A reboot/re-imagining of “The Wolf Man” was announced in 2014 and was to be part of a cinematic universe for Universal (Dark Universe). Due to the failure of 2017s “The Mummy” (finally decided to check that one out), the Dark Universe fell apart and all reboots that were initially planned for the connected universe would now become stand alone films - starting with 2020s “The Invisible Man” - which I highly recommend!
Now, let’s talk about the next film of their stand alone monster films “Wolf Man.”
Blake and his family are attacked by an unseen animal and, in a desperate escape, barricades themselves inside a farmhouse as the creature prowls the perimeter.
As the night stretches on, however, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognizable that soon jeopardizes his wife and daughter.
Just like the 2020 reboot of “The Invisible Man” (also directed by “Wolf Man” director Leigh Whannell), “Wolf Man” is a fresh take of the beloved classic. This fresh version does a decent job attempting to give this fresh look a scary feel and delivers some tense moments. Despite some good scares and frights, this take can be a tad predictable at times.
The atmosphere of “Wolf Man” is actually perfect. The latest look of “Wolf Man” delivers some decent dark and chilling moments that helps give this film a truly eerie feeling. The dark atmosphere also helps when the lead main character (Blake) slowly transforms to the Wolf Man.
The entire sequence where Blake and his family first encounter this creature is really tense at times and is a good way to introduce us to the werewolf mayhem that the family will soon go through. Some of this sequence is actually used in the film’s trailers.
The werewolf transformations are truly mesmerizing and do a good job capturing the animalistic nature of this wolf curse. The story of “Wolf Man” blends terror and tragedy well as, while dealing with this unknown creature chasing them, Blake is also thinking about his father who’s been missing for years and has been recently declared dead. The farmhouse that the family hides at actually is the same house Blake and his father lived at.
The design of the Wolf Man is actually not bad and the make up was done practically. There are a few moments where CGI is used that needed a bit of work. There are also quite a few segments where the chase scenes between the mother/daughter and the father (who’s turning into a wolf) can be intense, yet sort of predictable at the same time.
One thing that I really enjoyed is that there are a few scenes that are done from the POV (point of view) of the wolf, which is visually great and shows in the father’s eyes what he’s going through during this transformation.
Overall, this re-imagining can be a fun, and sometimes, scary watch. Some of the predictable moments can briefly take you out of the film for a bit. If you do enjoy werewolf movies and/or fresh takes at the classic Universal monsters, make sure to give “Wolf Man” a shot!
Cast: Julia Garner (Charlotte); Christopher Abbott (Blake); Sam Jaeger (Grady); Matilda Firth (Ginger); Benedict Hardie (Derek); Zac Chandler (Young Blake)
Writer/director: Corbett Tuck (writer); Leigh Whannell (co-writer/director) (Insidious: The Red Door; The Invisible Man; Upgrade)
Trivia: Leigh Whannell and his wife Corbett Tuck co-wrote the movie’s first draft by pulling from the feeling of confinement and isolation caused by the pandemic to touch on the inevitability of illness and death, setting the story primarily in one location to make the drama “intimate,” and drawing from themes of parenting and marriage. Vocal distortion to convey Blake’s diminishing ability to understand the human language was done by layering the dialogue on top of it in reverse.
MPAA: Rated R for bloody violent content, grisly images and some language (running time 103 minutes)
The moving truck in the film is a (fictional) company called Pierce, which has been in business since 1941. The name references Jack Pierce, who was Universal's classic monster make-up artist in their 30s and 40s heyday. 1941 references the year Universal's original The Wolf Man film was released.
Leigh Whannell revealed that he drew inspiration from David Cronenberg's remake of The Fly (1986) when he was crafting his take on this classic werewolf story. He explained: "What The Fly did that a lot of other practical-effects-driven horror movies from that time did not do was bring the tragedy out of these practical effects. It wasn't a joke in The Fly. It was there to illustrate someone who was dying of an illness. I was like, 'I've got to do that.' It's not about being funny or icky or gory. This is about the tragedy of the human body falling apart." Whannell also revealed that Julia Garner is "the emotional compass of this film, and she's going to be what Shelley Duvall was in The Shining (1980). You don't get scared in The Shining without Shelley Duvall. And so I was like, 'I've got to find someone who can drink up the audience's empathy.' And she did an incredible job."
The film was meant to have its world premiere at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre on January 7th, but it was canceled at the last minute, due to the California wildfires.
Vocal distortion to convey Blake's diminishing ability to understand the human language was done by layering the dialogue on top of it in reverse.
Initially, in 2021, Ryan Gosling was set to star, and Derek Cianfrance to direct this movie (this was supposed to be the 3rd collaboration between Gosling and Cianfrance), but 2 years later, both of them left the project (though Gosling still serves as executive producer), and Leigh Whannell , before the involvement of Gosling and Ciarfrance that initially left the project, re-entering the project as director and writer, with Christopher Abbott replacing Gosling as the main star.
Leigh Whannell and his wife Corbett Tuck co-wrote the film's first draft by pulling from the feeling of confinement and isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to touch on the inevitability of illness and death, setting the story primarily in one location to make the drama "intimate", and drawing from themes of parenting and marriage.
The moving truck had to be imported from the United States to have the driver's seat on the left. The sequence where the truck drives off a cliff was done mostly practically, with the special effects team taking six days to dismantle, lighten, and reassemble it onto a custom support frame. Because of a fire ban resulting from a dry spell in the area, the work had to be completed without any welding, cutting, or grinding, and took six days.
Second film in Blumhouse 'Universal Monsterverse' following The Invisible Man (2020), also directed by Leigh Whannell. The film was originally planned as an installment of Universal's 'Dark Universe', that kicked off with The Mummy (2017) and would feature remakes of The Invisible Man (1933), Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), The Wolf Man (1941) and Dracula (1931), but after The Mummy was a critical and commercial failure, further films were canceled, and the focus was placed on making better individual movies with a lower budget.
Filming began in March 2024, in Mangaroa, Upper Hutt, New Zealand.
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