The January Blumhouse horror movie is back in full force. When it comes to these, you can get something as amazing as M3GAN or as mediocre as Night Swim. In 2025, we have Wolf Man, the best Blumhouse movie in years. Ever since Universal’s Dark Universe didn’t pan out as they had hoped, with Tom Cruise’s 2017 Mummy movie failing to ignite any interest in a shared cinematic universe of monsters, they shifted into making stand-alone horror films based on these characters. We’ve gotten Renfield, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, Abigail, and another superb film from director Leigh Whannell, The Invisible Man.
But none have been quite as phenomenal as Wolf Man, a reboot of the 1941 film. Unlike Joe Johnston’s 2010 remake starring Benicio del Toro and Emily Blunt, this new movie does not borrow any character or story details from that film. Rather, it tells an entirely new tale about family man Blake (Christopher Abbott), who takes his wife and daughter to the home of his recently deceased father. On the way there, they are attacked by an unknown being that takes hold of Blake. Werewolf movies don’t get much better than this.
This is my favorite adaptation of the Wolf Man character yet. Even though he’s not Larry Talbot in this film, this is easily the scariest movie with this character. While I enjoyed George Waggner and Joe Johnston’s films, Waggner’s film works more as an emotional tragedy, and Johnston relied more on over-the-top, ineffective jump scares. Whannell is a master of horror, having written films like Saw and Insidious. His directorial work in Insidious: Chapter 3, Upgrade, and The Invisible Man has been wonderful, and he crafts an unforgettable, terrifying experience that will have you gasping for air.
Whannell opens the film with a father and son hunting together. From the start, Whannell knows how to craft something thrilling. There’s an excellent amount of buildup, and he plays around with what we hear, allowing our minds to fill in the blanks. This is something he did phenomenally in The Invisible Man, and he keeps it up here. He suggests that something exists somewhere and plays with our paranoia. He also uses this time to show the father being rough with his son, caring about his safety in a way that becomes harmful.
The son grows up to become Blake, and this is where generational trauma becomes a theme. Blake is now the father of a young girl named Ginger (Matilda Firth), and he’s trying not to repeat the cycle of abuse. The story of a person trying not to repeat his father’s mistakes is fascinating, and the movie could have stopped there, but it doesn’t. Blake is having issues with his wife, Charlotte (Julia Garner), and even Charlotte has insecurities about her relationship with her daughter. So much about these characters is conveyed in the first act, and every bit of it is necessary to get the audience to care about them once the story picks up.
Blake decides to take his family to his childhood home so they can spend some time together. From the moment we see them in the truck driving to the home, the tension starts and never stops. Wolf Man becomes one ginormous horror set piece. One of the first moments of sheer terror was the one that opened the trailer, where the truck crashed, and our family was trapped inside. In any other horror film, this would be scary enough to be the finale. But the thrills are just getting started.
After racing to the house, Charlotte discovers a deep wound on Blake’s arm. From here, we have a werewolf transformation unlike any other. This film puts the audience in Blake’s head as he transforms, letting us know what it’s like to be in his shoes. Much like Whannell did with Upgrade, the camera movements perfectly align with what’s happening to him. To make matters worse, they’re being hunted by a werewolf right outside their door. This film is relentless, never allowing you to take a breath. Your heart will pound out of your chest as you watch this insanely thrilling film all set in one evening in one location.
Much like Jaws, Whannell knows not to show the creature very often. Terror comes from knowing the creature is nearby and not knowing what it looks like and what it will do next. He makes every scene look and sound absolutely terrifying. I found myself recoiling in my seat with how mortified I became. My body went numb and began to tingle, and I’ve seen hundreds of horror films. During many movies, even great movies, I’ll occasionally glance at my watch to see how much longer the film is. For Wolf Man, I did not dare to look away for a second. This movie had me in a chokehold.
He also does a fantastic job of knowing when to keep the music out of the picture and allow the silence to fill you with dread. We hear every breath and footstep they take, and it causes us to feel like we’re there with them. His jump scares are perfectly placed. I spoke with Whannell at New York Comic Con, where he spoke about how he wants to create experiences that play well in a theater. There’s one jump scare in this film that works so well because we don’t heave the loud sound that often accompanies these scares. We see something in the darkness before any of the other characters see it, and the silence that comes with it becomes bone-chilling.
The genius of Wolf Man comes in the simplicity. We’ve seen films like this (The Shining, for example) where a family is hunted by their patriarch. This movie does that and reaches its maximum potential. While this film offers non-stop horror, the character moments work splendidly and they never slow down the pace one bit. There’s also a narrative detail that Whannell directs in a way that proves how much he trusts and respects his audience to interact with the film. This movie is cinematic brilliance: a no-frills horror film with wonderful makeup effects. The setups and payoffs are perfect. Watch this movie in the theater.
SCORE: 9/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 9 equates to “Excellent.” Entertainment that reaches this level is at the top of its type. The gold standard that every creator aims to reach.
Disclosure: ComingSoon attended a press screening for our Wolf Man review.
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