Review: WOLF MAN Is a Great Film That Delivers a Haunting and Nightmarish Experience
I went into Wolf Man expecting a decent horror film, but what I got exceeded my expectations. This movie delivers some great chills and thrills, but what I liked about it most is that it drags you through a nightmarish, visceral experience that is as haunting and exhilarating.
The story centers on Blake, played by Christopher Abbott, a husband and father from San Francisco who inherits his childhood home in rural Oregon after his father mysteriously vanishes.
His rocky marriage to Charlotte (Julia Garner) inspires him to suggest they take a family trip to the remote property with their daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth). What begins as an effort to reconnect turns into a night of unimaginable terror when they’re attacked by a menacing creature.
As the family barricades themselves inside the farmhouse, Blake begins to transform into a werewolf creature. Watching his descent was agonizing as the transformation was slow and torturous and it emphasized the emotional and physical toll on the character.
I couldn’t help but feel for him as his humanity slipped away from him piece by piece. It really was a nightmare situation, and it was a deeply tragic moment for the character. It’s one aspect of the film that stuck with me after watching the film.
The creature design does stray from traditional werewolf aesthetics, but it offers something fresh and unsettling. It might not be what fans of classic werewolves expect, but it felt like a natural extension of the film’s unique tone, and I appreciated the risks taken with its appearance.
Another thing I liked is how Wolf Man had the ability to tell a simple story in such a powerful way. The film doesn’t try to overcomplicate things, and that works to its advantage. It strips the werewolf genre down to its raw essentials while adding fresh layers of dread and emotional weight.
I also want to point out that the trailers didn’t spoil the major plot points, so I was surprised by the twists and turns that the story took. The film doesn’t rely on cheap scares, instead, it builds tension that is punctuated by moments of terror.
Director Leigh Whannell crafted an intense, unique take on the werewolf mythos and It’s a gnarly and wild movie-going experience that will deliver the scares and there are aspects of it that will stick with you. It will dig its claws into your psyche.
I think audiences are going to like what this movie has to offer.