The Bite #98

Believing Is Seeing In H.G. Wells’ THE INVISIBLE MAN, DEATH STRANDING On Vinyl And MORE!

by Emily Sears •

February 25, 2020

• Emily Sears

In this Issue:

Horror History: Believing Is Seeing In H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man
Image of the Week: Beautiful Darkness
Tiny Bites – This Week’s Best Horror Headlines
Things We Love: Tomorrow Is In Your Hands … Today!
Hey, That’s Us! – Shudder in the News

HORROR HISTORY: BELIEVING IS SEEING IN H.G. WELLS’ THE INVISIBLE MAN

By Emily Sears*

More than a century has passed since H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man questioned what man might do with the power of invisibility. Knowing the answer reflects glaring truths about today’s society, and Leigh Whannell’s adaptation centers on a victim of domestic abuse left to reckon with the validity of her voice and the consequences — or lack thereof — when powerful men commit unspeakable crimes. They say that seeing is believing, but when evil hides in plain sight, how can the truth be brought to light?

Wells’ novel focuses primarily on Griffin, a scientist driven mad by the isolation and omnipotence granted by his invisibility. His “reign of terror” begins small with mischievous, often juvenile humiliations, escalating as his sanity fades and the body count rises. Only gossip and the testimonies of those who have witnessed and survived his wrath alerts others to the unseen threat lurking in their village. At risk of being perceived mad themselves, those courageous enough to speak of their encounters with an invisible man ultimately lead to his capture. While not everyone trying to stop Griffin has seen him in action, they believe the chorus of voices insisting that he exists.

In past adaptations, the story has belonged to its titular character, recklessly testing the boundaries of his power and privilege. A monster made real – and somehow even more menacing – by Claude Rains’ iconic portrayal in James Whale’s 1933 film, it’s hard to imagine a presence more dynamic and unsettling, even with the dated yet astounding effects of the time. However, by centering his narrative around a discredited victim, Whannell launches Wells’ original out of the past and directly into the present. In an era when victims of unspeakable acts of violence continue to be shamed, silenced, and discounted for uniting their voices against men in positions of power, there couldn’t be a better time to look at this story from a different perspective.

For me, the scariest monsters have always been those rooted in reality, hiding in plain sight. It’s been over one hundred years since H.G. Wells wrote “[i]t is so much easier not to believe in an invisible man,” yet the sentiment still rings true. Although it may be easier to turn a blind eye to the corruption and evil at work in the world, it’s utterly impossible to believe it doesn’t exist.

*Emily Sears is a freelance writer based on the East Coast. Her film analysis, reviews, and monthly column Cover to Credits are featured at Birth.Movies.Death.

IMAGE OF THE WEEK

Beautiful Darkness

Polish artist Zdzisław Beksiński’s darkly powerful work actively defied interpretation. He never named any of his pieces, so cataloging must have been as much a nightmare as the work itself. But he would listen to music while he painted, crediting it for his inspiration. We’re dying to know what he was listening to when he painted this.

TINY BITES

RIP COFFIN JOE, HORROR’S PHYSIOLOGY AND MORE

A viral Twitter thread encouraged folks to share the movies that traumatized them as kids including JAWS, Poltergeist, The Exorcist and, of course, The Neverending Story. RIP Artax.

Stephen Spielberg’s Amazing Stories anthology series is getting a reboot, and it has an exciting new trailer for fans of the original.

GQ is urging horror fans and neophytes alike to dig into HBO’s The Outsider ahead of the last three episodes of the season.

Wrap up Women in Horror Month on a high note with these 10 lesser-known titles from female filmmakers.

A recent study used an MRI machine to figure out just what horror does to our brains, and the results are fascinating.

Sarah Paulson’s latest movie, Run, got a trailer last week, and ELLE is as excited as we are to watch her do … well, anything.

Paulson’s co-star and on-screen daughter, Kiera Allen, spoke to Entertainment Weekly about how Run is making history as the first studio film to star a wheelchair user.

Good news for genre gamers — Eli Roth is officially bringing Borderlands to life on the big screen.

Update your reading list with these highly anticipated horror novels of 2020.

Are horror fans truly the best fans? I mean, we definitely think so, but it’s nice to know that Adventures In Poor Taste agrees.

But scary movies aren’t only for adults. On the contrary, there’s a huge case to be made in defense of horror for kids.

According to Vogue, Priyanka Chopra was spotted wearing a Dracula dress on the streets of Milan, and we’re all for this most fabulous horror fashion choice.

Nearly 38 years after it ran out of money and wrapped production, the George Clooney and Laura Dern-starrer Grizzly II: Revenge is complete.

Brazilian horror icon José Mojica Marins, more affectionately known as Coffin Joe, sadly passed away on February 19th. The legendary actor and director often referred to as Brazil’s National Boogeyman was 83.