After the failed reboot of Universal’s Monster Library through 2017’s The Mummy, it became unknown if any of Universal’s iconic monsters will see the light of day again. That changed in 2020 with Leigh Whannell reimagining of The Invisible Man that offered a fresh and innovative new take on the character. Following this success, he became the front runner to reboot Wolf Man, with a modern twist. However, the film was riddled with production issues caused by the 2023 Hollywood Strikes and with the departure of Ryan Gosling. Then when it was announced that it would be releasing in January, my hopes for Whannell’ s reimagining of Wolf Man sank to the bottom of the ocean. So to my surprise it wasn’t a terrible movie, but it also wasn’t great either.
Before I bog down the room, let me acknowledge what Wolf Man gets right. First and foremost, Whannell demonstrates his mastery of atmospheric horror. Throughout Wolf Man he creates a gripping and foreboding atmosphere filled with dread and tension. The film’s meticulous sound design – using silence, creaks, and growls-elevates its jump scares into genuinely terrifying moments. From the gripping opening in the horrors of the daytime forest, to the claustrophobic conditions of being trapped in your own home, the haunting atmosphere completely envelops you. Furthermore, the physical werewolf transformation of Blake (played by Christopher Abbott, who fully commits to this role) is as revolting as it is tragic. By exploring the loss of self through Blake’s shifting vision (wolf-vision) and the gradual erosion of his ability to communicate (a loss of speech and understanding), the movie achieves a stroke of horror brilliance, blending raw emotion with visual terror.
Unfortunately, the rest of Wolf Man is woefully undercooked. While it ambitiously tries to use its monster as a metaphor for generational trauma, the execution falls flat and lacks depth. The narrative sprints towards the finish line to get the family in the house as quickly as possible, but once in the house the narrative stalls as they simply react to stuff happening around them without any meaningful interactions. The relationship woes between Blake and his wife Charlotte (played by Julia Garner, who gives a surprisingly weak performance), is not explored in any manner. The fact that everyone in this remote region of the wilderness is totally fine with a werewolf wandering around is questionable to say the least. These and other underdeveloped elements weigh down the story, robbing Wolf Man of the emotional and narrative helf it aimed to achieve.
Overall, I don’t have a lot to say about Wolf Man. It is a mixed bag offering some bite with interesting concepts and horror, but ultimately gnawing away at your interest with its lackluster execution. At the very least it is entertaining and it is not the worst movie that Blumhouse has produced. At best, it lands squarely in the mid-tier of their catalog
My Rating: C+
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