My quick rating - 6.1/10. With his marriage on the rocks, Blake (Christopher Abbott) convinces his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) to escape to his childhood home in rural Oregon, hoping for a fresh start—or at least a brief respite from their troubles. But their late-night arrival takes a sinister turn when a beast appears on the road, forces them to veer off their path, and ultimately wrecks their vehicle. After escaping partially unscathed from the accident, they barricade themselves inside Blake's father's farmhouse. As the hours drag on, paranoia sets in, and Blake’s behavior takes a horrifying turn.
Unlike the high-gloss Hollywood werewolf stories we’ve seen before, Wolf Man takes a more grounded, almost sorrowful approach to its classic premise. The film’s atmosphere is thick with unease, leaning heavily on its limited cast and isolated setting to keep the tension at a simmering high. The scenery is beautifully shot, making great use of Oregon’s remote, haunting landscapes, which only heighten the couple’s sense of isolation. I believe we would have director Leigh Whannell to thank for this since he also brought us a really good-looking albeit a bit unknown scifi flick, Upgrade.
One of the highlights is the transformation itself. Rather than a standard CGI-heavy spectacle, the film takes a more creative approach, offering a chilling look at how the infected perceives the world as the change overtakes them. It’s an unsettling and immersive shift, making the horror feel more personal and inevitable.
The movie does a solid job of introducing the couple’s strained relationship early on, giving just enough backstory to make their dynamic compelling without bogging down the pace. And once the horror kicks in, it doesn’t let up. The sense of dread builds steadily, and while there are moments of visceral terror, the film’s real strength is its emotional weight.
This isn’t a monster movie that revels in carnage—it’s a tragic, unflinching take on the werewolf mythos that lingers even after the credits. Well-made, tense, and refreshingly different, this flick is a haunting experience for those who appreciate a more thoughtful spin on familiar folklore.
This was going to be one of my site's "launch" trailers a couple of weeks ago but that obviously got pushed back.
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