Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man." It's appropriate that Jon Hall repeat the role again, after playing the heroic "Invisible Agent" in 1942; here, his Robert Griffin, no relation to prior Griffins, isn't so much a madman as a man who believes himself to have been wronged, and with Lester Matthews and Gale Sondergaard as the objects of scorn, you too may feel they were indeed guilty of the alleged crime (leaving him behind in the jungle to die after leading them to a fabulous diamond mine).
Lovely Evelyn Ankers is again wasted in a peripheral role, as she often was in Universal horrors, leaving the way open for the scene stealing John Carradine to command the screen, in only two scenes, as Dr. Peter Drury, the source of Griffin's invisibility, with transparent pets such as a parrot and a dog, whose later visibility will doom any future plans for our nonhero ("in this house, you've got to believe what you CAN'T see!").
Former adversaries in 1937's "The Hurricane," Jon Hall and John Carradine would once more oppose each other in 1957's "Hell Ship Mutiny." Director Ford Beebe ("Night Monster") was one of Universal's finest journeymen, again finding a slot for his father-in-law, Cyril Delevanti, selling Griffin some new clothes before nearly getting himself killed.
Now most of the time I like invisible man movies but this time I am willing to make an exception.Jon Hall took a break from costarring with Maria Montez to be in this thriller.
Because all that took place before the movie even starts and we have to hear about it from various characters the the film progresses!When Bob finally gets back to his not-so-great-friends Sir Jasper and Lady Irene he finds out that not only did they rob him they subsequently lost most of their fortune due to bad investments!
Run out of the mansion Bob gets lost in a storm and ends up at the house of Dr. Drury (John Carradine) whose neighbours think he is batty because he has perfected a way to make living things invisible.
He also directed NIGHT MONSTER (1942) and even managed to impress Alfred Hitchcock by bringing in such an effective thriller in only 11 days.INVISIBLE MAN'S REVENGE is far from the best of the series.
It's not the best Invisible Man movie, not the absolute worst, worth watching if only for people who must see all of a series..
It's established early on as a revenge story, with American Jon Hall (cast as a Brit, unless I missed something) returning to England for his share of a fortune in diamonds he was cheated our of by his former friends and business associates.Enter John Carradine--on a dark and stormy night, no less--and the invisibility aspects of the story begin to take shape.
That the film is handsome to look at helps enormously.This movie is not a direct sequel to any of the early Invisible Man pictures that preceded it.
The Invisible Man's Revenge is a lot better than that, and just as good as the first sequel in the series..
Robert Griffin (Jon Hall) escapes from an asylum and seeks out his old friends, Sir Jasper and Lady Irene (Lester Matthews, Gale Sondergaard).
They throw Griffin out, which leads to him meeting up with a Cockney blackmailer (Leon Errol) and eventually a scientist (John Carradine), who enlists him to take part in the inevitable invisibility experiment.
Reportedly the first draft of the script had Jasper and Irene as much more villainous characters and no doubt was cast on their attempt to kill Griffin, both in Africa as well as upon his showing up at their house in this film.
It tells of a gruff left-for-dead man coming back named Bob Griffin, having absolutely nothing to do with anyone in any of the other Invisible Man films, dealing with a couple that may or may not have left him in Africa.
In fact, I veered between *** and **1/2 for AGENT and between ** and **1/2 for this one: I opted for the midway rating because the former was undeniably silly despite its surface polish and the latter was somewhat unengaging but, at the same, solidly handled.In fact, THE INVISIBLE MAN'S REVENGE features a...ahem...revenge plot, settings and characters which would have been more suited to a Sherlock Holmes picture - which comes as no surprise at all since it was written by Bertram Millhauser, who scripted 5 of the 12 Holmes 'vehicles' made around the same time at Universal!
Besides, Jon Hall is miscast as a villain (explained as such in the abrupt and none-too-convincing epilogue) - which the script names Griffin but then doesn't bother to make him a relation of the original Invisible Man(!), Leon Errol's comic relief is an acquired taste, and John Carradine here basically duplicates his role in RETURN OF THE APE MAN (1944)...although having his faithful (and invisible) dog as Hall's mortal enemy was a nice touch!.
Although, I will say that Jon Hall is more tolerable in this villainous part than as the dimwit he played in "Invisible Agent."Hall's Robert Griffin shares the name of the Griffins in three of the prior films, but oddly no relation to those men is mentioned throughout the picture, and this Griffin is decidedly not a scientist.
Except that Griffin brings up his fugitive status again when, by the most chance of contrivances, he runs into a mad doctor (played by frequent Dracula actor John Carradine) experimenting in making animals unseen.Then, there's this long backstory that Griffin and his former partners the Herricks get into where Robert was presumed dead, but actually had amnesia for years, and there's the issue of the half of a fortune owed to him.
The darts scene, though, may be the best thing here, and it anticipates the boxing in "Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man" (1951)--even though the scene serves no purpose to the plot and rather grinds it to a halt.
This 5th film "Revenge" has a feeling of being the Invisible Man again.
The Invisible Man himself, Robert Griffin, is quite mad and twisted as Dr. Jack Griffin and Geoffrey Radcliffe."Revenge" is worth watching - and, to me, an underrated film in the series.9/10.
Final entry in the original Invisible Man series, and last on the Legacy Collection DVD set, this film clearly shows the lack of ideas around the character.
I think my problem here with "Invisible Man's Revenge" is that you have what appears to be a distinguished cast, but no one who really stands out with a stellar performance--or maybe more to the point, no one who comes across as affable or easy to root for.And that's not to say that I don't enjoy a character who is devoid of sympathy--I very much enjoy Lugosi's Count Dracula--but here, I feel it would help if the Robert Griffin character was in some way likable or sympathetic, but Jon Hall just comes across as a man with no redeeming qualities who will kill on the drop of a hat if someone crosses him in even the slightest way.Which brings me back to a point I brought up in another review--why didn't Lon Chaney play the Invisible Man; given that Universal tapped Chaney to play every other fright character for them, I think Lon could have given this role the touch of pathos it probably needed.The rest of the cast is pretty unremarkable, based on performance--John Carradine gives what may be the best performance in the picture as the "Mad" doctor who creates invisible animals as well as the Invisible Man. Evelyn Ankers is as pretty as ever but mostly wasted here in this movie- -no screams of horror from the great Ms. Ankers either (a pity)."The Invisible Man's Revenge" is definitely the runt of the Universal horror litter and a film I don't play often, but--if you're a serious horror fan--it wouldn't hurt to give it a look or two.4 stars.
Jon Hall returns, though not as Invisible Agent Frank Raymond, instead as escaped criminal Richard Griffin(no relation to the previous Griffins apparently) who finds refuge in the home of Dr. Drury(played by John Carradine) a kindly inventor who also has developed an invisibility serum, which he tests on Griffin, who then uses it to avenge himself on the treacherous couple(played by Lester Mathews and Gale Sondergaard) whom he blames for cheating him and leaving for dead.
At film's end, we are led to believe (by a chief constable who fails to mention them at all in his summing up) they have been whitewashed, presumably to set the heroine free to marry the movie's real hero, Alan Curtis (who makes a rather belated entrance when the movie is more than half over).Adding to the story confusion is Leon Errol in a major comedy role as a Cockney spiv who befriends the Hall character, and does a fair number of mildly amusing turns, including a happy scene in which he attempts to blackmail the villain who persistently outwits him; and a long, almost completely irrelevant sequence in the local pub in which he challenges the local champion to a game of darts and then tries out various throwing combinations that will have special effects fans really cheering him on.
This, the last of the Universal 'Invisible Man' series (before meeting Abbott & Costello), is a very enjoyable film that showed there was still life left in the concept.
Jon Hall, in his second invisible outing, plays a criminal named Robert Griffin who uses a formula for invisibility to exact his revenge on those that wronged him.
"The Invisible Man's Revenge" isn't that bad of an entry in the series.**SPOILERS**Returning to London, Robert Griffin, (Jon Hall) meets up with old friend Jasper Herrick, (Lester Matthews) and wife Irene, (Gale Sondergaard) and, after having too much to drink, finds himself thrown out of the house.
I think it is possible that I liked this film even more than I would have because the night before I'd watched the previous installment in the Invisible Man franchise--THE INVISIBLE AGENT.
Eccentric scientist Dr. Drury (a nicely quirky and lively portrayal by John Carradine) tests his in visibility formula on wanted fugitive Robert Griffin (a solid performance by Jon Hall), who uses his newfound invisible status to get revenge on his former friends who cheated him out of a fortune in diamonds.Director Ford Beebe relates the engrossing story at a quick pace, maintains a generally serious tone throughout, and further spices things up with amusing moments of amiable humor, with an inspired darts game sequence rating as the definite comic highlight.
The script is nothing special, either, although the cast does the best that they can.The film does benefit from having its vengeance minded main character be a true s.o.b. The man in question, Robert Griffin (Jon Hall), thinks that his old partners, the Herricks (Gale Sondergaard and Lester Matthews) double crossed him and cheated him out of a fortune in diamonds.
So, when he happens upon a nutty scientist, Dr. Drury (the well cast and delightful John Carradine) who's perfected an invisibility process, he volunteers to be the first human guinea pig, and uses his new "appearance" to his advantage.It's a shame to be referring to any of the films from Universals' 1930s and 1940s horror cycle as tiresome, but that's exactly what "The Invisible Man's Revenge" is.
However, Alan Curtis is fairly dull as reporter Mark Foster, and the film gives the lovely Evelyn Ankers precious little to actually do; her character really isn't *that* important to the plot.
The saving grace in this, the last of the "Invisible Man" series (other than a brief return with Abbott and Costello who basically encountered every Universal monster at some point in their career) is John Carradine as a mad scientist, a variation of Ernest Theiser's mad doctor in "The Bride of Frankenstein", complete with an invisible zoo who wants to add the vengeful Jon Hall to his collection of guinea pigs (one of which he actually has).
Carradine does not realize what a monster he's creating as Hall is out for revenge against old business partners he claimed left him for dead in Africa years before.
Lackluster sequel, and the weakest movie in the Invisible Man Series WARNING!!!!!!
Lackluster sequel and the weakest movie in the Invisible man series.
I though Jon Hall totally over acted as the invisible man and came nowhere to matching Claude Rain's or even Vincent Price's performance and plus his character is totally unlikable he is always a grouch and i just wanted him to shut up already he was great in the Invisible Agent but in this movie he was awful.