Round two, ladies and gents. That’s right, wax your mustaches and secure your garter belts because it’s time for another SpecialK twofer.
In stark contrast to round one, this time we have a relatively even match—squarely above mediocre and surprisingly entertaining, both competitors go a long way to help cure those COVID-19 blues for any filmgoer ready to arm themselves with hand sanitizing wipes they bought after tackling a mom of three at Costco while dressed in more gear than Naomi Campbell at the airport.
In one corner, armed with a kitchen knife and looking to prove she can deliver beyond a supporting role in a pretty decent horror film, we have Elisabeth Moss’s portrayal of abused and fed-up dog mom Cecilia Kass in The Invisible Man.
In the other corner, armed with a sawed-off shotgun and making the most of her powerslamming, piledriving prowess (earned as American sweetheart Debbie Eagan in the hit Netflix lady wrestler series Glow), we have Betty Gilpin’s portrayal of street-smart Southern ex-convict Crystal in The Hunt. Ding ding! There’s the bell, and the fight is on!
The Invisible Man makes the first move by kicking us off with a bang – Cecilia is done with the abuse and control wielded by her husband, and escapes his clutches only to discover he’s killed himself out of grief. Leaving Cecilia a load of cash at which any Big Little Liar would gawk, her husband also seems to be haunting her from beyond the grave. Is she losing it or is he just that devious and manipulative?
Not one to be out-#metoo’d, The Hunt punches back, throwing its audience into a Hunger Games-style fight from the get-go, as the “real people” of conservative America are outfitted with weapons and tracked down by an unknown elite force. Crystal, however, seems to be one of the few smarties of the bunch with conveniently-impressive CIA-ops-level moves and a waist even Barbie would envy. But can she figure out who is behind the game in time to save her life and the lives of her friendlies? Stay tuned to find out.
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Ding ding! And we’re back! Now Cecilia of The Invisible Man is digging into the fight with a layer of eerie cinematography and slow pans that suggest a dark presence is following Cecilia around. Crystal of The Hunt tries to compete using brute force and gore, but Cecilia is ready with a gut punch of some of the most impressive and creative jump scares I’ve seen in recent history, especially for a thriller! The Invisible Man has the crowd on its feet, and your favorite horrorista is literally screaming aloud in the theater from fright! Jab, hook, uppercut—looks like we have a fight on our hands, folks!
Not one to go down easy, Crystal in The Hunt dodges a few more jabs and punches back with wit and words—short on actual scares, The Hunt digs deep into today’s political stalemate and pokes fun at all sides, leaving you laughing whether you’re on the left or the right, and especially if you find humor in the absurdity of it all. Whether she wins or loses, Crystal will definitely have you thinking about the foolishness of the political chasm splitting our country in two long after the bell rings.
Pushing back off the ropes, The Invisible Man layers on complexity, exploring themes of lasting trauma, PTSD, and societal pressures on women. The Hunt fights back with two strong female protagonists and an ultimate winner who rises above the futility of it all. Where The Invisible Man goes dark, deep, and disturbing, The Hunt is light, laughable, and yes, even literary. Which to pick? Who wins?
SpecialK Verdict: And there’s the bell folks, two very different films, two very different moods, both equally entertaining and thoughtfully executed. When it’s safe to head back outside, see both—The Invisible Man and The Hunt—and you’ll be glad you did.
The Hunt opens on Friday, March 13 and The Invisible Man opened on Friday, February 28.
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