Want to hear more from the actors and creators of your favorite shows and films? Subscribe to The Cinema Spot on YouTube for all of our upcoming interviews!
Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
What if despite doing everything in your power to avoid becoming your parents you still became them? Well, that’s the question at the center of Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man. This body horror film follows Blake Lovell (Christopher Abbott) as he travels back to his childhood home with his wife, Charlotte (Julia Garner), and daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth), following his father’s apparent death. Wolf Man marks Whannell’s second time as the writer-director reinventing a classic Universal Monster after 2020’s The Invisible Man. This time around, Corbett Tuck joins Whannell as a co-writer. On paper, this could be a recipe for another great modern horror film, however, this film fails to reach the heights of The Invisible Man and other classic horror remakes. Still, there are a number of elements that help elevate Wolf Man to be worth watching.
Transformative Performances
One of the things that keep Wolf Man from feeling like standard or subpar horror fare is actor Abbott’s (Poor Things, Kraven The Hunter) stellar performance as Blake Lovell. As the lead, Abbott truly carries the film on his back. Throughout the film, Abbott imbues the role with a great sense of understanding the physicality that would actually come with such a dramatic transformation into a werewolf. It’s very engaging to watch as his mannerisms slowly become more and more animalistic.
Joining Abbott as the co-lead and, really, the only other major character is Garner (Ozark, Inventing Anna, Apartment 7A), who plays Blake’s wife, Charlotte. Unfortunately, Charlotte isn’t too much of a character, which is a shame considering how well The Invisible Man handles its female protagonist. Garner doesn’t get much to do, but she thankfully makes the weak material passable and delivers a performance that feels as if it comes from a place of genuine emotion.
Rounding out the main cast is Firth as Ginger, the Lovells’ young daughter. She is mostly there to act scared and concerned for her dad and does so well enough. Child actors are always tricky, especially in horror films, where the line between realistic and annoying is very thin. Thankfully, Firth manages to stay on the right side of that line. But again, the script isn’t really present in supporting the characters and actors.
The Werewolf of Wolf Man
Of course, there has to be a mention of Ben Prendergast, who plays the werewolf that causes Blake’s transformation. It’s a pretty thankless role as he’s hidden off-screen or obscured for all (or most) of his scenes, but he also does a great job with the physicality demanded of him.
Script and Theme Issues
To reiterate, the weakest part of Wolf Man is its script. The dialogue is very on the nose and not subtle. It isn’t necessarily an issue in and of itself, but here it makes everything feel far less realistic in a movie that’s trying to be. Of course, this leads to issues with the film’s themes being properly developed. The movie is largely interested in exploring generational trauma. However, it doesn’t spend enough time with the characters to really get that point across.
We spend just enough time with Blake and his father, Grady (Sam Jaeger), to get a basic understanding of their relationship, but it lacks nuance. Likewise, there is not enough time spent with all of the Lovells before the incident to really get a solid understanding of that family dynamic. What we do see is done in a very basic manner. That ultimately makes the ending of the film ring more hollow than it should.
It’s frustrating because, with a more developed script, this could easily be on the same phenomenal level as The Invisible Man. However, Wolf Man feels as if it was rushed into production after a first or second draft. Furthermore, this film has a much higher budget than Whannell’s prior films but feels much cheaper.
Elevated Horror
For clarity’s sake, this is not an “elevated horror” film, but rather this film is elevated among traditional horror by Whannell’s direction. The Australian filmmaker has a very clear vision and voice for what he is trying to accomplish, and that shines through. The transitions between how a person and a werewolf view the world are slick and really fun to watch. Throughout Wolf Man, Whannell and cinematographer Stefan Duscio incorporate a lot of great camerawork. This helps build the tone of unease throughout the whole film.
Speaking of which, Whannell is usually a master of tone and maintaining it. This is in large part due to the sound designers P.K. Hooker and Will Files’ supervising sound editing, along with the look of the film, which is really on point. Of course, there are plenty of jump scares that feel earned and not just there to be there. With that said, the film doesn’t quite deliver the scares one would hope for. And the Wolf Man itself is scary. However, the design that first premiered at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights is real and accurate. Thankfully, on a movie budget, it looks much better. Yet, this design leans more into the “Man” and less into the “Wolf” aspect that one might like. The practicality of the design is great and the CG used in some parts is not noticeable and really enhances it.
And to get a little nerdy and diverge a bit, the movie really avoids any connection to George Waggner and Curt Siodmak’s original 1941 film outside of zeroing into some of the themes present in that film.
The Verdict on Leigh Whannell and Corbett Tuck’s Wolf Man
In the end, Wolf Man fails to fully capitalize on its themes and premise, but Whannell’s direction and Abbott’s great physical performance elevate the narrative and make it a worthy reimagining of 1941’s The Wolf Man.
Score: 3.5/5
For more reviews, follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Bluesky! Also, follow us on Letterboxd for further horror movie and television reviews!
Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.