Released January 17, 2025, but announced back in 2014, Wolf Man is a Blumhouse horror film directed by Leigh Whannell. The movie follows a family of three staying in a farmhouse overnight while the main character, Blake, slowly transforms into a danger to his wife and daughter. Although the film bears the “Wolf Man” name, it is not a remake but a reboot. This version has little in common with its predecessors but still carries the main idea.
I am not the biggest fan of this movie, but it has some impressive aspects. I thought the body horror effects were magnificent and I think that’s where this movie shines the brightest. The movie also flows pretty well, I don’t feel like it dragged on and was boring to watch, I just feel like the story is weak at times.
Christopher Abbott played the character Blake Lovell well. It was easy to be both afraid of him but also sympathetic because you can tell he loves his family a lot. Julia Garner was great as Charlotte, Blake’s wife who it was even easier to feel bad for because she’s slowly losing her husband and has to protect both herself and her daughter.
I don’t love the way Blake looks once he turns into the “Wolf Man”. I think it would’ve been better to give him more of a “Wolf Man” (2010) look, but I understand that it was like that because in this version it’s a disease that turns humans into wolf-like creatures. Other than that complaint about the visual effects, I think this movie has good body horror. I liked the werewolf design for Blake’s dad, and I know that Blake would’ve eventually looked like that, I just didn’t like how the early stages looked.
It is fine that it’s so different than its predecessors because those movies still exist. It is refreshing to see a new take on the concept and even though it didn’t work for me, I appreciate them not just making a 1:1 remake. This movie did exceed my expectations because I saw the trailer, but I didn’t even plan on watching it, but went with friends. I had a good experience with this film, and that may be because of who I watched it with. I didn’t hate it, but I did find it fun to watch. It’s not necessarily a great movie but it does its job. It’s not trying to win awards, it’s just trying to be a fun werewolf film and it’s good at that. I went into this film with low expectations and came out pleased.
Jacob Collins interview:
Q: How did this movie make you feel?
A: I had an intense feeling of rapture.
Q: Who was your favorite character?
A: My favorite character was Derek Kiel because he died interestingly.
Q: What was your favorite scene?
A: The scene where he starts biting on his open wound.
Q: How would you describe your experience seeing this movie?
A: It was terrible but not because of the movie.
Q: What would you rate this movie out of 10?
A: For what it is, it is a solid 15/20.
