Last year was surprisingly great for horror franchises, and there is plenty to look forward to in 2025. In January alone, we can anticipate the release of Presence, Companion, and, of course, Wolf Man. Wolf Man will be the first to release in theaters on January 17th. This movie has been in the making for quite some time after the reveal of the Dark Universe alongside movies like The Mummy and The Invisible Man.
Wolf Man gained even more attention at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights this past October. One of the haunted houses was used to promote the upcoming film and unveiled the design of the new Wolf Man (or so we thought). Fans were justifiably disappointed in the design because it lacked the scare factor and resembled a disheveled hairy man. But Leigh Whannell, director of Wolf Man, reassured fans that is not the final design.
A teaser trailer instilled the fearful excitement for the film and cleverly hid the monster from the audience. Now, as the film's release is just around the corner, there are still many reasons to look forward to Wolf Man as it kicks off our horror calendar.
1. Fresh take on the werewolf trope
Leigh Whannell stated that he wants to make a standout werewolf film that is unlike anything we've seen so far. He doesn't want to follow the legend audiences are so accustomed to, the full moon, silver bullets, and typical transformation. The transformation is said to be more like a virus, something grotesque and extremely painful.
"I think you have to bring a new approach. Maybe there are some people that won't like it because they love the traditional wolf too much, but that was the approach I wanted." Leigh Whannell for SFX Magazine.
The Invisible Man had a similar effect in surpassing audience expectations. Whannell, who also directed the film, wanted to twist the monster story on its head by focusing on the victim. I have no doubt that Whannell will have a spin on the Wolf Man that will shock us all.
2. Practical effects
Nothing gets me more excited for a horror movie than the use of practical effects. The use of practical effects makes a movie feel more real than relying heavily on CGI. Practical effects are extremely hard work and require so much attention to detail, but that is what makes it great.Wolf Man is full of practical effects.
The transformation is meant to be a more realistic take and to emphasize the slow change from human to animal. The makeup artist Arjen Tuiten said the monster's design is one of the scariest things he's ever seen. The cast has made multiple remarks on how frightening the final look is.
3. Inspiration from popular body horror
There were a lot of creative inspirations for the design of the Wolf Man which includes previous werewolf films. The reboot naturally takes inspiration from the original 1941 The Wolf Man. Other lycanthrope inspirations include American Werewolf in London (1981) and Wolfman (2010).
Whannell said he was also heavily influenced by 80's body horror, drawing inspiration from his favorites. He mentions The Thing (1982) and The Fly (1986) as his major references in the Wolf Man design and treating it as a the realistic failure of the human body. Whannell isn't aiming for gory or campy in the transformation but to highlight the virus winning and eventually taking over.
4. Potential in reviving Universal Monster Universe
The Dark Universe was a project developed by Universal Studios to revive the original monster movies. Their first installment was The Mummy in 2017 but the movie flopped at the box office and received negative reviews, The Dark Universe dream died very quickly, but there was a glimmer of hope with Whannell's success with The Invisible Man.
Whannell may provide another glimmer of hope if Wolf Man does well. Wolf Man would just be the start of rebooting monster movies. There is potential for other monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and others to grace the screen once again. Now I'm not usually a fan of reboots but I think the idea of a Dark Universe could be fun.
5. Casting choices
The cast of the Wolf Man may not be widely known by everyone but I think that could be a good thing. Wolf Man was originally Ryan Gosling's role, but due to scheduling conflicts he ultimately dropped out, however he is still credited as a producer. The role then went to Christopher Abbott who also starred in other horror movies such as It Comes at Night and Possesor. Julia Garner is the wife of Blake (Wolf Man) who starred in Apartment 7A and The Last Exorcism Part 2. I think this movie could potentially give Abbott and Garner even more recognition and the praise they deserve.