Wolf Man wasn’t a big hairy deal
As I’ve said before, the Average Dude is not much of a fan of this generation’s idea of the ‘horror movie’ genre. I’ll go into more of an explanation on why that is later in this column. Having said that, I am a fan of the classic horror films. Frankenstein, the Mummy, King Kong, all were terrifying in their day. And maybe my favorite – the Wolf Man. Lon Cheney Jr. Bela Lugosi. Classic horror icons.
Because we have run out of original movie ideas
Fast forward: Universal Studios attempted to reboot The Wolf Man in 2010, starring Anthony Hopkins and Benicio Del Toro. I didn’t hate this reboot, but I didn’t love it, either. It was a pretty lukewarm movie that should have been better, given the star power involved, but okay. It was supposed to be one of the tent-pole movies of Universal’s new ‘Dark Universe’. I thought that was a fantastic idea and am a little perplexed why they gave up on it so quickly. I think I get why both of those flicks underperformed expectations. And again, I’ll get to that.
A Wolf Man for a new millenium
The latest iteration of Wolf Man stars Julia Garner (Ozark) as Charlotte, a city-dwelling journalist and work-distanced mother. Her stay-at-home husband Blake (Christopher Abbott) takes his family ‘home’ to finally put to rest his father’s back country estate after he was declared legally deceased. You can easily guess the rest of this plot, I reckon. I mean, not a lot you can really do with it that hasn’t already been done. Like a Godzilla movie, you kind of know what’s coming.
What sets Wolf Man (in any era) apart from other monster movies like Frankenstein and Dracula is the inner struggle of the creature itself. The villain is also the victim, so the audience has an emotional tug of war going on. More than any other classic horror movie, developing the characters as relatable and believable is key. And that’s the biggest problem I have with Wolf Man.
Stick to what you know, I guess
Wolf Man was written and directed by Leigh Whannell, who has a string of very successful horror movies to his IMDB credit (the Saw series, the Insidious series). I will admit, I have never watched so much as 5 minutes of those movies. Going to see Wolf Man was sort of a hail marry to see if there was any actual classic movie horror left in Hollywood. If Wolf Man is any indication, there isn’t.
That Whannell is a titan of the modern idea of horror is indesputable. His writing has spawned eleven Saw movies, plus prequel Spiral. Insidious inspired 5 movies to date. The dude is super-popular. Wolf Man is his 4th directing credit. I could name them but what’s the point? I’ve seen one of them and it was not memorable. My point here is this: Whannell might be able to write about what society wants in their horror films, but directing it on screen is a different animal altogether.
Claws and effect
Where Wolf Man excelled is showing the de-evolution of Blake into the man-beast. It wasn’t a complete, full moon transformation. It was a progression that didnt reverse itself with the coming of the sun. That metamorphosis was done well and absolutely evoked a sympathy from the audience.
Where Wannell’s directing failed, it failed hard. Phantasically and utterly. Julia Garner is no slouch as an actress. I’ve seen her in Ozark.. She’s part of the new Fantastic Four movie. She’s got skills and a quirky likeability in the looks department. And I think she did the most she was allowed to do with the horrible, unrealistic dialog that was given to her. There are tense situations where a brooding silence would be an appropriate response. I’m going to go on record as saying that watching a your husband, who has morphed into a clawed, slavering feral thing would not be one of them.
Think of the children!
And for the love of Aunt Bea, there is no 8 year old child on planet earth that would not be losing their sh!te over seeing their beloved dad turn into a hairy, fanged, rabid killer. None. Zero is the number. Yet, at Whannells direction, that’s exactly what the young daugher of Blake and Charlotte did. For me, that was the stake in the heart of this movie. If Wolf Man had been top shelf in all other areas, that performance itself would wreck this movie. There. I said what I said.
Which brings me to my first point
Though it saddens me, I get that times have changed. What our parents ones thought of as the apex of movie horror doesn’t even register in people today. Modern horror is about jump scares and how to dismember a person’s body and psyche in the most dehumanizing ways. Sorry if I injure you by saying so, it’s about depravity and the loss of humanity. Each movie has to be even more creatively soulless than the last. Simply put, the reality of a soulless human is more terrifying than any walking corpse or mutated beast-dude.
And worth a thought…anyone who thinks that they aren’t being damaged by watching modern horror…well, I would just urge them to consider the possibility that I’m right.
SO…while Wolf Man isn’t a horror film in the vein of Whannell’s other successes, it most certainly isn’t a throwback to the really old-school b&w flicks. And if you can’t get hooked by those, then I suggest a Silence of the Lambs. Or American Werewolf in London (the 80’s version, please). As for Wolf Man 2025, I’m giving it a tepid 2.5/5 on the strength of the actual wolf-changing element. Other than that, this movie just has no bite to it at all.
If you want a TRULY different Wolf Man…
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