Wolfman is the latest Blumhouse horror film to grace our screens, with horror director Leigh Whannell returning to present his take on Universal’s classic monster movie. He already did it with The invisible manthe twist as a story of gaslighting and domestic violence, and its vision of Wolfman tells a similar, emotionally devastating story, making it a great entry into this year’s new films.
Speaking to TechRadar, lead actor Christopher Abbott explained why Blake’s transformation into the horrific title character means that the horror is as much a tragedy as anything else, as the theme of loss runs through the entire narrative.
When asked if any other performances had influenced him, he told us: “Yes, I would say The fly, Elephant Manthere’s a little David Lynch in there. I guess there’s some sort of tragic element with these two monster creatures, you know, and I think this has that. “
This was one of my most anticipated horror films of 2025, and it really delivered. While, yes, it was scary and the nervous moments were effective, I found myself more disturbed by the psychological torment and emotional moments, especially when it came to the breakup and loss total communication between Blake, his wife and his daughter (played by Julia Garner and Matilda Firth, respectively).
That’s one of the main reasons I wanted to make this movie, because when I first saw the drawings, I thought there was something very tragic about the monster .
Christopher Abbott, actor
Wolfman features brilliant scenes where the POV shifts from wolves to humans, so we can see both sides of the situation. Their inability to communicate and understand each other makes Blake’s transformation deeply sad, as he has transformed into something completely unrecognizable, reflecting how we cannot communicate with any species except our own. This feeling of isolation and the primal animal instinct taking over is the true horror at the heart of Wolfman. The public already knows that Blake and his wife Charlotte’s marriage is strained, and now they’ve had a chance to talk about it.
Abbott added: “They communicate poorly. They talk to each other, they don’t communicate well. You just need that idea to then help set up the most fantastic thing where, where the communication is then taken away from you. And then How, how do you communicate when you’re not even, uh, physically able to do it?”
Not only was there a breakdown in the bond between husband and wife, but also between father and daughter. Abbott praised his young co-star Matilda Firth, who played his on-screen daughter Ginger, revealing: “She was strangely experienced. I felt like she was strangely experienced. I loved her , but it was almost off-putting. She also felt like a bit of a pro I felt like I was working with an 80-year-old theater veteran, but she takes things in stride. She’s there to perform and she. will do it or will try it.
Wolfman is in theaters starting Friday, January 17.
