The next movie in Universal’s Invisible Man cannon was The Invisible Man Returns and it would do so without Claude Rains, who was the star of that first film. Instead, taking up the reins of the titular character would be Vincent Price. Starring opposite Price in the film and the true villain of the picture would be Sir Cedric Harkwicke. Together with Joe May directing and a script by Kurt Siodmak and Lester Cole, the two would create quite the fun film that would see Price on the run from the police while he tries to clear his name of a murder charge. The man he was to have murdered was his brother and while he knows that he did not do it, others do not and the only way he can clear his name is to do so while evading the police. Making the job easier is the fact that he is invisible thanks to Dr. Frank Griffin, brother of the departed John Griffin, but also being hampered by the same thing as being invisible carries the side effect of madness. So it is a race against the clock for Sir Geoffrey Radcliffe – to clear his name, solve the murder and do it before he is either caught or gone mad.

Though Vincent Price was not quite as good as Claude Rains, Price would bring his own panache to the role. When you watched Rains in the first film, you could almost believe that the man was mad, so evil and so gleeful was he in the role. Here, Price is a bit more subtle, but in being so he brings an almost devilish charm to the character. He is not invisible because he wants to be, he simply does not want to die and more importantly, he wants to solve his brother’s murder. To that effect, whether it is his determination or the will to live, whatever it might be, he is able to hold off the madness that affected Dr. Griffin all those many years ago, at least for the most part that is. Soon though, it does start to take hold and Price goes from charming to bombastic as his character starts talking about ruling the world and all sorts of outlandish things. One notable aspect about this movie is that much like the first film, Price was only onscreen for the very tail-end of the movie, spending most of it as only a voice.

Technically, this film looked much better as technology had improved in the years between and therefore it had a cleaner look to it as well as a soundtrack which the previous film did not. For the most part, music always helps a film when used for dramatic effect and it did so here. It is a good thing too as it was a much brighter film than the original. Joe May and Milton R. Krasner, the cinematographer, would not rely so much upon darkness and shadows to convey the mood of the film like James Whale did. Instead, while the film was eerie enough with the fact that there was an invisible man running around, it would be Price’s performance and that of his co-stars that would really set the tone for the picture. Be it Hardwicke, Nan Grey or John Sutton, those who would interact with Price on film would really help to sell the fact that there was an invisible man walking around and their reactions to him would be where the audience would delve its fear from.

Ultimately, The Invisible Man Returns is a worthy sequel and actually follows its predecessor in a logical fashion which is more than can be said for many of Universal’s sequels. This would be the first sequel to the original and would then be followed by three more before the series had run its course. Also like that first film, Price would not return for any of the sequels to this one though it would have been nice to see. Unlike the previous film, this one leaves the door open for what was to follow, in a way as it were. Where the formula to the invisibility serum was to have died with Dr. Griffin, in this film it survives and thus ensuring that Universal would have less to explain the next time it would rear its head.

4 out of 5