What should and does one do if one’s loving husband/father turns into a wild animal – I mean literally a wild animal?
In a nutshell, that is Wolf Man.
It is 1995 and we are in remote woodland in Central Oregon.
Former military man and single father Grady Lovell (Sam Jaeger) is bringing up his young son, Blake (Zac Chandler), so he can gain survival skills.
Short tempered, the man is harsh and unrelenting, so first chance he gets Blake (now an adult and played by Christopher Abbott) moves to San Francisco.
He becomes a writer and marries a journalist, Charlotte (Julia Garner).
The pair has a child together, a daughter named Ginger (Matilda Firth), who is very close to her father.
Blake resolves to bring her up by protecting her and caring for her in a way his own dad didn’t.
Then Blake gets word of the official death of his father.
Thereafter, he convinces Charlotte that it would be a good idea for the three of them to travel to Oregon to collect his dad’s belongings.
Only the moment they get close, things take a decidedly disconcerting tone.
An accident sees them barely escape with their lives.
Still, it looks like all have gotten away relatively unscathed, save for an arm injury Blake sustains.
However, it turns out that that purported wound was not the result of the accident.
Rather, he appears to have been bitten and infected by some fast-moving wild animal.
While the trio runs for shelter to Blake’s former home, chased by an illusive predator, little does Blake realise at first that he is already transitioning.
That’s right, he is turning into the wolf man, complete with carnivorous, animalistic instincts.
Suddenly, Charlotte and Ginger’s lives are on the line from their nearest and dearest.
Wolf Man is a reimagining of a concept that dates back almost to the dawn of man, rising out of ancient lore.
From written form to film, we had Werewolf in London in 1935 and then Lon Chaney Junior as The Wolf Man in 1941.
More recently, The Howling and An American Werewolf in London (both 1981), the comedic Teen Wolf (1985) and the Twilight series (starting in 2008).
And now we have another, different take.
Fear is the stock in trade in this creepy offering, in which the power of suggestion looms large throughout.
Integral to this is the sound, lighting, cinematography and visual effects. In other words, it is a good looker on all these counts.
The chilling noises, suggestive of impending doom, are well conceived and pivotal.
Darkness is a potent bedfellow, as is silence.
There are some stunning wilderness visuals, counterpointed by the claustrophobic nature of being trapped, with an unknown assailant waiting to pounce.
Co-writer, with his wife Corbett Tuck, and director Leigh Whannell are dab hands at establishing the premise.
The story is about protection and love.
The actors do a decent job inhabiting the narrative.
Abbott makes good as Blake, who has been shaped by his childhood experiences.
Garner, as Charlotte, has a sense of cautiousness in her eyes and in her demeanour.
Firth is cheeky, dutiful and respectful as their daughter.
In the horror genre, where this movie sits, it is always difficult to sustain credibility and not go too far and thereby lose an audience.
Wolf Man makes a fair fist of it, even though as it develops there are times when you do have to suspend belief.
Rated MA, it scores a 7 out of 10.
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