Wolf Man

Director Leigh Whannell first burst onto the scene with his writing influence on the Saw movies, a series of highly successful, blood-curdling and cunning films that resulted in a revitalisation of the horror world in cinema. Thanks to further successes in the form of Dead Silence, Insidious and The Invisible Man, Whannell has firmly cemented himself as one of the pioneers of the genre alongside his friend and filmmaker James Wan. Wolf Man is the third movie that Whannell has written, produced and directed, and partnering with the famed Blumhouse Productions and starring Julia Garner alongside Christopher Abbott, there will understandably be high hopes for the film upon release.

Set in the beautiful yet eery mountains of Oregon, Wolf Man sees Blake (Abbott) and his family attacked by an ambiguous animal as they travel to his late father’s farm. In a desperate attempt to survive, the family barricade themselves inside the house, praying the morning will bring safety and a chance to escape. However, Blake, having been scratched by the beast, begins to behave strangely, showing a physical transformation into a wolf-like creature. Before long, the family discover that the danger they face inside the house is just as perilous as what awaits them outside.

A classical monster thriller, Wolf Man mashes together the mythical and the haunting to create a terrifying reality for the central characters. For the viewer, however, Wolf Man is one of the least frightening horrors in a long time, with jump scares few and far between and an unshakable predictability to the plot. Garner and Abbott do their best with the dialogue that is on offer, with the latter giving a highly convincing physical performance as he slowly mutates into a permanent animalistic state, but there isn’t much substance to suggest that the movie is feeding us anything other than an excuse for it to exist.

Poor Blake has a rough ride and once the usual horror mechanisms begin, his character becomes the most endearing element of the movie. The prosthetics are impressive and Whannell chooses to alter the visual effects to help the viewer feel and endure the same disorientation, bringing us down the helter-skelter ride with him. However, you ultimately feel sorry for his character, who only ever wanted the best for his family and appears to receive the worst deal. When the other characters are considered, it is clear that their underdevelopment is a result of too much attention invested in Blake. While it has tension maintained throughout and an interesting premise at its heart, Wolf Man won’t be a commendable addition to Whannell’s esteemed portfolio.

Guy Lambert

Wolf Man is released nationwide on 17^th January 2025.

Watch the trailer for Wolf Man here: