Universal Pictures has been in the Monster Movie business for a long time. Dating back as far as 1913, the studio has been in the business of bringing scares to audiences around the world, with the likes of Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Mummy. Since the conception of their classic monster flicks, Universal has tried to recapture what made these films fantastic and terrifying but has stumbled to develop the Dark Universe of their dreams. However, with their newest reimagining of their classic werewolf film, Wolf Man, the studio is looking to finally ignite the spark of a modern era of their Universal Monsters franchise.
So, who could they turn to to lead this new charge into their next era of monster films but a director already familiar with some of their intellectual properties? With the success of 2020’s The Invisible Man remake, writer and director Leigh Whannell returns for Wolf Man, along with Blumhouse Productions, who also worked on the former film. Whannel is a horror legend in his own right, having written quite a few films for James Wan, such as Saw, Dead Silence, and Insidious.
Can he catch lightning in a bottle again with Wolf Man, or is this monster movie destined to be a lone wolf in the horror landscape? Let’s dive into what you can expect from this genre-bending horror film.
[Warning: spoilers from Wolf Man are below!]
The love of a father becomes monstrous in Universal Picture’s Wolf Man
Besides being a writer, Blake’s (Christopher Abbott) life goal is to be a fantastic father. He excels at that role, as he and Ginger (Matilda Firth) are inseparable. Ginger is a daddy’s girl in every sense of the word, a closeness she doesn’t share with her workaholic mother, Charlotte (Julia Garner). Ginger’s stuck in the middle of the discourse between Blake and his wife Charlotte, feeling the push and pull of their relationship. However, Blake has a plan to bring them back together.
Receiving a notice in the mail that he’s now the owner of his childhood home, Blake suggests that the family travel from their life in San Francisco to collect his father’s possessions in Oregon. It seems simple enough: clean out the house and put the ghosts of Blake’s past to bed once and for all. As night falls on the forest the house is built in, things turn for the worst. A mysterious creature attacks the family, leaving its mark on Blake and triggering a transformation into something new.
No longer a man but not quite a wolf, Blake’s changing in front of Charlotte and Ginger’s eyes. As the clock begins to tick down until he becomes a beast in his own right and the other werewolf stalking the family, there’s no time to lose. Can the family escape the terrors waiting for them outside the farmhouse, or are they destined to become the next victim to the wolf man of the woods?
A jumbling of genres and ideas muddles this Blumhouse film
There is plenty to enjoy with Universal Pictures’ Wolf Man, which should ultimately make this film a win for the studio; however, like so many recent horror movies, this film trips itself up by getting lost in its delivery. Throughout the hour-and-a-half runtime, Wolf Man jumps between different horror genres and tropes, which causes parts of the film to feel like a slog when it should be a slam dunk.
At its core, Wolf Man is a monster film that will attract horror lovers, especially those who grew up watching classic horror films. You’re attempting to replicate a classic; why not allow it to be precisely what it is? You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. However, there are times during Wolf Man that you can feel them attempting to do just that. At times, this film is a psychological thriller, as you’re watching Blake slowly descend into madness, as no one is quite sure what is happening until it is.
You’re also sitting on the edge of your seat as the beast in the woods stalks the family, ready to kill. During this aspect, the film bridges over into a slasher film, even pushing the boundaries into gore, which isn’t exactly my favorite. (Fair warning: there is a lot of body horror in this film, which I wasn’t expecting at all). Wolf Man would also veer off at that point back into the monster flick tropes, continuing the volley from one genre to another without stopping.
It feels like Blumhouse and Universal had different views of what they wanted from this joint production, ultimately causing the film to get lost in that muddle between them. That said, so much goes right in this film that makes up for any trudging in Wolf Man.
I loved exploring the father-daughter bond, specifically its strength, as Blake goes from loving father to killer monster. There is such depth to that emotional journey for all parties involved, as audiences watch a father go from an instinctual protector to a apex predator. So many people in the world have watched someone they love transition from something great to something horrifying, which has always been the perfect allegory for werewolves. While that trope has been explored in other films before, such as last year’s The Beast Within, it felt like Wolf Man provides a unique perspective that you haven’t necessarily seen before.
There’s also the mental health aspect, which utilizes the cabin in the woods trope that is so common in horror films. As we know intimately from The Shining, people can lose their minds when isolated from the outside world, which one can argue happened to those in Wolf Man. While I don’t want to get too deep into it for fear of ruining aspects of the film, this will make all the more sense once you see it.
All three of our leading actors deserve a lot of praise for their performances in Wolf Man. Christopher Abbott gave an outstanding performance as a man losing touch with his reality, trapped in his mind and fearing an impending death. As he becomes more beastly throughout the film, the duality of Blake and the Wolf Man is extraordinary. Julia Garner and Matilda Firth also give top-notch performances as they balance trying to survive with the grief of watching their loved one change into something they don’t recognize right in front of their eyes. Garner’s performance is incredibly nuanced, as Charlotte has to battle real-life werewolves, her lack of maternal instincts, and the destruction of her marriage.
Wolf Man is still worth a watch in theaters
While I wish those behind Wolf Man would have picked a horror lane and stuck with it, the positives outweigh the negatives. Wolf Man keeps you on the edge of your seat, although perhaps you have to close your eyes a few times if you’re squeamish. Still, with incredible acting and a thought-provoking story, Wolf Man is a great horror film to start the year.
Wolf Man opens in theaters on January 17! Are you excited to see this film? What other classic Universal Monster film would you like to see them reimagine? Let us know on social media @mycosmiccircus!
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