Wolf Man howls at the moon this January

Kicking off the new year, a creepy Wolf Man film is released in January instead of during the scary season of October. This Oregon horror story is hungry to be a hit and perhaps capitalizing on the Wolf Moon that happens in nature this month.

Nosferatu went for blood in December and Wolf Man bares its teeth in January. Is Frankenstein late to the mad monster party in February? Blumhouse Productions hopes audiences are ravenous for tales from the dark side right after the holidays and this canine is chomping at the bit.

The story begins with a father and son bonding in the woods on a hunting expedition where tempers flare quickly. Grady Lovell is a domineering father to his son Blake and that unhealthy cycle continues as the child grows up.

The younger Lovell becomes a writer and marries a journalist named Charlotte to produce their adorable daughter Ginger. But life is not a fairytale for the trio who live in San Francisco and attempt to create a happy home. When the missing grandpa Grady is pronounced dead they head out on a road trip to the farmhouse where he lived. This leads to unexpected twists and turns leaving the three of them eventually trapped and becoming prey to a predatory creature.

Christopher Abbott plays Blake Lovell and was ripe for the part after actor Ryan Gosling stepped down to become a producer. The talented Julia Garner sinks her teeth into the role of Blake's wife and gives a fully nuanced performance as a young mother. Matilda Firth is their smart and curious daughter, although more of a brunette than a ginger. Poor performers would have been a detrimental silver bullet for this chronicle of a werewolf, but instead, their instincts elevate the sometimes flimsy material.

Once the yarn unspools and the hair grows, the producers do everything in their power to make the story unique. The results are a mixed bag of many unanswered questions left on the Oregon trail such as where they came from in the first place and whether are there more of them. The main problem is the wolf is wearing zombie clothing instead of being more dogmatic in its depiction of an infected foe. It focuses on the transformation of the lead into a hyper-sensitive victim with heightened senses such as night vision, enhanced hearing and a sharp nose used to track down fresh meat.

Cashing in on the success of The Invisible Man, Leigh Whannell directs this film as well and co-writes it with his wife Corbett Tuck. This makes the family dynamics ring true and they are able to draw out realistic characters from the actors.

The setup seems to be inspired by The Shining and the Big Bad Wolf with Firth being Little Red Riding Hood. My what big teeth Abbott has and Garner missed her calling of being an auto mechanic!

Wolfie digs up a few startling pop-out scares set in various environments such as a greenhouse rooftop and a claustrophobia-inducing farm. If the producers want to still continue the Dark Universe franchise they will need to find a way to tie things together and make them palatable for fanboys. Do audiences want to see a battle between vampires and werewolves or a team-up between the two?

Time will tell as Wolf Man claws its way to the top of the cinematic chain starting on Jan. 17, 2025, in theaters everywhere.