Director Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man is a suspenseful yet poignant reboot of the 1941 classic, filled with sharp scares and effects.
Wolf Man Synopsis: Following the death of his father, Blake (Christopher Abbott, Poor Things), his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner, Ozark), and their daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth) travel from San Francisco to Oregon to pack up his house. While traveling, a mysterious creature attacks them. Upon reaching the house, the three must survive the night in the Oregon wilderness. All the while, Charlotte and Ginger must deal with Blake as his injuries transform him into something dangerous.
The Moon is High in Wolf Man
With Wolf Man, co-writer and director Leigh Whannell (The Invisible Man) creates a suspenseful but poignant tale of change and loss. One that balances both aspects well, providing subtext for both themes. Yet, the script is light on the main narrative. Whannell and co-writer Corbett Tuck instead focus on the relationship between the characters. Namely, the movie focuses on the relationship between the father, Blake (Abbott), and Ginger (Firth), the daughter. Whannell and Tuck also contrast this with the mother-daughter relationship between Ginger and Charlotte (Garner). This results in a comparison and contrast between both parents and a parallel between different generations of parents and children. The parallels are present from the opening scene onwards.
Cinematography, Production Design, & More
Moreover, the director of photography, Stefan Duscio (The Invisible Man), develops a vast aesthetic with the cinematography. Thus showing us a wide range of depth. This is complete with over-bearing camera angles that maximize movement. In turn, it allows the cinematography to take in the scope of the Oregon woods and the farm. As a result, this allows certain scenes with certain scares to be effective. Plus, it extends into the production design, courtesy of production designer Ruby Mathers. Mathers crafts a simplistic look, which tells a lot about the characters and shows many details about them. Furthermore, costume designer Sarah Voon (Evil Dead Rise) adheres to the simplistic look by having the characters in present-day attire.
Adding onto this is composer Benjamin Wallfisch (IT: Chapter One). Wallfisch makes the score into a pulse-pounding rollercoaster, mixing breathing noises, the symphony, and other noises. Wallfisch works in tandem with the sound design team to amplify the scares. Moreover, the practical make-up effects from creature effects designer Arjen Tuiten expand this. As a result, the effects are realistic yet harrowing to look at. Furthermore, editor Andy Canny brings the film in with a running time of an hour and forty-three minutes. While the run time is shorter, Canny leaves little to no fat on the screen from the opening scene onwards.
Performances in Wolf Man
Christopher Abbott (Poor Things) leads the cast as Blake, a writer turned stay-at-home dad. As Blake, Abbott delivers a good performance, providing a ton of range both pre-transformation and post-transformation. Additionally, his chemistry with Firth’s Ginger shines through. Meanwhile, Firth balances her chemistry with Abbott, showing a difference between her relationship with Abbott and her relationship with Garner’s Charlotte. Rounding out the cast is Julia Garner (Ozark) as Charlotte. Garner is engaging as the character, but compared to Abbott and Firth, she is the cast’s weakest link. This is due to a lack of material on her end. While parts are there, they go unexplored, such as her character’s complex relationship with Ginger.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to Wolf Man, director Leigh Whannell crafts together a suspenseful, but poignant tale of change and loss. The film splices together both themes, largely thanks to its superb practical effects make-up. As a result, the scares become very effective. Finally, the cast delivers good to solid performances led by Abbott. Despite having a breezy running time, Wolf Man is a horror-filled rollercoaster from beginning to end.
