The werewolf inWolf Manlooks much different than other werewolves featured in movies.Wolf Manwas directed by Leigh Whannell, who wanted to portray a new take on the classic monster. Thestory ofWolf Manfollows Blake, who returns to his childhood home in Oregon with his wife and daughter after his dad has officially been declared deceased. While driving to the house, they are attacked by a monster, which scratches Blake. Blake’s scratch causes him to slowly and tragically transform into a werewolf.
Thecast ofWolf Manincludes Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, and Matilda Firth. Abbott portrays Blake, whose appearance and behavior slowly changes throughout the course of the movie as he becomes more wolf than man. By theend ofWolf Man, Blake fully transforms into a werewolf. However, the werewolf inWolf Manlooks much different than in other films, such as 1941’sThe Wolf Manand 2010’sThe Wolfman. In fact,it was actually Whannell’s goal to make his version of a werewolf inWolf Manlook much different from how they have been depicted in the past.
2025’s Wolf Man Design Looks Very Different Than The Usual Werewolf
Wolf Man’s Werewolf Isn’t As Hairy As Most Would Expect
The new Whannell-directed horror film adapts one of Universal’s classic monsters, Wolf Man, in a modern movie. Previously, the monster appeared in five movies throughout the 1940s, including the aforementioned 1941 filmThe Wolf Man. 2010’sThe Wolfmanserved as a remake of the 1941 movie. Now, the new filmWolf Manattempts a new take on the classic monster. Because of this,the titular werewolf inWolf Manlooks significantly different from the other movies.
Is Wolf Man Connected To The Invisible Man?
2025’s Wolf Man and 2020’s The Invisible Man both reimagine classic Universal movie monsters as modern horrors, but are they canonically connected?
In both the 1941 and 2010 films, the monster has a classic werewolf appearance. In these films, the entirety of the Wolf Man’s face is covered with hair. The werewolf inThe Wolfmaneven has very broad shoulders, which makes the monster look even more intimidating. 2025’sWolf Mantakes a different approach, and ensures that the werewolf still has some human characteristics. Therefore,when Blake becomes a werewolf inWolf Man, he has much less hair on him than most would expect, and still looks somewhat like a human.
Wolf Man’s New Werewolf Look Is Tied To The Movie’s Origin
Blake Becomes A Werewolf In Wolf Man Due To A Disease
The beginning of the newWolf Manmovie establishes that it is a disease that turns humans into wolf-like creatures. According to the film,this disease is referred to as “hills fever” and has also been nicknamed “Face of the Wolf.“Therefore, Blake becomes a werewolf much differently compared to how Larry Talbot, the protagonist of the 1941 film, becomes one. In the 1941 film, Larry kills a man who was actually a werewolf, and is then cursed to turn into a werewolf every full moon.
It makes sense that the werewolf inWolf Manlooks a lot more human, since the point of the movie is to show how tragic it is that a loving father turns into a monster.
In the new film,Blake contracts “hills fever” after being scratched by a werewolf.Wolf Mandepicts Blake slowly getting more sick as he transforms into a werewolf. Throughout the film, he loses much of his humanity, but the audience never forgets who he is as he transforms more and more into a werewolf. Therefore, it makes sense that the werewolf inWolf Manlooks a lot more human, since the point of the movie is to show how tragic it is that a loving father turns into a monster.
What Wolf Man’s Creative Team Has Said About The New Werewolf Design
Wolf Man’s Team Set Out To Design A Unique Werewolf
Whannell wanted to depict the werewolf inWolf Manunlike anything that has ever been seen before. For the film, special make-up effects designer Arjen Tuiten worked with Whannell to design a completely unique werewolf. In a behind-the-scenes video for the film, Tuiten described his vision for the Wolf Man as “two anatomies trying to mix that don’t quite go together.” Therefore, this makes it obvious whythere had to be both human and wolf elements in the monster inWolf Man.
Additionally,Whannell told Screen Rant before the release ofWolf Manthat he was actually inspired by the design of Heath Ledger’s Joker inThe Dark Knight. He explained that Christopher Nolan and his team stayed true to the classic Joker look, but took it to a new level. Therefore, he wanted to replicate their success when figuring out thewerewolf’s design inWolf Man. This is exactly why the werewolf inWolf Manlooks different to how the monster has been portrayed in other movies.
Wolf Man
Cast
Wolf Man, released on August 04, 2025, follows Blake and his wife Charlotte as they visit his secluded childhood home in rural Oregon. After a mysterious animal attack, they become trapped inside, and Charlotte is forced to confront Blake’s disturbing transformation amidst growing tension and fear.
