The werewolf has been a staple of the horror genre for nearly as long as the genre has existed. It arguably becomes even more iconic with the image of an anthropomorphic wolf howling at the moon, used as a famous Halloween graphic. Despite this, very little has been done creatively to bring werewolves into modern, mainstream media in any form. Blumhouse’s “Wolf Man” is at the very least a step in the right direction.
Director Leigh Wanell has been garnering a reputation as a creative mind able to breathe life into old cliches, modernizing them for audiences. Wanell has had a foot in the horror genre for a long time, writing for monumental franchises like “Saw” and “Insidious.” He has slowly shown his great strength as a director with fantastic features like 2018’s “Upgrade” and 2020’s “Invisible Man.” His latest entry, “Wolf Man,” shows his strengths are unlikely to change, but it interestingly makes his weaknesses more apparent.
The film thrives in the physiological aspects of its premise, where Christopher Abbott’s Blake takes his wife Charlotte, played by Julia Garner and daughter Ginger, played by Matilda Firth, on a summer getaway to Oregon to his childhood home. When plans go awry, the family finds themselves trapped in the rural home, meanwhile, a mysterious creature stalks from outside.
After the initial attack, Abbott’s character becomes infected, slowly turning into the monster that attacked prior. The way it affects him and his family is both tragic and disturbing in all the ways it should be. The directing is brilliant in its depiction of the wolf man’s powers and Blake losing his connection and love for his family.
The pacing of this film feels quite messy and slightly takes away from the experience. The design of the wolf man also leaves a lot to be desired. As it succeeds in a new, grotesque and creepy look while paying homage to older designs, it also lacks a real monster-like edge that does not make it distinct to the film. If the design was shown out of context, many would not correctly guess that it is meant to be a werewolf, and that is a failure as far as design choices go.
While the directing is a huge strength of this creature feature, the acting is what makes this film for most audience members. Every actor in this film gives a believable performance and can make the writing stronger by their passion for their roles. Abbott in particular gives a performance that makes his tragic turn into the wolf man much sadder. There is not a second where he delivers a line and it feels inappropriate or fake. Garner and Firth also give great performances as Abbott’s wife and daughter, even if the writing of their characters feels slightly empty at times.
Unfortunately, one thing that moviegoers may notice when watching “Wolf Man” is the apparent fact that it is a film made with a cheaper budget. There are a few points in the film where the effects look wonky, and even the sets seem a bit cheap. Granted for what they were able to do with the practical effects of the creature design — as bad as it admittedly appeared some of the time, it was nonetheless impressive what the filmmakers did with it. But when there are films like “The Substance,” where it can be almost impossible to tell its budget from how well-made it was. There might be a problem or two when it comes to budget utilization, and it may look even cheaper than what they actually had.
“Wolf Man” is not an amazing film by any means, but its quality is definitely surprising for a movie released so early in the year. It has its weaknesses, but its strengths are notable enough for moviegoers and filmmakers alike. However, it is probably better to wait for it to go on streaming.
