Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man arrives in cinemas on Friday 17th January and marks his fourth time in the directing chair. Whannell first came to the attention of horror audiences as the writer and star of Saw. After that he wrote and starred in Insidious, a franchise that ultimately saw Whannell step into the director’s chair as he took control of Insidious Chapter 3. The prequel showed that Leigh Whannell had a flair for directing, with his follow-up, sci-fi action thriller Upgrade being a criminally underseen modern masterpiece that confirmed Whannell’s talents.
Then came The Invisible Man whose success was tempered by its unfortunately timed release that coincided with the closure of cinemas due to Covid. The Invisible Man did however, find its audience at home with viewers enthralled by Whanell’s interpretation of the Universal classic. It seemed only right then, when another of Universal’s most treasured icons, The Wolf Man, was in need of an update, that Leigh Whannell took the reins. As with The Invisible Man, Whannell’s iteration of Wolf Man is unlike any that have been seen before. His version focuses on a married couple in crisis whose attempt to reconnect in nature takes a very dark turn after they, and their young daughter, are attacked in the woods.
Co-written with Corbett Tuck, Wolf Man is a fascinating exploration of the dissolution of a marriage as well as a look into the depths of scars inflicted by a traumatic upbringing. At the same time, Wolf Man also manages to be a tension-heavy horror thrill ride, featuring a deep emotional core, a surprising amount of action set-pieces, and a series of wonderfully icky transformation sequences.
Having previously spoken with Leigh Whannell for Insidious 3, Cooties, and Upgrade, THN were delighted to once more be granted time with the filmmaker. Our whirlwind conversation delved into the interconnectivity of the director’s work, the process of co-writing, and the importance of not ruining someone’s birthday.
Check out our Leigh Whannell interview below.
Wolf Man arrives in UK cinemas from Friday 17th January 2025.
