Review: ‘Wolf Man’ has teeth, but fails to transform into a new horror classic

It bodes well for the new film year when a new take on the werewolf myth comes with expectations to make a killing. And “Wolf Man,” now stalking its way through theaters, is eager to chew up a significant portion of the box office.

It just can. I only wish “Wolf Man” was a better movie, or even a passable one instead of a limp, lazy excuse for thoughtful horror that can’t hold a candle to the 1941 classic starring Lon Chaney Jr. or even the lousy 2010 remake with Benicio del Toro.

Audiences had reason to hope for stronger things since director Leigh Whannell struck thematic and terrifying gold just five years ago with a riveting reboot of “The Invisible Man,” which cast star Elisabeth Moss as the victim of a timely monster called toxic masculinity.

Things go sideways pretty quickly with “Wolf Man,” despite a strong cast led by “Catch-22” Golden Globe nominee Christopher Abbott and “Ozark” Emmy winner Julia Garner. Unfortunately, Whannell and his actress, Corbett Tuck, have crafted a script so thin as to be unwatchable.

The setup for this contemporary version of “Wolf Man” had to go some way to qualify as basic. It’s a family story as husband Blake (Abbott), wife Charlotte (Garner) and daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth) gather in a remote cabin in the Oregon wilderness to work on their problems. Her star as a journalist in San Francisco is rising, his writing career is stagnant.

And, oh yeah, a predator has clawed its skin as the triangle runs into the cabin for cover. Yes, the predator is a wolf, and it keeps scratching around with threats outside, while Dad – never good at anger management – ​​begins to manifest physical and mental changes.

That’s it. Apart from a prologue where young Blake (Zac Chandler) is shown hunting a beast on the same farm as his ramrod father, Grady (Sam Jaeger), missing and presumed dead after 30 years, the film focuses on a single family within a single family . location in a single day facing the enemy without and within. There isn’t even a full moon or silver balls. Yep.

To be fair, “Wolf Man” does have occasional moments of suspense and psychological tension. This is Whannell after all. But other key elements leave us wanting.

Instead of using flashy digital tricks to show Blake transforming into a beast, Whannell uses practical effects. The idea has merit, but in practice keeping it real dampens the tension and feels amateurish. Watching the rapid aging and physical disintegration of Demi Moore in “The Substance” is far scarier and thematically intense than anything Whannell and his team can handle.

As a result, “Wolf Man” leans too heavily on its jump scares and thunderous sound design. There are also scenes where we see the world as a wolf sees it, blurred with flashes of disorienting color and light that mean nothing. You leave this long night’s journey into the day with the same sinking feeling. And what’s worse, it’s not fun at all.