
Wolf Man
Studio: Blumhouse Productions
Director: Leigh Whannell
Jan 19, 2025
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Horror regular Leigh Whannell is back with another Universal Monsters remake after his success with The Invisible Man (2020). This time, he delivers a unique spin on The Wolf Man (1941). There’s no gothic Wales setting or Larry Talbot here though. Whannell’s take on the lycanthrope story is different in nearly every way except for the title.
Christopher Abbott plays Blake Lovell, a writer living in San Francisco with his journalist wife, Charlotte (Julia Garner), and young daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth). He learns that his estranged father, Grady (Sam Jaeger), has passed away. This leads Blake and his family to central Oregon to pack up Grady’s belongings. On the driveway to Grady’s house, Blake, his family, and a neighbor are attacked by some humanoid creature. They escape and hole up in Grady’s house as the monster lurks outside in the dark. Blake soon discovers that he was slashed in the arm by the beast and may be turning into a furry being himself.
Wolf Man mostly takes place over one night and in one isolated farm setting. Due to this, Whannell’s film (which he co-wrote with Corbett Tuck) remains small in scale and laser-focused on Blake, Charlotte, and Ginger. While there is scant lore-building for the werewolves and the narrative is thin, there is thematic weight throughout as Whannell explores patriarchal and marital difficulties through Blake. He is trying to be a better father to Ginger than Grady ever was to him, but he sometimes struggles to communicate with the child.
Whannell’s film looks great. The forest locations are dense but beautiful, with New Zealand standing in for the Oregon setting well enough. The makeup design on Abbott as Blake slowly turns over the course of the film is superb as well. Whannell and cinematographer Stefan Duscio—along with the visual effects team—devise clever ways to light certain shots as the point of view shifts between Blake and Charlotte; Blake sees things in saturated blues as he becomes more monstrous.
Abbott sells Blake’s inner pain and transformation believably. Garner and Firth also turn in fine performances as a mother and daughter who must come closer together during a crazy situation; Charlotte says early on that she is not as close to Ginger as she once was. All three characters could have used more complexity and dialogue, but the actors do well for what they are given.
Wolf Man can’t hold a candle to the 1941 original. Whannell’s version goes in new directions and is presented and acted skillfully, but the script feels half-baked. Or is it half-transformed? Even so, it is a passably entertaining werewolf picture.
Author rating: 6.5/10
Average reader rating: 9/10
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