Film Review: Wolf Man
2 min read
(from left) Charlotte (Julia Garner), Ginger (Matilda Firth) and Blake (Christopher Abbott) in Wolf Man, directed by Leigh Whannell.
“What if someone you loved became something else?“- Universal Pictures
Snapshot Review: Without giving too many spoilers, Wolf Man is a fresh take on the classic werewolf tale. A family travels (at night of course) to investigate his remote farmhouse for answers about his missing father. They are soon being stalked by a menacing creature, which leaves the husband Blake (played by Christopher Abbott) injured, and the wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) and young daughter terrified. After barricading themselves in the cabin, Blake is seemingly overtaken by a mysterious ‘infection’ that leaves the family fighting against menacing forces from both outside and inside the house.
With most of the film taking place over a few hours in (or near) the remote cabin, Wolf Man is fraught with tension the whole way through. Though there are some classic ‘jump scares’, there is an edge-of-your-seat uneasiness throughout the film which is delightfully unnerving. With most of the plot focusing on Blake’s growing transformation as he is overtaken by the mysterious infection, Charlotte has to now face her fears on the two fronts as he slowly changes right in front of his family’s eyes. Though the Charlotte character is disappointingly thin, Julia Garner’s performance is outstanding which is not surprising if you are familiar with her work.
One interesting thing about the film is that it doesn’t take the usual route you might expect from a ‘werewolf’ film in that it doesn’t have a lot of creature effects. Instead, the film relies heavily on devices such as extremely fast movements, very brief glimpses, and quick editing to only give you slight impressions and letting your imagination do the rest. Though there are some scenes showing partial transformation, the lack of a full-on creature transformation will probably leave die-hard werewolf fans feeling let down. If you are willing to overlook that, Wolf Man is a moody and atmospheric horror that manages to give viewers a new take on an old familiar tale.
Release Date: 17/1/2025
Genre: Horror
Cast: Julia Garner, Christopher Abbott
::: Renowned For Sound Technical Director and Film Reviewer ::: Robert is an IT geek, movie fan and part-time movie reviewer/editor. Robert also looks after the ‘behind the scenes’ technical elements of Renowned For Sound.