In 2020, before the world fell apart, director Leigh Whannell unleashed a seriously smart take on one of cinema’s greatest foes: The Invisible Man. His vision of the Universal Monster offered an entirely new idea on what H.G. Wells first dreamed up – turning the premise into a terrifying tale of gaslighting, as Elisabeth Moss’ architect Cecilia is convinced her seemingly-dead abusive ex is still haunting her. Now, Whannell is following up The Invisible Man with another Universal Monster movie, Wolf Man. And this one, too, delivers an all-new approach to the legendary lycanthrope. Here, it’s Christopher Abbott’s Blake who’s about to undergo some lunar lunacy, beset by a beast whose claw has him slowly transforming into something else.
As that premise suggests, Whannell’s Wolf Man will be leaning into the body-horror elements inherent to the werewolf mythos. And he’s taking cues from one of the all-time greats. “What The Fly did that a lot of other practical-effects-driven horror movies from that time did not do was bring the tragedy out of these practical effects,” he tells Empire. “It wasn’t a joke in The Fly. It was there to illustrate someone who was dying of an illness.” That’s the energy he’s bringing to Wolf Man. “I was like, ‘I’ve got to do that’,” he says. “It’s not about being funny or icky or gory. This is about the tragedy of the human body falling apart.”
Blake’s tragedy will be witnessed by his wife Charlotte, played by Julia Garner, and their daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth). The pair will soon face danger from their own family unit – and Whannell promises a fearless performance from Garner as Blake takes a new form. “She’s going to be the emotional compass of this film,” he explains, “and she’s going to be what Shelley Duvall was in The Shining. You don’t get scared in The Shining without Shelley Duvall. And so I was like, ‘I’ve got to find someone who can drink up the audience’s empathy.’ And she did an incredible job.” Prepare for a real cinematic beast.
Read more about Wolf Man in Empire’s Ultimate 2025 Preview, led by Andor Season 2 – in the January 2025 issue. Pre-order a copy online here. Wolf Man comes to UK cinemas from 17 January.