The Invisible Man’s Revenge

In The Invisible Man’s Revenge, an eager scientist tests his new formula for invisibility on an escaped fugitive. When the formula works, the criminal runs off to terrorize a family he believes cheated him out of a fortune years earlier. …

The Invisible Man’s Revenge (1944) starring Jon Hall, Evelyn Ankers

Product Description

When a crazed sciontist with a loaded hypodermic needle meets up with a mentally warped Robert Griffin (Jon Hall), the result is invisibility forGriffin – a perfect condition to achieve his ends.

Returning to England after five years in Africa, a vengeful Griffin learns that the partners who left him there to die have no intention of sharing the riches obtained on their joint expedition. Striking terror through his invisibility, he sobs them of their property – and their daughter. However, everything has its price, and Griffin soon learns that
the cost of invisbility is frighteningly high!

Inspired by H.G.. Wells novel, this is the fifth picture to feature the invisibility premise, and its one of the best Also starring Evelyn Ankers, John Carradine, Alan Curtis and Gale Sondergaard, The Invisible Man’s Revenge is an intriguing blend of fantasy and chills that moves deftly from whimsy, to menace, to out-and-out horror!

Cast of characters

• Jon Hall (Invisible Agent) … Robert Griffin. The escapee from the Cape Town mental institution where he was committed. After murdering two orderlies! Clearly, an angry man. He claims that Sir Jasper & Lady Irene set him up to be imprisoned there, so they could steal his share of the diamond mine. Which is possible, but he certainly acts like a psychopathic killer. He murders without remorse or pity. And that’s before the invisibility serum!
• Alan Curtis (High Sierra; Buck Privates) … Mark Foster. Reporter, and Julie’s love interest. Griffin tries to murder him in the film’s conclusion.
• Leon Errol (The Noose Hangs High) … Herbert Higgins. A local Cockney cobbler, who rescues Griffin from nearly drowning after Lord & Lady Herrick steal his proof, drug him, and throw him out. An unscrupulous man, he hopes to blackmail the family. An assistant to Griffin, though unwillingly much of the time.
• John Carradine (Les Miserables (1935); Five Came Back) … Doctor Peter Drury. The doctor who’s discovered an invisibility formula. And he makes the mistake of testing it on Griffin. It works, but it seems the only way to reverse it is with a complete blood transfusion — killing the donor. And later the mad Griffin uses the doctor as his unwilling donor!

The Herricks

• Evelyn Ankers (The Wolf Man (1941); Son of Dracula) … Julie Herrick. The lovely young daughter of the Herrick family. Griffin wants to marry her — both as revenge on her parents, and because she’s lovely.

• Gale Sondergaard (The Cat and the Canary [1939]; The Cat Creature) … Irene, Lady Herrick. She and her husband had, indeed, gone into partnership with Griffin. They claim that they believed he was dead, and so they didn’t consider taking his share of the diamond mine as theft. She drugs the mad Griffin and has him thrown out of their home.
• Lester Matthews (Werewolf of London; The Raven (1935) … Sir Jasper Herrick. Irene’s husband, Julie’s father. He’s quite happy to have Griffin out of his life — again. Until the invisible man returns ….

Additional cast

• Halliwell Hobbes (You Can’t Take It With You; Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1931) … Cleghorn. The Herrick’s butler.
• Leyland Hodgson (Prelude to Murder; Bedlam) … Sir Frederick Travers. Chief constable, who won’t hear of Higgins’ attempt at blackmail.
• Cyril Delevanti (The Greatest Story Ever Told) … Malty Bill – Shopkeeper
• Jimmy Aubrey … Wedderburn – the Innkeeper (uncredited)
• Billy Bevan (Dracula’s Daughter; Hoboken to Hollywood) … Police Sergeant (uncredited)
• Ted Billings … Bettor in Pub (uncredited)
• Lillian Bronson (Christmas in Connecticut) … Norma – the Maid (uncredited)
• Leonard Carey … The Police Constable (uncredited)
• Russell Custer … Pub Patron (uncredited)
• Janna DeLoos … Nellie (uncredited)
• Tom Dillon … Ned Towle – Darts Expert (uncredited)
• Arthur Gould-Porter … Tom Meadows (uncredited)
• Bobbie Hale … Pub Patron (uncredited)
• Olaf Hytten (Christmas in Connecticut) … Gray – a Cabman (uncredited)
• Guy Kingsford (Sahara) … Bill (uncredited)
• Skelton Knaggs (The Paleface; Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome) … Alf Perry – a Cabman (uncredited)
• Doris Lloyd (The Time Machine; Night Monster) … Maud (uncredited)
• William J. O’Brien … Bettor in Pub (uncredited)
• Beatrice Roberts (The Deadly Ray from Mars) … Nurse (uncredited)
• Grey Shadow … Brutus (uncredited)
• Yorke Sherwood … Jim Yarrow (uncredited)
• Cap Somers … Pub Patron (uncredited)
• Dan White (Voodoo Man; Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter) … Pub Patron (uncredited)
• Ian Wolfe (Diary of a Madman; Mad Love) … Feeney (uncredited)

Trivia

• Generally considered to be Universal’s last entry in the ‘Invisible Man’ series. Seven years later the studio spoofed the series with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951).
• Despite having the same surname as three other invisible men, Robert Griffin (Jon Hall) is unrelated to them.
• Jon Hall had previously played an Invisible Man character for Universal in Invisible Agent. The two are unrelated & unconnected.