In the 1930s, Universal Studios introduced its slate of monster movies, many of which became known as the most iconic monsters in cinema history. However, while the company owned the rights to Dracula, The Wolf Man, and Frankenstein’s Monster, The Invisible Man set a horror record that stood for many years. While not in the A-tier of horror icons from the Universal Monsters lineup, The Invisible Man did something none of his more famous contemporaries ever did.

Not only that, but The Invisible Man stands above even later horror slasher killers from the 70s and 80s. In the 1930s, the Wolf-Man and Dracula killed several people. Frankenstein’s Monster is a tragic figure, but he also has blood on his hands. In the 80s, Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees tore through victims in several movies. However, The Invisible Man killed more people in his first movie than anyone else did in horror movies for over 80 years.

The Invisible Man’s Kill Count Is Surprisingly Higher Than A Lot Of Slasher Movies

The Invisible Man Killed Well Over 100 People In One Movie

There are a few horror movies with a higher kill count than The Invisible Man. However, in most of those movies, several people participated in the killings. Two of the Purge movies have more kills, but that was an ensemble affair. From Dusk Till Dawn had lots of people killing vampires and humans alike. Dawn of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ had legions of zombies. It wasn’t until Brightburn in 2019 that one singular horror movie villain killed more people than the villain in The Invisible Man.

The 1933 Universal Horror movie follows Dr. Jack Griffin, a chemist who discovers the secret of invisibility. However, one of the drugs used in the formula has the side effect of driving a person mad. When looking at the main kills in the movie, there were only four people that he killed in a personal manner: a police detective he kills near the start of the film, two people he throws off a cliff, and another doctor he ties up in a car and sends off the cliff.

However, there was also a huge moment that was bigger than almost any murderer in horror movie history. He causes a train derailment, which results in 100 deaths. That totals 104 deaths alone for The Invisible Man in his movie. There were also 19 more murders that he committed, but it was mostly unknown how the deaths happened, including 18 search party volunteers at the time of the train derailment.

Deaths By The Invisible Man:

People like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees have killed more people than The Invisible Man, but it took them multiple movies to surpᴀss this impressive kill count. This record was beaten 67 years later when Mr. Glᴀss was responsible for well over 1,000 deaths in Unbreakable, although only the train derailment he caused was shown in the film. Its 126 deaths beat those of Dr. Griffin, but Unbreakable wasn’t a horror movie, and for many years, there wasn’t a more ᴅᴇᴀᴅly killer in a single film than The Invisible Man.

The Invisible Man Came Just Before The Hays Code Crackdown In 1934

The Hays Code Made Big Kill Counts Almost Impossible

This impressive kill count is even better because it happened in the 1930s, an era known for the start of the Hays Code crackdown. This was a self-imposed set of guidelines created by the movie studios that “prohibited profanity, suggestive nudity, graphic or realistic violence, Sєxual persuasions, and rape.” There were also strict rules around depicting crimes and what happens to people who commit them. It was in place from 1934 until 1968.

The Hays Code frowned upon the use of firearms, brutal or gruesome violence, sympathy for criminals, and cruelty to children or animals. For many years, horror movies had to dance around these issues, which is why many classic horror movies had fewer kills than one might expect. The Invisible Man ended up as Universal Studios’ biggest kill-count movie, and the Hays Code ensured it stayed that way.