Directed by Leigh Whannell, Wolf Man follows a family man named Blake (Christopher Abbott) who relocates from San Francisco to Oregon with his workaholic wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) and daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth) after inheriting his childhood home, left vacant following his estranged father’s mysterious disappearance and presumed death. At the farmhouse at night during a full moon, the family is attacked by an unseen animal that claws Blake’s arm. They barricade themselves inside the home, but soon Blake begins to transform into something horrifying, jeopardizing the safety of his wife and daughter.
Leigh Whannell has proved himself to be a truly talented director with films like Upgrade and The Invisible Man so of course I was very excited for his reimagined take on the Wolf Man. Everyone who has followed me long enough knows how much I adore werewolves and the Wolf Man is one of my favorite classic werewolf stories, so it was important to me that this reimagining lived up to my expectations, especially at a time when werewolf films are in need of a resurgence.
I am happy to say that this film not only lives up to my expectations but also surprisingly exceeded them. If Nosferatu can be considered the new modern standard for vampire films then Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man should be considered the new modern standard for werewolf films because it absolutely rules! It is a truly awesome as well as grounded werewolf horror film that delivers body horror, familial horror, and a mostly effective tale about relationship dynamics, loss, and generational trauma. While I do believe there are some things the film could have leaned into a bit more to be even better I was still extremely satisfied with what was given and this film has now made itself the newest entry of my favorite werewolf films list.
This film features a small cast with the focus primarily on the leading family, yet this simple approach ends up being extremely effective for the story and allowing the cast members to have more material to work with, as well as gives the audience more time to care about them in an intimate fashion.
The entire cast is fantastic but Christopher Abbott is on a whole different level with performance as the character Blake. Abbott beautifully portrays a man who suffers from generational guilt as a result of the trauma he endured from his father and is trying his best to shield his family from the horror of his past. Unfortunately that past ends up coming back to bite him, both in a literal and figurative manner, as he is doomed to slowly and painfully transform into the terrifying titular monster. When Blake begins losing some of his motor functions and his ability to speak and understand his family this is when Abbott truly surprised me with his physicality, displaying purely animalistic behaviors and emotions without needing a single word of dialogue to explain what is happening. And then when the final stages of his werewolf transformation take hold Abbott becomes completely unrecognizable, not only because of the fantastic practical effects makeup he wears for his unique “infected” Wolf Man design but also how he truly doesn’t look or sound human anymore in his performance. I’m so glad this role went to Christopher Abbott instead of Ryan Gosling, who was originally slated for the role, because I firmly believe he was the better choice.
Julia Garner and Matilda Firth give excellent performances as the wife and daughter respectively, delivering emotionally compelling scenes as well as really selling the terror and stakes perfectly without going into any horror cliche territory. These were characters I cared about and felt emotionally invested in, which is the most crucial element to nail down in any horror to get audiences invested no matter the genre.
Leigh Whannell and his crew manage to deliver a compelling werewolf story that may be simple in setting yet full of incredible tension and gruesome horror that has you on the edge of your seat from start to end. The film wisely takes a little time in the beginning to establish the characters and themes of the film to get you connected to them before jumping immediately into the thrills without any unnecessary fat attached to it.
The story is a vastly reimagined modern version of the 1941 film that includes clever homages and occasional references, but it mostly stands out on its own as an effective werewolf body horror story with unique themes, much like what Leigh Whannell did with his take on The Invisible Man. But unlike The Invisible Man, I feel this film didn’t lean in as much to its established themes as it could have through its story. The themes of generational guilt and trauma do play a large part throughout the film that is cleverly represented through the werewolf itself, but I do think there was a bit more that could have been done with it.
That being said I still think this film is effective as a whole with its story, as well as delivers great organic scares with its well-crafted horror and tension that is assisted by phenomenal technical elements. The terror opportunities of the simple setting of a farmhouse in the isolated wilderness are taken full advantage of through wonderful practical sets, and the body horror elements are gruesomely yet beautifully brought to life through magnificent practice effects. Things like the gore and the werewolf transformation all look perfect and aren’t tainted by hideous CGI or digital effects as most other werewolf films have done in recent years, with a few notable exceptions. The only digital effects present in the film are the scenes showing the very eery but visually appealing perspective of the werewolf that adds a unique element to this take on the Wolf Man and looks absolutely stunning.
This film features spectacular sound design and use of shadows that enhance the scares and horror of this film in a visual manner, along with the amazing cinematography that oozes with Leigh’s signature style. We also get a really solid score from composer Benjamin Wallfisch that adds on to the terror but also adds on to the brief emotional moments the film has to offer.
This reimagined take on a classic werewolf character was awesome for me in every way possible and I do hope this film will encourage other filmmakers to step up and make better modern werewolf films. Werewolf and horror fans are guaranteed to love this one so go check it out on the big screen. I’m going to give Wolf Man an A = 97.
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