The Snapshot: Leigh Whannell, one of the best working directors in horror, re-invents the classic werewolf premise in a simple, straightforward manner.
Wolf Man
6 out of 10
14A, 1hr 47mins. Horror Drama.
Directed by Leigh Whannell.
Starring Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner and Matilda Firth.
Now Playing at Film.Ca Cinemas, Cineplex Winston Churchill & VIP and Cineplex Oakville & VIP.
If you go into the woods tonight, you might be in for a scary, hairy surprise. But after the initial bite, Universal’s new Wolf Man offers a surprisingly intimate and simple horror drama.
While this new movie is technically a soft relaunch of the werewolf genre first produced in 1941 (also titled “Wolf Man”), this new edition is grounded deep in reality and takes its production and stakes very seriously.
The seriousness and grave terror of real people in the woods going through these impossible circumstances (of, well, turning into a werewolf!) is what makes this obvious premise somewhat successful.
The story is clear-cut: a family of three goes to visit an old family farm, only to encounter a dangerous creature in the woods. Over the course of their first night is when things turn dangerous when husband Blake (Christopher Abbott) discovers that cut on his arm might be a bite, and…well, you can probably guess what happens next.
However direct the plot is, the film is still enjoyable on its creative merits thanks to the sensitive and careful direction from Leigh Whannell. He’s an experienced writer and producer in addition to directing, with creative experience in heavy horror franchises like the Saw and Insidious films.
More importantly, he’s also the director from February 2020’s wildly inventive horror The Invisible Man, which was a more successful modern take on one of Universal’s classic monster movie properties.
Read more here: The Invisible Man appears again! - Review
Whannell takes the same approach in humanizing classic monsters in a less campy and more nuanced lens, focusing on the steadfastness and courage of the humans instead of the monsters themselves. That’s the key relationship in Wolf Man, and that’s what sustains interest through an otherwise very intimate film.
Strangely, my favourite scene actually has very little to do with the werewolf story. The most effective and suspenseful scene comes in the form of a road accident early in the movie as the family is arriving at the farm. That was the scariest moment.
Two drawbacks to the picture: the grisly, bloody body transformations as Blake turns into the wolf are quite intense, and may make some squeamish. There’s certainly no shortage of blood here.
While Abbott was commendable as the creature in various phases, his human scenes do feel a bit stiff. His scene partner, Julia Garner, is otherwise flawless and is rooted in drive and real fear from start to finish.
Technically, Wolf Man is the third film in Universal’s new(ish) “Dark Universe” franchise, which began with 2017 flop The Mummy, and has now since become a set of standalone films instead. As the third film, I’d say the wolf is evenly between the terrific Invisible Man and the terrible Mummy.
Horror fans wanting a seriously scary time or cinephiles looking for a dramatic masterpiece will be disappointed. But if you’re open to the idea of some light thrills and have a strong stomach, this may well be a film that’s “wolf-while” to see.
