Invisibility is a dangerous thing. In James Whales' The Invisible Man (1933), a scientist discovers the secret of invisibility, goes insane, and begins a killing spree. Okay, maybe that was just him. But, in Hollow Man, a scientist discovers the secret of invisibility, goes insane, and begins a killing spree.
Coincidence?
Hollow Man had been nominated for a Best Science Fiction Film Saturn by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, but it could just as easily have been nominated for Best Horror Film. Not because it's such a great horror film, but because it's more horror than sci-fi.
There's not much of a plot. Kevin Bacon plays a brilliant young scientist heading a top-secret military project in an underground lab near Washington, D.C. His team includes Elizabeth Shue (his former lover), Josh Brolin (secretly bedding his former lover), and several bodies…er, other young scientists.
They've already turned several animals invisible. The difficulty lies in bringing them back to visibility — alive. The story opens as they finally manage to do just that with an ape. Bacon announces that they're ready to take the experiment "to the next level" --experimenting on a human.
It's dangerous. The ape nearly died in the attempt to restore its visibility. Shue and Brolin oppose Bacon's recklessness. But Bacon is the gonzo genius (as he keeps reminding everyone), so it's settled. Without informing their military sponsors, Bacon's team injects the invisibility serum into him. As his flesh fades, his personality is revealed. Always conceited, blatantly comparing himself to God (this is not a subtle film), Bacon is liberated from human society's rules and expectations. He teases his teammates, playing voyeuristic games in the restrooms with one woman, fondling another's breasts as she sleeps.
Several days later, the team discovers that what worked with apes won't work on humans. Bacon's visibility cannot be restored. At least, not yet. The team insists that Bacon stay underground while they seek a cure.
Article comments
1 - Dave
He doesn't go insane really, he becomes liberated from consequence and repraisal. No one can see you then no one can judge you, then you are free to do what you will. The immoral person will take full advantage of this... even some moral folks. This power is what drives him overboard because he wants to keep it at all cost.
2 - Iloz Zoc
But the killing spree--normal scientist one minute--serial killer the next--seems to indicate he went nuts, as did Claude Rains in the original. But this film is so muddled, you never really know why.
I was disappointed when I saw it. I thought they could'nt make up their minds as to what the film was going to be, either sci-fi or horror.