THE INVISIBLE MANIAC [1990]

 "I HAVE JUST INJECTED MY SERUM INTO THE BUNNY RABBIT!"

Invisible Man movies as a genre aren't really that great usually and definitely not very scary. The only ones I can say I absolutely loved was the original James Whale THE INVISIBLE MAN and the Elizabeth Moss one a couple years ago. The fact remains that I must now add THE INVISIBLE MANIAC to that list because this was absolutely awesome!!!!! The lead performance by Peter Noel Duhamel as Dr. Kevin Dornwinkle a.k.a. Dr. Kevin Smith (!) was so gloriously unhinged even during the first hour when things are slightly sedate -- but around the 55 minute mark things go absolutely bonkers! I loved it I loved it I loved it!!! 

Dornwinkle is shown as a little boy at the beginning of the film who is having mental/emotional issues.  His crone of a mother (deliciously played by Marilyn Adams) catches the boy using his telescope to spy on the unclad woman across the way.  He's grounded for a year and Mother says she's going to board up his windows.  Cut to 20 years later and Dr. Kevin Dornwinle had gathered his scientific colleagues for a demonstration of his new invisibility serum.  Instead of a bunny rabbit, Dornwinkle injects himself (such is his overconfidence) but sadly the invisibility doesn't happen.  Fortunately for us, Dornwinkle goes berserk and attacks a few of his scientific peers.  Fatally.  Kevin is off to the funny farm where life is beautiful all the time.  Naturally, Kevin escapes and turns up with a new name (Dr. Kevin Smith . . . gee, 1990 is a little before CLERKS came out so this name wasn't as funny then as it is now) at a high school teaching Physics summer school.  A half dozen knuckleheaded students are in the class and start giving Kevin some trouble.  Meanwhile, there's a mute janitor who is about as inconspicious as the Hunchback of Notre Dame and a nymphomaniacal principal named Mrs. Cello.  While teaching, Dr. "Smith" continues to work on his invisibility serum and, lo and behold, he makes his bunny rabbit invisible!!!  Yes, Smith constantly refers to his subject as 'the bunny rabbit'.  Like Dr. Griffin before him (in James Whale's classic film), Dr. Dornwinkle/Smith becomes unhinged from the affects of the serum (which he injects himself with almost constantly) and Duhamel has the most insane, bonkers, unhinged cakling laugh you ever want to hear.  He's just brilliant when he's off his rocker!  And by about the 50 minute mark, the constant taunting and pranking by his students sends him off the deep edge.  Mrs. Cello attempts to seduce Kevin in her office but when he refuses her, she threatens him with the police after finding his syringe in his desk drawer.  This is obviously the final straw (final needle????) and Dr. Smith begins his homicidal reign of terror.

As stated, Duhamel's performance from the very start is one for the ages and it gets even better the more over-the-top/bonkers he becomes; sweating and raving and giggling and running around (visible OR invisible).  This is a movie which knows it's not to be taken seriously but doesn't do it in a self-conscious SHARKNADO way; the laughs and situations are genuinely funny and never stupid.  This is just what WOULD happen if a nutty scientist injected himself with insanity-causing invisibility serum.  The nice thing about this movie is the "teenagers"/victims/students are all VERY well defined and likeable and we don't mind spending a lot of time with them during the first hour of the film before the killings start.  This is way difficult to do and most body count horror films don't manage to pull it off.  The writing here by director Adam Rifkin, Tony Markes and Matt Devlen is really good -- as is Rifkin's direction which never drags.  The dialogue cackled by the nutty Dr. Smith is just what his character SHOULD say:  when a student named Bunny (yep, a blonde student named Bunny . . . . there's also a Bubba) sees Smith regain visibility and astonishingly says "Mr. Smith?!?!?!", Duhamel makes an ornate bow and says "'Tis I, your friendly neighborhood invisible maniac!".  Another scene where the invisible Smith is chasing a girl down the hallway, he trips her and cackles "Having a nice trip?  See you next fall!" before invisibly strangling her with a fire hose.  I mean, this is Shakespeare quality here, folks!

 "DIE, YOU INVISIBLE JERK!!!!!"