"Wolf Man” is a modern reimagining of classic monster

“Wolf Man” is a modern retelling of one of cinema’s most iconic monsters, sleekly made and stripped way back. The latest horror movie from director Leigh Whannell hones in on a lone family trapped at a farmhouse for one night of terror.  It’s told so minimally and efficiently that by the end we’re not even bothering to ask about the full moons and silver bullets that are synonymous with werewolves.  Instead of a big cast of soon-to-be monster food, all the fat is stripped away.  What remains is a lean little treat.

Over a single night at his deceased father’s off-the-grid farm, Blake (Christopher Abbott) must protect family from a monster outside that’s trying to get in.  At the same time he begins slowly turning into one himself, and his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) must keep herself and their daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth) safe.  Blake’s transformation is stretched over the course of the film, aside from a suspenseful opening that looks at his rough childhood with his father.  It’s a wise choice by Whannell and co-writer Corbett Tuck, as it helps Blake feel a bit more tragic and worth rooting for.

One by one, his senses heighten.  His human body decays, revealing a beast underneath, as is par for the course.  But Whannell provides some fresh camera flourishes, such as showing Blake’s perception.  His wife and daughter’s words become unintelligible and their faces distort, the way a wild animal may look at us.  While his character’s mind dips further into feral territory, Abbott keeps the transformation from feeling unearned, and impressive make-up keeps it from feeling artificial.  Even when he loses the ability to speak, his pained eyes show enough to reveal there’s a man still there.

The script by Whannell and Tuck follows the cardinal rule of all great creature features, which is that the monster isn’t as interesting as what it represents.  In this adaptation, we get a sense of Blake’s insecurities as a father.  Does a part of his own tumultuous childhood still exist within him that could come out violently against Ginger?  Charlotte’s own inhibition as a mother fleshes out her character nicely, and Garner maintains a shaken composure as the situation becomes more dire.  The young Matilda Firth does a great job keeping up with the two established actors, and together the trio provide “Wolf Man” with a lot more heart than is typically expected from a Blumhouse film.

This is the second adaptation of Universal Classic Monsters that Whannell has successfully helmed, following “The Invisible Man.”  It’s a long way from the bloody basements of his and James Wan’s “Saw” franchise more than 20 years ago (Though “Wolf Man” still indulges a bit in that level of gore).  How many horror movies have come out since then that have had to up the ante?  Hundreds, probably.  Anyone can go for a senseless gross-out; it’s a lot harder to make your audience invested in believable characters.  Whannell does it here with ease.