Blake and his family are attacked by an unseen animal and, in a desperate escape, barricade 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.

Review

Josh (Guest) – Wolf Man is a superficially simple retelling of the classic horror film The Wolf Man (1941), but amid the gnashing teeth and gore lies an interesting commentary on family dynamics and modern parenthood. The symmetry between masculine and feminine approaches and anxieties regarding children in the modern setting is adeptly drawn and adds a greater depth to the film. Although the crafting of suspense and horror in the film could have been reduced to allow for these emotional nuances to become fully fledged.

The story follows Blake Lovell (Christopher Abbott), a stay-at-home father who, along with his career-driven wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) and daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth), returns to his late father’s home in remote Oregon. Their attempt at familial reconnection is disrupted when Blake is attacked by a mysterious creature, which initiates his gradual and grisly transformation. The filming of his transformation was incredibly immersive, with clever use of rotating camera angles, inverted lighting, and intense sound sensitivity that really drummed up the tension.

The horror of the physical transformation is coupled with Blake’s inner struggle of trying to be a good and caring husband and father, who in spite of trying to protect his wife and daughter becomes the greatest threat to their existence. These facets of the film work well, but certain scenes could have been trimmed to improve pacing of the story.

Overall, Wolf Man is a good horror film by Leigh Whannell that is sure to get your skin scrawling and your brain ticking, even if it doesn’t quite seem to hit its intended mark. 7/10

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