Leigh Whannell returns to the classic Universal monsters with Wolf Man. It comes 5 years after the release of his film The Invisible Man, which gave the classic story a contemporary twist. In the latest film, we see Whannell approach the classic story of the Wolf Man with a different lens. The curse is seen more as a disease, and the way it affects a family.

Wolf Man stars Julia Garner and Christopher Abbot as a married couple with a young child. There are clearly some problems in the relationship and Abbot’s character of Blake has some unresolved issues with his own father. All of these problems boil over on a family trip to Oregon in which we see a larger threat looming. Whenever I would see teasers and hear Whannell talk about the film, I was instantly fascinated by this approach to the wolf’s curse.

A clear highlight here has to be the fresh approach to the transformation that slowly unravels. We are used to seeing these happen in other films a lot quicker, with not much insight into the infected. In the Wolf Man, Whannell makes it clear that this transformation is just as terrifying for the one experiencing it as it is to the witnesses. It’s a very contained story that’s focused on this one family with zero connection to the outside world. All of this makes it much more intimate and isolating as you watch it unfold. It leans more into the tragedy of the situation than actual scares, which can be a good or bad thing depending on what you were hoping for.

In terms of the effects and transformation, I thought they did an amazing job. It wasn’t the same old werewolf look we’ve had for many years and movies. The transformation was more on the side of The Fly, with a grotesque breakdown of the human body. All of this combined with a tremendous performance from Abbot, made it just as heartbreaking as it was horrifying. It focuses more on the grossness and the sickness than trying to scare you with cheap jumps. I found the look of the final werewolf to be much more terrifying than the more traditional wolf look in other films. The interactions between the family as well knowing that things will never be the same added to this terror.

The only thing that slighlty disappointed me in the film was how short the run time was. I felt there was more to let breathe and expand to truly hit the notes a lot better. The back story of Abbot’s character and his father as well as understanding Garner’s character a bit more would have been great. This makes the emotional parts not hit as hard as I think they should. I won’t lie though; I was shedding a couple of tears especially in the film’s final act. I feel the emotional pay off would have been a bit stronger though if we had a bit more time to flesh these characters out.

The Wolf Man is indeed another great addition to the heavy lore of the werewolf and will set standards for future installments. Whannell continues to show off that monster movies can still be done right in today’s age. It’s an intimate film that doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares and focuses more on the horrifying tragedy of losing a loved one to something unknown. Although it goes by a bit too quick for my liking it still manages to land a great emotional pay off. Definitely a great way to kick off the year for film and horror!