Reworking the invisible man idea originally from H.G. Wells's book for a sexploitation horror flick is rather oddly effective. Seeing while not being seen plays well into cinematic voyeurism, as the Invisible Man here joins us, the spectator, in ogling naked women (although, they're playing high-school teenagers) before the killing spree rooted in the psychosexual handbook taken straight out of "Psycho" (1960). You know, mommy issues. Multiple scenes of the girls locker room in this one. Apparently, after every pathetic suggestion of a cheerleading practice, they need to shower. Even though the film takes place during summer school, so I don't know why they're practicing--did they flunk that, too, along with physics and so need to retake it? I don't know; maybe this district doesn't work the same way I thought the rest of the American school system did.
Regardless, "The Invisible Maniac" has just about everything one could hope for from a so-bad-it's-good film. Besides the ridiculous gore and gratuitous nudity, the scenes of Kevin Dornwinkle attacking people tend to be choreographed poorly--obviously pulled punches, conspicuous cuts and such. Noel Peters as Dornwinkle plays raving lunatic believably, and he has a strange way of delivering his lines. Women and teenage girls are objectified, while the men and boys are treated as sexual predators (although, a female principle treads both lines). The invisibility serum also works well here as an allegory for drug addiction. You can't ask for much better than this before you're requesting a movie that's actually good.
Regardless, "The Invisible Maniac" has just about everything one could hope for from a so-bad-it's-good film. Besides the ridiculous gore and gratuitous nudity, the scenes of Kevin Dornwinkle attacking people tend to be choreographed poorly--obviously pulled punches, conspicuous cuts and such. Noel Peters as Dornwinkle plays raving lunatic believably, and he has a strange way of delivering his lines. Women and teenage girls are objectified, while the men and boys are treated as sexual predators (although, a female principle treads both lines). The invisibility serum also works well here as an allegory for drug addiction. You can't ask for much better than this before you're requesting a movie that's actually good.