A hair-raising reimagining of the classic creature feature, Leigh Whannell’s “Wolf Man” is the mutated marriage between Jeff Goldblum’s “The Fly” and “A Quiet Place,” giving the werewolf concept a splash of heart and a grotesque new paint job.
Although it pales in comparison to Whannell’s earlier efforts, the January horror flick offers enough thrills and chills to entertain, but not overcome its narrative pitfalls.
Moving the shapeshifting horror story from the Wales countryside to the Oregon wilderness, “Wolf Man” follows tenacious father Blake (Christopher Abbott), his wife, Charlotte (Julia Garner), and their child, Ginger (Matilda Firth), as he struggles to balance his bubbling temper, faltering marriage, and resentment toward his military-trained dad, who has recently – and mysteriously – passed away. With Blake’s off-the-grid childhood home in need of cleaning out, what’s a better way to knock out two birds with one stone than with a family trek to Oregon? However, once the moon rises, the trip quickly swerves into chaos – literally. With the moving van wrecked beyond repair and Blake having received a gruesome scratch from an unknown creature, the trio runs for safety into Blake’s long-forgotten home. While the three attempt to stay clear of the beast until morning, Blake’s slow, agonizing transformation drives tensions to the surface, forcing the family to wonder whether they’re safer within the house or beyond its walls.
Whannell’s small beginnings in the horror genre aren’t anything to write home about, including his work on franchises such as “Saw,” “Insidious,” and “The Bye Bye Man,” yet his contributions to the scare scene in the past seven years have been more than impressive. From 2018’s graphic sci-fi thriller “Upgrade,” to his first monstrous reimagining in 2020’s “The Invisible Man,” Whannell has more than proven to be a tremendous talent in the director’s chair.
Unfortunately, “Wolf Man” doesn’t reach the same heights as the director’s first two pictures. Even with that in mind, it’s still far from a terrible flick. Taking notes from his work on “The Invisible Man,” Whannell’s werewolf tale is similar to 1941’s “The Wolf Man” in title and creature alone. Outside of that, this is a completely fresh take on the lycan concept. Instead of being a straightforward fright fest, Whannell takes his time familiarizing the audience with this new set of characters, placing thematic building blocks the moment the screen is filled with the lush Oregon wilds. The screenplay – also written by Whannell – attempts to inject this long-overplayed concept with new themes of familial love and hereditary horrors. Whether or not the story is successful in this venture is debatable, but the attempt is noteworthy.
When the writing does flounder, Abbott and Garner’s committed performances, alongside the film’s gut-churning special effects, keep audiences’ engagement in check. Abbott perfectly captures Blake’s taxing troubles, plucking just the right notes as the film’s beating, yet bleeding, heart. His character’s complexity is never fully realized, but the emotional struggle still manages to hit home. If Blake’s character is the representation of desire, then Garner’s portrayal of Charlotte is the voice of reason.
Throughout the film’s trials and tribulations, she keeps her head above the rising water, gripping onto life as she awaits the slow-crawling sunrise. In a sense, Blake and Charlotte’s character dynamic feels like “The Shining”’s Jack and Wendy, but with a lot more love, a bit less snow, and plenty of gore. There are more than a few moments that will appease diehard body horror fans.
The first half of the film is an excellent descent into family matters and rotting flesh. Whannell’s vision for “Wolf Man” is clear from the beginning.
Because of this, it hurts all the more that the second and third acts aren’t able to keep up with the wit and soul of the opening hour.
The movie’s combination of drama, action and horror is an uneven amalgamation, never able to satisfyingly pick a single genre. At one point viewers are expected to be scared, only for the scene to unexpectedly become a fur-on-fur UFC match. Yes, it’s as silly as it sounds. While there aren’t many moments as egregious as that one, they’re scattered throughout the film’s back half nonetheless, all the way until the film’s closing minutes.
If the film’s tonal whiplash isn’t unsatisfying enough, the second half of the screenplay won’t offer any hope. Most of the themes that Whannell spends time meticulously building up aren’t given a proper ending, flailing around like a pair of untied shoelaces as the credits begin to roll. Similar to 2022’s “Smile,” “Wolf Man” enters its final act much more interested in offering scares over substance. Sure, it’s a fun time, but it’s not bound to keep you up late at night.
Whannell’s junior outing is an inventive revision that offers plenty of astounding gore effects and two stellar lead performances, yet the screenplay struggles to stand with the director’s previous genre outings, failing to strike fear in what is an intriguing concept.
“Wolf Man” released Jan. 17 and is in theaters now.