Oregon, it can safely be said, features some of North America’s most scenic landscapes. In the tense, hard-edged horror film “Wolf Man” (Universal), however, the Beaver State’s natural beauty is contrasted with occult ugliness in a manner that only the sturdiest fans of the genre may find palatable.
The forests of the Northwest provide the isolated backdrop for director and co-writer Leigh Whannell’s reworking of 1941’s “The Wolf Man.” After his estranged father (Sam Jaeger), a survivalist who long ago disappeared, is officially declared dead, caring family man Blake (Christopher Abbott) returns to his childhood home there to put dad’s affairs in order.
With his marriage currently feeling a little shaky, Blake encourages his journalist wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) to join him on the journey, along with their young daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth). The trip takes a bizarre turn – albeit one for which the audience, at least, has been partially prepared – when Blake is wounded in an attack by a werewolf
Thereafter, he rapidly shows signs of succumbing to lycanthropy himself.
That’s bad news for Charlotte and Ginger since they’re more or less trapped with Blake in pop’s remote cabin, where Blake’s assailant continues to stalk them. As Blake deteriorates into beastliness, the question becomes whether his underlying humanity and love for his kin can prevent him from giving in to his ever-increasing predatory urges.
As scripted by Whannell and Corbett Tuck, “Wolf Man” doesn’t indulge in bloodletting for its own sake. But it does include scenes depicting repellant behavior and showcasing hideous images, queasy material that many viewers may understandably wish to avoid.
The film contains considerable violence with much medical gore, numerous gruesome sights, a few profanities and about a half-dozen instances each of milder swearing, rough language and crude talk. The OSV News classification is L – limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association rating is R – restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
