January is a strange month. While awards season is ramping up, and a lot of the “prestige” films are finally getting wider release, there normally isn’t a lot new or exciting. So, what does this mean? Generally, horror movies, and those that have been sent out to die. Wolf Man fits in both of these categories as there has been little to no hype for it despite being directed by Leigh Whannell who do amazing work on The Invisible Man. Wolf Man tries to follow that same formula, and while it’s definitely creepy, it’s the lesser of the two.
Blake Lovell (Christopher Abbott) escaped his abusive, prepper father 30 years ago and now lives a normal life in San Francisco with his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) and daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth). A certified letter changes all this when it informs him that after years of being missing, his father has officially been pronounced deceased. The family travels to the abandoned house to pack up his effects and encounters a strange creature that begins stalking them until they are trapped inside. Worse yet, the creature was able to attack Blake who comes down with a strange illness that not only begins to transform him into … something … but also terrifies his family who wonder which monster they need to face is worse – the one outside or inside the house.
Does this sound like a by-the-numbers scary movie to you? Well, it is. Nothing new is attempted, and the plot plays out, beat for beat, exactly as you think it would. In fact, not since Barbarian have I seen a film that literally goes down a checklist of what your standard horror movie fare requires.
Considering what Whannell was able to do with The Invisible Man, this is a letdown. While there are strong undertones here about the cycle of emotional abuse and becoming the worst parts of your parents despite your best efforts, it comes across too heavy handed.
It’s not all bad. Considering this is carried on the backs of only three actors, they all perform well enough to keep the audience interested and invested in this family. No one is going to win an Academy Award, but you believe that they do love each other despite an undertone of malice of past acts that Blake feels guilty for.
The special effects are fine. Body horror has always been a big thing, but compared to last years The Substance, this falls far short of that. Werewolf movies are all still trying to chase the high of the transformation scene from An American Werewolf in London, and this one still comes nowhere close.
What’s funny is I walked out liking it a lot more than I do now. Maybe it was just the enjoyment of seeing something other than the Oscar-bait films I’d had to binge for a month straight, but as the new movie smell has worn off, my opinion of it has dwindled. I still don’t think it’s horrible, but it’s middling which explains why it was released this time of year and not in October when you would expect. It has some fun scares and wraps up quickly enough, but no one is going to walk out excited to see it again. If you’re looking for something other than the artsy-fartsy stuff currently in theaters, this might be the movie for you, but you could honestly just wait for streaming as you’re really not missing much.