John Carpenter's Films - Ranked From Worst To Best

15. Memoirs Of An Invisible Man (1992)

Pros * Solid effects * Good performances from Chevy Chase and Daryl Hannah * Erm, the effects are really good (for the time) Cons * Misleading marketing * Not as funny as it ought to be * Standard plot

Overall Memoir of an Invisible Man is, oddly, underrated. Critics hated it when it first came out, questioning why John Carpenter, master of horror, was directing a comedy film. Then they watched the film and realised that the marketing campaign had misled them and that it was more of a drama, so they turned their wrath towards the supposed miscasting of Chevy Chase, who was well-known for his work in the National Lampoon's Vacation series.

Judged by its own merits, however, the film is actually enjoyable (if not a little lightweight). The effects work is especially good. It ought to be, considering the film had a budget of $40 million.

Unfortunately, it only made back $14.5 million of that back at the box-office, becoming another in a series of bombs for Carpenter. He knew he was up against it from the start, citing the studios refusal to grant him creative control.

As a result, it is one of Carpenter's only films not to be prefixed by the title of 'John Carpenter's'. Still, the film really isn't that bad and is a decent enough way to spend a bank holiday Monday.