Review
Wolf Man (Horror) (2025)
Director: Leigh Whannell
Writer: Leigh Whannell, Corbett Tuck
Stars: Julia Garner, Christopher Abbott, Matilda Firth, Sam Jaeger
After a traumatic youth, a dad wrestling with the emotional challenges of city life and strained relationships invites his family to a sudden getaway at his late father's farmstead. Upon arrival, they encounter an unidentifiable beast, struggling to escape its clutches; the dad is inevitably scratched, and a harrowing transformation makes this a night his wife and daughter would never forget.
Proving his experience with horror franchises such as "Saw" and "Insidious", director Leigh Whannell marks a return to an underexposed subgenre of horror in our current landscape—monster movies. Specifically, those by Universal Monsters. Initially interested in the project and chosen after the success of his previous foray with 2020's "The Invisible Man", Whannell had to distance himself due to scheduling conflicts, and Derek Cianfrance was intended to replace him, even with Ryan Gosling cast in the leading role, further difficulty and the duration of pre-production led both to depart from the project too. That granted Whannell a second chance to write and direct after wrapping up other activities, with the addition of fellow screenwriter Corbett Tuck. The film was shot in New Zealand across various locations and studios, produced by Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, and Cloak & Co., and distributed by Universal Pictures as well.
In the remote mountains of Oregon, Grady Lovell (Sam Jaeger) aims to teach his son Blake (Zac Chandler/Christopher Abbot) about the harsh realities of surviving this inhospitable frontier. A fateful encounter with an unusually ferocious creature during one of their hunting trips leaves a lasting impact. Years later, Blake lives in San Francisco with a wife and child, a strenuous marriage only seeing unconventional relief upon receiving news of his estranged father's death. This grants an opportunity for reconnecting with his family; however, the intended solace takes a horrific turn as they crash into some trees after a beastly figure makes them swerve. As they flee the wreck, the creature pounces, injuring Blake and triggering a tragic transformation that threatens to pass on his own unavoidable trauma to his family.
Taking the successful adaptation of his previous Universal Monsters feature, Leigh Whannell, alongside Corbett Tuck, provides a werewolf body horror revolving around a family rekindling their struggling relationship. Hopefully able to bring a forgotten sub-genre into a modern era.
Living in the far reaches of Oregon, Blake sees a rough childhood as his militaristic father, an experienced hunter, strives to instil a self-reliant and keenly aware character within him. Their experience in the woods being able to shake any man, Blake sees himself distanced from this structured, yet abrasive life, leaving for the city although these traits seem imprinted and the unsureness he has in the relationship with his new family prompts him to confront the past.
Tense yet relatively uneventful, this opening sequence makes us relate to Blake and can be considered a positive aspect compared to typical Blumhouse productions. Associating with the father too—and the scenario we find ourselves in. It allows just enough in terms of character work, enabling it to truly begin showing the haunted house-esque rollercoaster. Often opting to make you feel the wolf's breath, rather than seeing it in action has two sides, budget and tenseness although having shown glimpses already this feels a bit off, if nothing else. That build of tension, allowing us to see Abbott's slow transformation provides a somewhat misguided slow burn. Yet, despite that remaining active, the camerawork extends the viewer's awareness of these changes and his internal struggle. While the intention behind audio effects and visual cues should be commended in certain ways, it leads to being overly reliant on these things and takes away more than it adds. Having the initial glimpses into the experiences of changing and then focusing more on a previously underutilised family would've already been a leap in the right direction.
What bothers most in Whannell's "Wolf Man" is the unfastened, almost theatrical moments where extreme lighting and effects portray the stage. This went too far despite a dynamic idea. Playing Charlotte, Julia Garner provides a refreshing role, knowing her from TV series "Ozark", and additionally a resurgence of a monster movie delighted me to my core. Yet, despite seeing much promise to Whannell's rise, it just seems directionless and fails to capitalise on the correct angle, confused as to what to do with a character transforming who we sympathise with this much.
Verdict
The boy who literally cried wolf.
6,0
