Universal Studios

Universal Studios(LOS ANGELES) — A new take on The Invisible Man hits theaters this weekend. Unlike previous incarnations of the classic Universal “monster” tale, this one packs a real-life emotional punch.

The film stars Handmaid’s Tale Emmy-winner Elisabeth Moss as a woman in an abusive relationship with a man she thought was dead. 

A brilliant scientist, he figures out a way to render himself invisible, but he uses this technology not to better the world, but to terrorize Moss’ character. The problem is, most people don’t believe what they can’t see. 

The movie is a powerful metaphor, Moss tells ABC Audio, a twist that immediately drew her to the project.

“The invisible man standing in for, yes, bullying, for women losing their voices, for women not being believed and for gaslighting and for these subjects that are important to me as a woman.” She adds, “I…immediately sort of was like, well, that’s kind of brilliant.”

While The Invisible Man does deliver on the expected chills and “jump scares,” there’s more to it than that — like other classics, the actress and activist says: “You know, Poltergeist and The Shining, Exorcist, they’re analogies. They’re metaphors for deeper political and societal issues.”

She adds, “I think…those are the movies that really have — they’re deeply scary. You know, they’re fun. They’re, you know, they’re terrifying. They’re beautiful visually. But then they do have something a little bit more to ground it in reality.”

The Invisible Man, which also stars Storm Reid, Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Michael Dorman, opens Friday.

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