In 2020, director Leigh Whannell adapted The Invisible Man for a modern-day audience and managed to put a fresh spin on the story, making it more than a simple retread. By exploring themes of domestic violence, the movie had more to say than a typical horror film, and Whannell could tap into something in its story that made the audience fear more than its basic concept. When it was announced that the writer/director would be tackling 1941s The Wolf Man, the hope was that he would bring a similar fresh spin to that concept’s particular story. Of all the Universal movie monsters, this one has seemed to be the toughest to crack, with the 2010 film directed by Joe Johnston being an ambitious effort of gothic horror that lacked genuine chills. Essentially, he has been the most underserved movie monster, but the hope was that Whannell and his wife writing partner, Corbett Tuck, would be able to change that, given Whannell’s success with The Invisible Man. Unfortunately, his Wolf Man is a bit of a step back. The director crafts some effective set pieces that certainly elevate the tension, but the story is too half-baked, and even though he does the right thing by making the concept more grounded (there are no silver bullets, for instance), the film’s themes of generational trauma aren’t given the space to breathe that should make it a viable aspect of the story and, as a whole, the movie feels like it’s rushing to the finish line.
The film opens in 1995 during a hunting trip with a young Blake Lovell (Zac Chandler) and his father, Grady Lovell (Sam Jaeger). Grady is especially overbearing with his son in his haste to protect him. The relationship is strained by the fact that Grady has chosen to rule him with a military iron fist and he also instills his son with an unhealthy fear of everything around him. It’s during this segment that the audience learns something is lurking in the woods near their farm in the Oregon mountains. Whatever this beast is, it has Blake’s father especially spooked.
Thirty years later, Blake (now played by Christopher Abbott) is a father himself living in New York and it’s clear early on that he’s struggling with not being the kind of parent that his dad was. He dotes on his daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth) but he has scars of his own upbringing and his temper can get the best of him when he senses that his daughter might be in danger. Despite this, they have an unspeakable bond and they appear to have a much more special connection when compared to his wife and her mother Charlotte (Julia Garner), who the audience senses is overworked but the character is so thin that it’s up to Garner to convey all of these necessary beats without much time to do it.
One day, a letter arrives that has legally declared his father dead because he went missing near their farm and hasn’t been seen since. Given his upbringing, Blake distanced himself from his father but he views receiving this letter as a way to face his demons so he decides to pitch to his wife that he and the family spend some time at his childhood farmhouse. Charlotte is reluctant but relents, however, she’ll find that her reluctance was justified because what was lurking in the woods is very much still there and it’s about to infect her family.
The frustrating thing about Wolf Man is that, much like what Whannell did by shining a light on the domestic abuse aspect of The Invisible Man’s story, there is something to be said about the trauma we may pass on to our children and the unchecked beast within that can turn well-meaning men into monsters. It could be fascinating if it was given time to be explored but everything about Whannell’s attempts is very surface-level. The film is rooted in the flaws of characters and the traumas they have endured but the film constantly feels like two different movies fighting for attention and the more human story is the one that ends up being under-serviced. Too much of it is very on the nose. For instance, Charlotte states early on that Ginger has a deeper connection with her father and that she doesn’t know how to spend time with her anymore. This makes it abundantly clear that these events will have to make Charlotte step up but since it’s telegraphed so obviously early on, when that time comes, it lacks the necessary power to make that transition significant.
Hurting matters more is that we don’t get to know much about Blake as an adult before the attack in the Oregon woods results in his gradual change into something else. The script tells us that he has issues due to his childhood with his father but there is a lack of character development with adult Blake that keeps the character at arm’s length. Abbott certainly does his best with an underwritten role and his bond with Firth’s Ginger has moments of being touching but he isn’t given enough time to give the character the depth necessary for the audience to be invested in his journey. As he gradually begins to change, the audience should feel the weight of what that means for him and his family but that weight is never really felt.
Once the family arrives in Oregon and is attacked on the road by something mysterious from the woods, it’s here when the film hits some strides but still makes its share of mistakes. Whannell is at his strongest crafting set pieces that elevate tension and he milks moments out of the survive-the-night aspect of the story through the use of wonderful cinematography courtesy of Stefan Duscio and some impeccable sound design. The woods feel alive in Wolf Man and it adds to the film’s chase and stalk sequences, espcially early on.
On the other hand, there eventually becomes a sameness to the horror sequences and they lose their effectiveness as the movie rushes towards its climax. Watching a beast stalk two characters can only go so far and Whannell doesn’t do much to differentiate one from the other. Eventually it becomes a rinse and repeat series of attempted scares that lose their impact, which is a shame because Whannell is one of the best in the genre and can usually maintain a level of heightened tension in his best projects.
What is done very well is showcasing Blake’s gradual transformation, which is displayed more like an infection in the spirit of David Croenberg’s The Fly rather than a typical werewolf transformation. As a body horror film, Wolf Man works with the best of them and Abbott, along with Garner and Firth’s reactions, make the tranformation equal parts brutal and heartbreaking. In one of the film’s smarter moves, the audience is given moments to see and hear things through Blake’s senses as his transformation takes over and it’s a clever way of showing that he’s gradually losing every aspect of himself that makes him human. As his family is giving him words of affirmation and letting him know everything will be ok, he can only hear gibberish and their images becomes distorted, almost as if they’re gradually shifting into prey.
Sadly, Whannell’s Wolf Man is a lot of ambitious ideas that never add up to much. The ending is especially disappointing as it relies more on melodrama rather than genuine chills. There is also an attempt for a mid-movie surprise but it’s one that can be called within the first five minutes so its reveal doesn’t hit the way Whannell intended. There is something to respect about his grounded and more human approach to the story but it just feels that the heart of the story is out of Whannell’s reach. Which is a shame because something truly good could’ve been down with this new take on a familiar story.
Wolf Man is now playing in theaters nationwide.


Hello! My name is Gaius Bolling: movie, TV, and pop culture junkie! The industry has been in my veins since I was a kid and I have carried that on through adulthood. I attended Los Angeles Film Academy and participated in their screenwriting and editing program. From there, I have learned to hone my skills in the world of entertainment journalism. Some of my favorite genres include horror, action, and drama and I hope to share my love of all of this with you.