Movies are a visual medium, and therefore, most movies' major characters are, well, visible
to the audience.
But as with any rule, there are notable exceptions — and to prove it, these are just a few
memorable examples of film characters you never see.
Thanks to the success of the original Charlie's Angels television series, which ran from 1976
to 1981, a film reboot was inevitable; in 2000, director McG's adaptation, which starred
Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu, hit theaters.
As the titular team working out of an exclusive agency in Los Angeles, the trio lend the film
the feel of the original television series while setting it in a more modern era and
stretching one mystery into a longer story.
As in the original series, Charlie is perpetually unseen, accessible only through speaker and
identified only as the Angels' millionaire boss who finds them different jobs, gives
them instructions, and works through his assistant Bosley.
Though the film never addresses why Charlie isn't present, aside from indicating that
he's frequently targeted by villains and assassins, the closing scene shows a man quietly observing
the angels, who could be Charlie himself though he still remains obscured to the viewer.
How will we ever know you really, truly exist unless you come down here and have a coconut
with us?"
"Faith, angels.
It's called faith."
Spike Jonze is known for his inventive, ambitious projects, and 2013's Her, which won Best Original
Screenplay at the 86th Academy Awards as well as scoring a nomination for Best Picture tackles
the concept of artificial intelligence from an entirely new perspective.
Set just slightly ahead of the present day, the film imagines a time when humans are able
to create virtual assistants using artificial intelligence.
Theodore played by Joaquin Phoenix feels disconnected from the people around him after a rough divorce…
until he meets Samantha.
"I can understand how the limited perspective of an un-artificial mind would perceive it
that way.
You'll get used to it."
As Theodore gets closer to his AI assistant Samantha seductively voiced by Scarlett Johansson
he realizes that their relationship isn't as special as he previously thought.
She admits that she's in similar "relationships" and in love with hundreds of other people
before telling him that she and the other AIs are leaving the human sphere.
As society creeps closer to the advent of new forms of artificial intelligence, the
unseen assistants of Her become even more relevant, warning audiences about the benefits
and costs of technology that may soon become a reality.
Adapted from Ira Levin's novel, Roman Polanski's horror classic Rosemary's Baby stars Mia Farrow
as Rosemary, a woman who believes a Satanic cult wants to use her baby for evil purposes.
When Rosemary and her husband Guy move into their new apartment in New York City, they
befriend an odd elderly couple who welcome the young pair with open arms.
However, throughout the film, Rosemary becomes suspicious of them, and as she experiences
a truly horrific pregnancy, she realizes that her child is not her husband's, but actually
the son of the Devil, and she must raise the child as her own to appease this dangerous
cult.
"Read what they do, Guy!
They use blood in their rituals, and the blood that has the most power is baby's blood."
During the film's finale, Rosemary discovers that her child is the son of Satan, who "chose"
her to carry his baby, and rather than show the baby directly, there's simply a flash
of a demonic face perhaps the child's father, Satan.
"What have you done to its eyes?"
"He has his father's eyes."
In refusing to show an actual shot of the child, the film leaves its appearance up to
the imagination, making it even more frightening than, say, a potentially unrealistic prosthetic
"demon" baby.
The second film in the long-running Ernest film series, Ernest Saves Christmas features
Jim Varney's character Ernest and serves as the holiday-themed installment in the franchise.
Ernest, who appeared in several commercials for brands like Coca-Cola and and Chex, made
his mark by always delivering an impassioned, off-topic monologue to his friend Vern while
speaking directly to the camera, which always culminated in him proclaiming the virtues
of whatever product he happened to be pitching.
"Got 'im, Vern.
Another Pacific Pilsner.
That's a keeper!"
In Ernest Saves Christmas , Ernest, a taxi driver working in Florida, inadvertently picks
up Santa Claus and accidentally gains possession of Santa's magic sack of toys.
Through a series of misadventures, he helps find the next man who will become Santa Claus
and makes sure Christmas goes smoothly and also throughout the film, he delivers his
trademark monologues to Vern, whose POV is once again provided by the camera.
During one notable scene, he even helps host a Christmas party at Vern's house, much to
Vern's apparent chagrin.
"Ho, ho, ho, Vern!
Merr—"
"I thought you said this Vern was a friend of yours."
"D'oh, Vern's just like that: He'll do anything for a laugh."
OK, so chances are you already know the whole story of Romeo and Juliet —
"From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life."
but, in case you've been living under a rock, here goes: Romeo and Juliet, respective heirs
to the warring Montague and Capulet families, meet by chance at a party and immediately
fall in love, even though they're conditioned to hate one other and even though Juliet is
already engaged to someone else.
Though they do their best to make a new life together, their plans are foiled at every
turn, and they eventually do the whole poison/dagger thing, and yada yada yada.
You know how this one turns out.
"Poison!
I'll kiss thy lips.
Haply some poison doth yet hang on them."
Aw, crap wrong movie.
Hold tight.
The play has seen plenty of adaptations over the years, but the most popular among modern
viewers is Baz Luhrman's fantastical Romeo + Juliet, which modernizes the sets and costumes
while retaining the original prose.
It's pretty weird, and it shouldn't work — but, honestly, somehow it does.
They have made worms' meat of me.
A plague on both your houses!"
Though most know the narrative outline, it's easy to forget that Juliet isn't always the
only girl on Romeo's mind in fact, when the story begins, Romeo is heartsick over another
girl, Rosaline, who seemingly won't give him the time of day.
When his friend Mercutio encourages him to attend Juliet's party so he can forget about
Rosaline, Romeo's former love is forgotten and, in fact, never appears in the play or
film at all.
Still, she plays a relatively important part in the whole tragic mess: If she hadn't left
Romeo heartbroken, he may never have even met Juliet!
2010's Winter's Bone introduced Jennifer Lawrence to mainstream film audiences.
Set in the Ozarks, this low-budget drama stars Lawrence as Ree, who is solely responsible
for taking care of her mentally ill mother as well as her two younger siblings.
While she attempts to teach her siblings how to survive, she's also tasked with finding
her father, who has disappeared after his arrest for making meth, and the stakes are
high if she doesn't find him in time, then her family's house and land will be seized,
leaving them with a week to find somewhere else to live.
Along the way, she runs afoul of the town's crime boss, Milton, while everyone tells her
that her father is already dead, and she tries to figure out what the real story is even
as bondsmen hunt him down.
"Some of our blood at least is the same, ain't that supposed to mean something?
Isn't that what is always said?"
As it turns out, everyone is right her father is, in fact, dead, as Ree discovers when the
Milton clan shows her his body partially submerged in a lake.
Left with only his hands to identify him to the sheriff and bondsmen, Ree's journey is
over and she can be at peace, but her unseen father's character remains vital to the story,
as searching for him to save her family is what drives her throughout the entire narrative.
The 1964 classic Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
sprung from the mind of legendary director Stanley Kubrick.
This dark comedy focused on a Cold War era nuclear conflict between the United States
and the Soviet Union.
Starring legends Peter Sellers and George C. Scott, the film's central conflict hinges
upon a deranged general who orders a nuclear strike by the United States against the Soviet
Union and the efforts of the United States President and his cabinet to then try to stop
the strike.
Though this might not sound like a laugh riot, the script and Sellers' multiple performances
are so hilarious that the film has become known as one of cinema's best comedies, earning
itself a place in the National Film Registry and the third spot on the 100 Years 100 Laughs
list at AFI.
"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here — this is the war room!"
Because the film centers on a conflict between the U.S. and Soviet Union, one might think
the Russian premier would be fairly central, but thanks to the focus on the United States
government's response, Premier Dmitri Kissoff is ultimately never seen, providing most of
the film's push and pull without ever having to physically appear on screen and existing
only through phone calls to and from the President.
"Uh, we're doing a documentary about the Blair Witch."
"Oh."
"Oh, have you heard of the Blair Witch?"
"Oh yeah, that's an old, old, old story."
One of the first forays into the modern era of the "found footage" subgenre of horror
films, The Blair Witch Project was filmed over only eight days, stranding actors in
the woods with handheld equipment to lend an air of authenticity to the frightening
story.
"I'm not playing head games, man.
If anyone's playing head games, you're playing head games, but I'm not playing head games."
In fact, the viral marketing campaign was almost too successful, including the decision
to keep the actors from attending the film's premiere and listing them as deceased on IMDb.
The production was a real-life horror in its own right; the actors were intentionally deprived
of food and pranked by the crew to elicit "real" reactions for the final product.
"HEEEELP!
HEEEELP!
PLEASE HELP US!
HELP US!"
In the low-budget/high-scares flick, a group of amateur filmmakers Heather, Mike, and Josh
document their search for the mysterious Blair Witch.
Though they're initially skeptical of any supernatural phenomena, during their time
in the woods, they're tormented by some unseen force.
When Josh goes missing, it appears as if the Blair Witch herself is mimicking his screams
to lure Heather and Mike.
After they find an abandoned house, Mike's camera footage ends, and Heather finds him
silently standing in a corner just before she's attacked herself.
As the film progresses, it becomes clear why the Blair Witch is never seen: it's simply
far scarier that way.
Based on the 1944 Pulitzer-winning stage play of the same name by Mary Chase, the 1950 film
Harvey stars James Stewart and Josephine Hull and tells a rather unconventional tale.
Stewart plays Elwood P. Dowd, a cheerful, friendly lush with one very unique characteristic:
his best friend is a six-foot-tall, invisible rabbit named Harvey.
Though Elwood's family, including his sister and niece, are exasperated and concerned by
Elwood's imaginary friend, his appealingly pleasant demeanor leads to Elwood making friends
at his neighborhood bar, where the bartender always greets Harvey and serves Elwood two
martinis.
Naturally, the absence of the film's title character is what drives the entire story,
as Elwood's family, fearing for his well-being and sanity, has him committed to an institution
to help potentially "cure" him.
However, over time, Elwood's doctor, Dr. Chumley, begins to believe Elwood and believe in Harvey.
"At first, Dr. Chumley seemed a little frightened of Harvey, but that gave way to admiration
as the evening wore on."
In the end, Elwood's loved ones save him from a medicine that would make him "normal" and
stop him from seeing his beloved bunny bestie.
The film was incredibly well-reviewed, leaving a lasting lesson that imagination is not a
flaw, but something that can brings real joy to anyone if they'd only believe.
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