Wolf Man - Movie Review

 Wolf Man (2025) Movie Review

Universal has spent decades trying to re-capture the magic and launch a new franchise from their Monster films. Outside of the Brendan Frasier and Stephen Sommers Mummy films from the late 90s and early 00s, it hasn’t really worked, with films like ‘Dracula: Untold’ and the 2017 film ‘The Mummy’ starring Tom Cruise, failing to kick-start the franchise. However, just before the outbreak of COVID-19, Leigh Whannell gave us his modern take on ‘The Invisible Man’ to both great critical acclaims holding 91% critical rating, 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and commercially, grossing over $144 million at the worldwide box office. It only seemed right, that he would continue to explore these classic Monster films and in 2025, we got his take on the iconic ‘Wolf Man’.

Whilst not reaching the heights of Whannell’s previous foray into the Monsterverse,  Wolf Man was still a modest success, finding its audience, particularly on home media. The film has a minimalistic approach to the material, following a family of three, as they venture back to the patriarch Blake (played by Christopher Abbott) family home, where they are stalked by an unknown animal. After an initial attack, Blake begins to transform into something completely unrecognisable, and horror ensues. Blake’s wife Charlotte (played by Julia Garner) and daughter Ginger (played by Matilda Firth) must survive the night whilst trying to save their beloved father/husband. This stripped back take on Wolf Man might not work for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed a different and unique take on the source material.

Leigh Whannell has made a name for himself as a master of horror, working with his dear friend and directing partner James Wan on a number of films including Insidious and Saw. Here, Whannell brings over that expertise to create a grounded and realistic take on Wolf Man, treating the transformation, which is the most iconic part of the story, as a disease. I enjoyed this take as I found it very disturbing and quite hard to watch. Whannell knows what is scary and what is effective in a horror movie and uses all of these techniques here. One of the examples here of the uniqueness of the filmmaking employed with the ‘werewolf vision’, this technique is applied during Blake’s transformation where he begins to experience heightened senses, whilst also losing his humanity, not understanding what his family is saying to him and losing touch with reality. It’s quite tragic and these sequences help convey that to the audience is a way we haven’t seen before.

The cast here are also incredible. Christopher Abbott is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s most reliable horror character actors, with roles in ‘Possessor’ and ‘It Comes at Night’ showing his commitment in the genre. Here, he has to give a physical performance, not only through wearing extensive make-up (which is fantastic by the way), but also through the physicality he has to display as his condition worsens and he loses his humanity.  He is truly sensational in the role. Julia Garner is also fantastic here, continuing her foray into the horror genre after the Rosemary’s Baby prequel Apartment 7A in 2024. She has to do a lot here as well, showing her reaction, devastation and fear of what is happening to her husband, whilst also protecting her daughter from the evil that is penetrating her family. It’s a really powerful performance and compliments the film overall.

Leigh Whannell’s ‘Wolf Man’ tosses away all of its deep mythology for a new, stripped back version, that is equal parts stylish and creepy. Whannell’s direction is solid here with some truly gorgeous shots, his use of ‘Wolf Man vision’ is also a nice touch. Abbott and Garner are both really good here as well. I would have liked if a few of the original elements were thrown into the movie. If they were, it would have worked a little better. Still, this is a solid universal horror flick and worth checking out for genre fans. Be sure to pick-up your copy on DVD, Blu-Ray or 4K UHD from Sanity today.

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Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here