Leigh Whannell delivered one of the decade’s most pleasant surprises with his remake of The Invisible Man. A person can’t turn invisible in real life, but Whannell tackled the material in a way that felt oddly practical. He pulls off a similar feat with his modern-day reimagining of The Wolf Man. Dropping “The” from the title, Wolf Man is a much different beast than the Lon Chaney Jr. classic or the other remakes that’ve followed. A human drama in wolf’s clothing, the film explores trauma, parenthood, and emotional scars that span generations. The script, which Whannell co-wrote with his wife Corbett Tuck, is surprisingly grounded, making us believe a man can lose his humanity to a wolf.
Ryan Gosling was originally set to star in Wolf Man, but due to scheduling conflicts, the lead role ultimately went to his First Man co-star, Christopher Abbott. Abbott might not be as well-known as Gosling, but that works to the film’s advantage. He naturally blends into the role of Blake, who grew up in the forest with his aggressive father. Blake vows to be a better dad to his daughter Ginger, played by the adorable Matilda Firth. On the heels of winning three Emmys, Julia Garner demonstrates the makings of a movie star as Blake’s wife Charlotte, a journalist who spends more time on the phone than with her family.
After his father is officially proclaimed dead after missing for years, Blake takes his family up to his old farmhouse in Oregon. Something vicious lurks in the woods, however. After the creature scratches Blake, the curse begins to spread. “Curse” might be the wrong word, as it isn’t a full moon that triggers Blake’s beastly descent. Wolf Man treats Blake’s transformation more like a deadly virus. Imagine somebody who gets infected with rabies and then pumped with steroids. Blake’s grotesque physical evolution is reminiscent of The Fly, complete with Oscar-worthy makeup effects from Arjen Tuiten.
It’s Blake’s mental transformation that makes this monster movie stand out. As Charlotte tries to get through to her husband, we see things from Blake’s point of view. Like a dog trying to understand humans, Blake can no longer process all the words being said. There’s still a person in there, but the beast is rapidly taking over. With what little remains of his humanity, Blake strives to protect his family from the other Wolf Man breaking into the house. Even if Blake emerges as the alpha, his family won’t be much safer with him.
Wolf Man doesn’t quite reach the same heights as The Invisible Man. The film could’ve spent more time developing Blake’s relationship with his father, giving a moment during the third act a greater impact. Another character is introduced early on, only to be taken out of the equation quickly. It seems like this character might come back, but nothing is ultimately done with him. The family dynamic between our three leads is where the strength of the story lies, however. Whannell delivers a chillingly shot film with bone-crunching sound design, once again proving himself as one of the defining voices in horror. Universal should continue to produce mid-budget monster movies with Whannell at the helm. Just don’t try to make another Dark Universe.