With a 15-minute prologue that really sets the mood, Leigh Whannell’s ‘Wolf Man’ establishes itself as a horror film that is rooted in dread. It’s a long exposition that details the tension-filled relationship between a young boy and his father who are living isolated in the woods of Oregon. The father, a military-man by his demeanor and language, is teaching his son about survival and hunting when they are attacked by a large animal that appears to be standing on two legs. It’s barely seen but knowing this film and what it’s about, we know it’s the wolf man and it sets us up for what we expect to be a scary ride.
We jump thirty years later and that young boy, Blake, is not a father to Ginger and is married to journalist Charlotte. Ginger and Blake have a very strong connection, obviously a far cry from Blake’s own relationship with his father but Charlotte seems the odd one out. The marriage is not doing well, and Charlotte seems disconnected to both her husband and child. But when Blake receives news that his father is now officially declared dead, he decides to bring everyone to Oregon to help him pack his father’s belongings and would love to use that time for the family to get closer together. Unfortunately, the wolf man that we’ve seen in the prologue is still in those woods and at the arrival of Blake and his family, they become his new prey.
With a cast of four performers, ‘Wolf Man’ is economical and tight. At 103 minutes, the film feels fast and never boring. Whannell makes full use of long shots to show how isolated the family is the moment they get to Oregon, which helps sets the fear knowing that they are all alone and far away from any sort of civilization. When they are attacked by the wolf man and forced to run and take shelter at Blake’s childhood home, it becomes a battle for survival. When the meat of the story happens, it all unfolds within one night, which allows for Whannell’s and director of photography Stefan Duscio to really play with light and shadows to create the suspense. We know the wolf man is just outside the house. We know they are all alone. And what’s worse, Blake is hurt and is slowly turning into a wolf man himself.
The way by which Blake becomes a wolf man is quite well-done. The volume starts to increase showing us his hearing is getting stronger and when he gets dizzy, a symptom of his transformation, the camera shifts angles to accompany his disorientation, and when the scene is covered in darkness, the camera shifts to his point-of-view and we start to see through his heightened vision. It’s techniques like these that really immerses us into Blake’s transformation: how he is slowly losing himself to this affliction.
What the film failed to immerse us into is Charlotte’s point-of-view. Blake and Ginger’s relationship had been established quite early on and so Ginger’s insistence on making room for her dad even when she can see that he’s changing makes sense. Their connection is the grounding element of the film. But Charlotte never has a moment to be vulnerable or to show her humanity. She’s presented to us as cold and distant and the trip to Oregon was supposed to be a chance for her and Blake and her and her daughter to get closer – a chance for the audience to see her softer side. Instead, she finds herself in a horror movie and as the protagonist role shifts from Blake to Charlotte, the film begins to lose its anchor. The love she has for her family which motivates all her actions at the latter half of the film has not been explored or developed throughout the film leaving it sort of hollow or empty.
All of a sudden, the moment Charlotte takes the lead, the film isn’t so scary. Surviving isn’t so vital to the enjoyment of the film. Julia Garner, who plays Charlotte, is doing the best she can but there’s very little space for her in the script to give her character more humanity as she’s thrust into survival mode before she has a chance to show us what she’s got. Christopher Abbott manages to keep us invested in his character with his earnestness in the role. Even the way he speaks to Ginger (Matilda Firth) is so adult and so straightforward, but you know it’s rooted in his own difficult relationship with his father. It could feel so awkward for a script but without having to explain it, Abbott justifies it through the performance.
‘Wolf Man’ has genuine frightening moments and some really good set ups and doesn’t rely on jump scares to create fear and dread. Unfortunately, it forgot to take time to develop and grow its second lead and that’s where it loses its steam.
My Rating:
Wolf Man is still showing in cinemas. Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.
