One thing that directly connects the Wolf Man and the Invisible Man (besides the director)

Warning: This article contains Major spoilers About “The Wolf Man”.

Just call Leigh Whannell the monster whisperer. There have been a few instances where a studio has struggled mightily (or openly) in trying to interest audiences in the crown jewel of their IP – in this case, the classic stable of Universal Monsters. But by the same token, the transformation was equally surprising and compelling. Since 2020, the year Whannell’s “The Invisible Man” was released and immediately blew everyone’s minds, the series has enjoyed marked improvement across the board. Not coincidentally, this also coincided with decision-makers finally abandoning their grand dreams of a shared universe that could rival the likes of DC and Marvel. Instead of a world where Dr. Jekyll plays Nick Fury assembling monsters to fight other monsters (I think?), we’re treated to a number of standalone films spanning multiple different genres and each with its own unique personality. stories.

And yes, Whannell was the pioneer who helped set this refreshing new tone in the first place, which makes “The Wolf Man” (I also reviewed the/film here) Such an interesting development of this trend. Although the main character is very different from the one in “The Invisible Man,” Whannell deals with this more animalistic creature in similar ways. Both set events in the present day, both delve into the psychology of villains, and both reinterpret the original films to very surprising—but always truthful—results. It’s this last point in particular that fans of “The Invisible Man” may end up appreciating the movie “Wolf Man,” as Whannell takes the archetypal idea of ​​a werewolf “curse” and, as he did in his 2020 film, turns it into an allegory More relatable to modern audiences.

In the hands of lesser filmmakers – and the movie gods know there are plenty of them – Various attempts to adapt the character known evocatively as the Wolf Man (or Wolfman, in years past) made one of the few fatal mistakes. Either they get bogged down by continuity and crossover fever, which 1943’s “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man” proved was not a modern phenomenon, or the dreaded scenario of too many cooks in the kitchen rears its ugly head, as… Director Joe Johnston (and previously attached director Mark Romanek) found out the hard way with 2010’s “The Wolfman.” Add in the fact that the character himself is particularly hard to break, considering how ingrained the lore and stereotypes of werewolves are in popular culture, and it’s easy to see why the deck remains stacked against the Wolf Man.

Fortunately, Leigh Whannell’s previous experience with The Invisible Man clearly came in handy when he took the reins on Wolf Man. When he first dived into the depths of the Universal Monsters pool, he decided to take this monster in a radical direction. While the original 1933 film told the tragic story of a con man’s descent into madness and mass murder, Whannell’s approach to the material reimagines the title character in a more sinister and hyper-realistic light. Although he’s as unrepentant a villain as ever, this version of the Invisible Man embarks on a gaslighting campaign aimed at tormenting only one victim in particular — a former lover (Elisabeth Moss) who had the audacity to leave her abusive situation. He deftly avoids the old clichés about mad scientists and world-control schemes, Instead, Whannell turns this into the horror film that best embodies the #MeToo movement.

Granted, the underlying themes behind “Wolf Man” don’t quite lend themselves to the exact same interpretation as Whannell did with “The Invisible Man,” but the acclaimed writer/director pulls off a similar trick. Traditionally, the monstrous Wolf Man and his horrific transformation in the light of the full moon represents the idea of ​​surrendering to our simplest and most animalistic impulses. Whether it relates to fears of sexual inhibition in a puritan society (Boy, this sounds familiar) or a broader struggle with humanity’s ability to oppress those we consider “inferior” (Unfortunately also relevant!), the wolf monster at the heart of the story has allowed for all sorts of compelling explanations. And in Whannell’s new film, he takes that to a more interesting place.

Although I take issue with how “Wolf Man” handles the emotional side of the narrative, I can’t deny how cleverly Whannell and co-writer Corbett Tuck are in making the entire film about generational trauma and escaping life’s cycles. Abuse. The film begins with an extended prologue that follows young Blake Lovell (Zach Chandler) and his distant, demanding father Grady (Sam Jaeger) during an early encounter with the Wolf Man. But more than simply establishing the film’s main threat, this scene most accurately illustrates Blake’s fear as he grows up and has a family of his own: that he will turn into his abusive father. More hardcore fans may be disappointed by a script that leans away from any supernatural explanations (Wolf Man Syndrome is explained early on as “hill fever”), but the way it subtly includes the traditional werewolf “curse” is worthy of praise. . Instead of blaming the occult, “The Wolf Man” finds a more relatable target. A last-minute reveal reveals that the creature attacking Blake and his family is actually his supposedly dead father, which puts a good point on it: the sins of the father will catch up with the son. It is then up to us to find our own means of escape and save our loved ones from living out our worst nightmares.

“Wolf Man” is now in theaters.