Whether or not a full moon is out, here we are, back in a dark universe with Leigh Whannell, following his wickedly fantastic reimagination of The Invisible Man with another Universal Monster – the Wolf Man. Sadly, where Whannell previously succeeded in his attempt to modernize a classic villain through clever filmmaking and relevant themes, applying the same approach did not merit the same results. Sure, the film often looks very good, it’s nicely acted, and the practical approach to the tile character is appreciated. However, the movie also confuses depth and introspection with slow pacing and cold deliveries, let alone a perfunctory script that provides as much telling as showing. There are elements to appreciate, but Wolf Man lacks bite.
A prologue sets a chilly mood for the film, along with some basic facts surrounding a sickness that can be picked up in the forests of Oregon and is referred to by Native Americans as “The Face of the Wolf.” From there, we catch up with Blake (Christopher Abbot), who was raised by a demanding father (Sam Jaeger) but is now trying to be a good dad to his daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth). Blake’s wife, Charlotte (Julia Garner), is a hard-working journalist, and Blake believes a trip up to Oregon to sort out the childhood home he’s inherited will be good for them as a family. Things take a turn for the worse while en route, as the family is attacked by some sort of creature. They make their way to the home, but Blake has been injured, and it may take more than barricades to keep Charlotte and Ginger safe from danger.
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Besides the tragic nature of a werewolf, Wolf Man is less indebted to George Waggner and Curt Siodmak’s 1941 gothic horror classic and more of a throwback to 80s Cronenberg, specifically The Fly. Rather than go the route of a curse and how the lunar cycle plays a role, this iteration presents the transformation as a disease. As a result, the film finds the most value in showing Abbot’s Blake struggling with an intense illness that slowly breaks his body apart. Teeth begin to fall out, cuts turn into infections, and Blake’s perception of reality changes (the movie’s most compelling new idea).
I’ve long held that 1981’s An American Werewolf in London has still not been topped in terms of the practical effects used to bring that version of the monster to life. Wolf Man attempts to get around that by making it a slower process, dragging out the transformation, which at least felt like a clever way to avoid comparison while still serving as intense body horror. Given how much of an innocent Blake is, and knowing his past, the movie is aware that it’s burdening the man with the horrible situation presented so elaborately, which speaks to one of the script’s main themes regarding the inevitability of death.
That said, given how positive I’ve been on Whannell as a director following The Invisible Man and Upgrade, it’s disappointing to have felt so underwhelmed by what was delivered here. Having initially turned down the project, this feels like the result of a director humming along to deliver what’s expected from him after another version from others (in this case, Ryan Gosling and Derek Cianfrance) fell through. Naturally, Whannell can’t help but inject plenty of his sensibilities as a director when it comes time to finding neat visual choices and recurring motifs to help emphasize some of the ideas at play. However, the film still feels so perfunctory in delivery.
Written by Whannel and his wife, Corbett Tuck, the screenplay does little to impress. Character attributes are very on the nose, and while short, the film feels like it’s been paired down enough to eliminate whatever may have strengthened the roles. As it stands, and with only so many characters to contend with, there’s nothing all that surprising about anyone’s journey, what they are going through, or how it will all play out by the end.
One could say this is at least countered by the mood and atmosphere, but I really wasn’t taken by the film as a horror movie either. Yes, this is a good-looking film in terms of how it uses the New Zealand forests standing in for Oregon, along with the creature effects. However, as a Blumhouse Production, the lower budget means there are only so many locations to take in, which is fine, but none of the various werewolf jump scares did much for me. Given how The Invisible Man had one (if not two) of the best “jumps” I had seen from horror in, I don’t know, a decade, I was hoping for more here.
I will say the bloodiness is appreciated, as far as monster movies go. Again, with a limited cast and the choice to set most of the film during one night, there are natural limits. Still, Whannell finds ways to make the most out of a decaying/transforming human, and whatever other threats may be about. That said, if we had gotten to see some stray campers get pounced on by werewolves, I wouldn’t have been opposed to it either. It would at least liven things up, given the cold, self-serious nature of the movie.
Understandably, Whannell is trying to take this seriously. Bringing a darkly humorous edge to his previous films, it is missed here. Instead, this is a very somber affair, reflecting both the horror that comes from watching a loved one grow ill and hostile, along with the isolation created by where these characters are stuck, no doubt reflecting the pandemic era. There are also thoughts concerning emotional and generational abuse, which I think puts Wolf Man at odds with itself in some ways, but I could also see how that would ideally make Blake a more complicated individual were the film to narrow down more on this aspect of the story rather than just spelling it all out in dialogue.
There are only a handful of werewolf movies I genuinely love, so I was really hoping for more from Whannell’s take on this monster. Unfortunately, the approach, mainly due to the screenplay and pacing, just didn’t engage me much. Not being the typical look for the creature, I was pleased by the creative direction taken regarding the makeup, practical effects, and emphasis on body horror (plus, I’m always down for a werewolf fight). Still, while not the calamity that was the previous attempt to reboot this Universal Monster in 2010 with Benicio del Toro (not his fault), getting my claws on this movie didn’t leave me much to chew on.
Wolf Man opens in theaters on January 17, 2025.
