Hollow Man (2000)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A brilliant scientist becomes dangerously unstable after an experimental serum renders him invisible.
The story
Brilliant but narcissistic scientist Sebastian Caine develops a serum for the military that renders a subject invisible. His team includes ex-girlfriend Linda McKay, Matt Kensington, Sarah Kennedy, Janice Walton, Carter Abbey, and Frank Chase. Sebastian successfully tests the process on an invisible gorilla and eventually performs the procedure on himself. However, the process cannot be reversed, and Sebastian becomes increasingly unstable and violent. As he begins to use his condition to spy on and prank his colleagues, the team grows concerned about his behavior. When the reversal procedure fails, Sebastian is quarantined in the lab, and the team creates a latex mask for him to wear.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Sebastian Caine, a brilliant but narcissistic scientist, develops a serum that renders a subject invisible. After successfully testing it on a gorilla, he performs the procedure on himself. The process becomes irreversible, and Sebastian begins to spiral into instability and violence. He hides his success from his mentor, Howard Kramer, and eventually begins spying on his colleagues and a neighbor. After the reversal fails, he is quarantined and forced to wear a mask. He eventually kills several team members—including Janice, Carter, Sarah, and Frank—to hide his secret. In the climax, a confrontation occurs in the lab where Linda and Matt attempt to stop him. After a series of violent encounters involving a flamethrower and a rigged bomb, Sebastian is eventually trapped in an elevator shaft. During a final confrontation, Linda disconnects the elevator cables, causing Sebastian to fall to his death in the flames while the others escape.
- First release year
- 2000
- Runtime (minutes)
- 112
- Production countries
- Germany; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Paul Verhoeven
- Writers
- Andrew W. Marlowe · screenplay; Gary Scott Thompson · story; Andrew W. Marlowe · story
- Cast and characters
- Elisabeth Shue · Linda McKay; Kevin Bacon · Sebastian Caine; Josh Brolin · Matt; Kim Dickens · Sarah Kennedy; Greg Grunberg · Janice Walton; Joey Slotnick · Carter Abbey; Mary Randle · Frank Chase; William Devane · Howard Kramer
- Genres
- science fiction; horror
- Themes
- voyeurism; the nature of evil
- Tone and mood
- dark; unstable
- Premise and plot tags
- invisibility; scientific experiment; body horror
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received generally negative reviews from critics, though its visual effects were well-received and earned an Academy Award nomination.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 24 · scale: 100 · review count: 35
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Visual Effects · nomination; Saturn Award · Best Special Effects · win
- Production trivia
- The film was shot in chronological order.; One of very few films allowed to shoot directly in front of The Pentagon.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…