Horror director Leigh Whannell took an ambitious swing with 2020’s The Invisible Man. The movie was a great thriller and an impressive modern reimagining of a classic movie villain. But, it was also a respectable way to give cathartic justice for victims of domestic abuse.

Wolf Man, Whannel’s latest attempt to reinvent a traditional horror icon, is less coordinated but just as ambitious. Pairing parental separation and familial flaws with werewolf transformations gets a little, well, hairy. Wolf Man is no Eraserhead, but the audience appreciates the ambitious efforts of Whannell’s production.

Character actor Christopher Abbott finally gets the chance to headline a mainstream movie after scene-stealing roles in indies such as James White, Sweet Virginia, and Possessor. In Wolf Man, Abbott plays Blake Lovell, a conflicted father who tries hard to be a reliable, strong-willed man for his daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth) and wife Charlotte (Julia Garner of The Assistant). Unbeknownst to Ginger, Charlotte and Blake are on the rocks. But in an effort to reignite the spark in their family, the Lovells take a getaway to the woods as Blake settles the death of his absent father Grady (Sam Jaeger). An attack by a mysterious animal in the forest derails the trip and, soon after, Blake starts exhibiting strange behaviour. He tries to stay true to his role as a protector but, soon enough, he succumbs to his personal takeover.

Wolf Man feels tame in comparison to The Invisible Man, but that doesn’t mean it’s a failure. Because the film mostly takes place over the course of a single night, the story doesn’t feel like it has much of a lasting threat. But on the flip-side, because of this timeline, the thrills come fast and the tension steadily tightens. Abbott is always interesting within his turmoil and transformation, which helps cloud the lack of chemistry between a miscast Garner who appears too young for the part. And, of course, the fantasic gruesome make-up effects will have all walks of horror hounds hooting and howling.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie