The Invisible Man Review: 8 Ups & 2 Downs
6. The Consistently Tense Atmosphere
From its very first scene, this film is absolutely awash in paranoia-laced tension, and much of it comes down to how Whannell allows the audience to fill in many of the blanks themselves.
There are numerous sequences where Cecelia is in an otherwise empty room, and Whannell simply pans to an area of the room where the Invisible Man may or may not be standing.
Just as the Paranormal Activity movies derived most of their thrills from the viewer's own imagination, much of what makes The Invisible Man so enjoyable is trying to make sense of what's going on beyond what we can actually see.
The result is a film that remains consistently tense throughout, and even once Whannell eventually stops toying with the audience, the title character's presence is extremely unnerving.