What would one expect from an invisible man film? Personally, I would hope to see a tight plot which gives a lot of focus to the invisible person, his actions, personality, lots of exposure. Just like that granddaddy of them all, THE INVISIBLE MAN. This German take on the classic story owes more to the Edgar Wallace adaptations - or indeed the Dr. Mabuse flicks - that were doing the rounds in Germany at the time, as it primarily involves the activities of a gang of criminal robbers and the good-natured hero (plus girlfriend sidekick) out to stop them, with heavy police involvement. Indeed as the film veers from crime thriller territory into whodunit, the "invisible man" antics are pushed into the background with little screen time for our transparent star.
Unfortunately, THE INVISIBLE TERROR is one of those films which concentrates on dialogue and plot exposition at the expense of any reasonable horror and/or thrills. There's a large cast of mostly interchangeable characters who spend much of the time conversing and/or chasing each other, and none of the actors ever rise above the norm to make you care about them; even the hero is a quiffed square-jawed nobody with little charisma or style. Perhaps the dubbing sapped some of the characterisation from the original German version of this film, but somehow I doubt it; a large, complicated plot is what this film is all about, and it has that in spades.
It's a shame that the film is so dull, because the trappings are nice. The sets and locations are well used, the film complicated by a cool musical score. The special effects - whilst limited - are also a lot of fun in a cheesy way, as we watch people turn into skeletons before disappearing. There are a couple of shoot-outs, fights, and car chases along the way to keep the film moving but these are almost always routine. On the plus side, THE INVISIBLE TERROR has some interesting supporting characters, like the fat harmonica-playing bad guy, a stockinged intruder, and dancing girls, and the "invisible man" murders, with knives in backs, strangulations, telephone cords levitating around necks, you name it, are quite sensational - it's just a shame they occupy so little screen time. The film also contains an invisible guinea pig who becomes rabid and a well-shot battle between two men, one visible and the other not, which is fairly exciting. Otherwise, THE INVISIBLE TERROR is routine stuff only to be watched by real fans of the plot ingredients - or, indeed, nostalgia buffs.
Unfortunately, THE INVISIBLE TERROR is one of those films which concentrates on dialogue and plot exposition at the expense of any reasonable horror and/or thrills. There's a large cast of mostly interchangeable characters who spend much of the time conversing and/or chasing each other, and none of the actors ever rise above the norm to make you care about them; even the hero is a quiffed square-jawed nobody with little charisma or style. Perhaps the dubbing sapped some of the characterisation from the original German version of this film, but somehow I doubt it; a large, complicated plot is what this film is all about, and it has that in spades.
It's a shame that the film is so dull, because the trappings are nice. The sets and locations are well used, the film complicated by a cool musical score. The special effects - whilst limited - are also a lot of fun in a cheesy way, as we watch people turn into skeletons before disappearing. There are a couple of shoot-outs, fights, and car chases along the way to keep the film moving but these are almost always routine. On the plus side, THE INVISIBLE TERROR has some interesting supporting characters, like the fat harmonica-playing bad guy, a stockinged intruder, and dancing girls, and the "invisible man" murders, with knives in backs, strangulations, telephone cords levitating around necks, you name it, are quite sensational - it's just a shame they occupy so little screen time. The film also contains an invisible guinea pig who becomes rabid and a well-shot battle between two men, one visible and the other not, which is fairly exciting. Otherwise, THE INVISIBLE TERROR is routine stuff only to be watched by real fans of the plot ingredients - or, indeed, nostalgia buffs.