The Invisible Man director Leigh Whannell enjoys making you scream

That gut-churning feeling followed by a terrified scream? The director of The Invisible Man can’t get enough of those reactions.

Leigh Whannell is responsible for some of your most terrifying moments at the movies.

The Melbourne-born filmmaker has been a prolific hand in horror movies for the past 15 years, notably as a writer on the gruesome Saw franchise with his friend, director James Wan.

After taking on director duties for Insidious: Chapter 3, Whannell did something different on his next movie, Upgrade, a high-octane action horror movie.

Now, Whannell’s modern update of The Invisible Man, which he wrote, directed and produced, is in cinemas, and while it’s not a horror movie, it’s a nerve-shredding thriller that will make your body tense up into a rubber ball.

Naturally, that’s all on purpose because Whannell delights in screwing with his audience.

“(Making people anxious) is something I enjoy,” he told news.com.au. “I have a couple of friends who are stand-up comedians and they talk about how there’s a power you get from making people laugh.

“You’ve got them in the palm of your hand and you’re puppeteering them. And I think it’s the same for horror filmmakers, you really get to manipulate the audience, get them screaming. It’s fun to do that.”

Filmmaker Leigh Whannell says it’s fun to make audiences scream (Mark Rogers/Universal Pictures via AP)

The Invisible Man flips the H.G. Wells story so that the film follows his victim rather than the monster behind the bandages. But Whannell originally wasn’t interested in the character at all.

“After Upgrade, I was really bitten by the action movie bug and I hadn’t been thinking about The Invisible Man or any horror film at all. I went to a meeting and it was suggested to me, this idea of doing The Invisible Man.

“At first I didn’t have any interest in the character, and then I couldn’t stop thinking about it – and I know I want to do a film when I’m lying awake at night thinking about it, and that’s what was happening here.

“One thing I quickly figured out was the best way to do this story was to tell it from the point-of-view of a victim, someone who was worrying the invisible man was right behind them, and when I had that, that to me thinking the character should be a woman who had escaped from a really bad relationship.”

Producer Jason Blum, actor Elisabeth Moss with Whannell at the Paris premiere of The Invisible Man (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Even though The Invisible Man isn’t horror, Whannell still dialled up whatever he could to ensure a visceral experience for that audience he so enjoys manipulating.

“I wanted this to be a Hitchcockian film, I wanted it to be a film that was just primal in its suspense, from the first frame. And I wanted it to be a stressful experience.

“I’ve watched movies that have made me squirm in my seat, so that’s what I’m trying to live up to – the movies that made me experience that.”

He said he’s also trying to live up to the expectations of fans.

“I want them to walk out of the theatre thinking that was money well spent, the same feeling I had when I walked out of Parasite.”

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Elisabeth Moss is the lead in The Invisible Man (Mark Rogers/Universal Pictures via AP)

Whannell name-checked the Oscar winner as his favourite film of 2019. But he also names a more unlikely favourite – When Harry Met Sally.

“Some of my favourite films are romantic comedies. I love When Harry Met Sally, that’s a brilliant film. I can watch it anytime, if I start it, I have to finish it, and I’m envious of that movie, of how brilliant it is.

“A good story is a good story, no matter what genre it is. I’ve written kids movies that haven’t been produced – hopefully one day – and I’ve written comedies.”

That sounds suspiciously like, perhaps sooner rather than later, Whannell may want to manipulate his audience through not terror but laughter. Just like his stand-up friends.

The Invisible Man is in cinemas now

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