Horror fans held their breaths when the news broke that the much under-fire Blumhouse Productions would be rebooting the immortal Wolf Man film. An exhale of hope followed when Australian writer/director Leigh Whannell was brought on board to helm the film. Whannell, a consistent writer in the Saw franchise and brought the Horror-Nation the enjoyable, The Invisible Man, got horror hopes up. Another setback occurred when the costume image of the new wolf was revealed at Universal’s 2024 Halloween Horror Nights. After the mixed reviews of the recent fur film, Werewolves, the Horror-Nation really needs Wolf Man to play big, so the immortal fiends of the forest do not go back into hibernation.
Young Blake is living in a wooded isolation with his overbearing father. The town is on edge after a local hiker vanishes in the wilderness. During a hunt, Blake comes face to face with the creature behind the disappearance.
Thirty years later, Blake has abandoned trees for skyscrapers. Living with his wife Charlotte and adorable daughter Ginger, the out of work writer has left his past amongst the giant oaks until a letter informs him of his father’s death. In an attempt to rekindle a failing marriage and say a proper goodbye to the shadows of his childhood, Blake takes the family for an extended stay to the place where he grew up.
Quickly after reconnecting with a childhood friend, the past shows up with fangs and claws. Blake attempts to protect his wife and child from the beast, while unraveling the sinister secret that has haunted the forest for decades.
Despite some fantastic imagery, Wolf Man is an abysmal attempt to bring an old-world monster into the new world. Whannell shoots a fine picture but must shoulder the blame along with fellow writer Corbett Tuck for presenting a script that would cure insomnia. It took two writers to pull off the impossible task of making two great performers, Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner, look ordinary. One can only wonder where the 25-million-dollar budget went to, as the action scenes are far and few, that is if you are still awake to see them after an entirely too long introduction to the plot. The creature design is neither bad nor good, but something that looks like the hill people from Wrong Turn if they forgot to shave for a month. Director Eric Red nailed the family/werewolf dynamic with the 1996 howling feature Bad Moon. Red built an emotional connection with the lore tied into human relationships brilliantly. Whannell misses this mark completely with a bland script, horrific pacing, and characters that the audience would much rather see get eaten in the opening scene than hang around for over ninety minutes.
Scream Score: 3/10