The Wolfman (2010)

Director(s): Joe Johnston

Writer(s): Andrew Kevin Walker, David Self, Curt Siodmak

Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt

I never really mention the legendary Universal Monster gallery in these entries to the FearTastic Vault since those flicks are already well known, legends in their own right so me waxing on about how much I enjoyed Bela Lugosi’s Dracula films or how great Boris Karloff looked in his Frankenstein’s monster makeup doesn’t really do anything to move the needle in the world of the macabre. Throughout the years, there have been (many) failed attempts to cash in on reviving the Universal Monsters through remakes, shared universes, re-imaginings, etc. that never really caught on and, in most cases, ended up as complete disasters (looking at you Mission Impossible Mummy)! The beautiful part of any sort of trend is that there are of course, exceptions.

Everyone in the macabre genre has fond memories of Bram Stoker’s Dracula from legendary film maker Francis Ford Coppola or the giant success of The Mummy remake movies (at least two of them) starring Brendan Fraser that definitely went more towards action/adventure than horror, but they were extremely fun to watch, nonetheless. However, it seems like 2010’s The Wolfman gets lost in the shuffle when it comes to these Universal Monster exceptions. I found the movie to be incredibly entertaining with a cast that was STACKED to the brim with talent. Benicio Del Toro is incredible as the lead since he portrayed vulnerability of a man who was traumatized watching his mother die as a child but at the moments where darkness was taking over, those famous Del Toro eyebrows instantly portrayed intensity and incoming terror. Anthony Hopkins playing Benicio’s cold and villainous father was on point for the Hopkin’s signature brand of acting where there is always a tone of danger as he meticulously speaks with soft intensity.

As with the original Wolfman, this movie plays out as a murder mystery surrounding the death of Benicio’s character’s brother. The remake carries the same tone because although the creature features of this movie is incredible (more on that in a bit), the film plays out with several characters unfolding hidden truths and trauma in order to get resolution to the “curse” of the main family. This movie definitely takes some different pathways from the original regarding the plot and I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the revisions that the remake made, and I predict those decisions were solely made based on the fact they had such powerhouse actors in the cast, and they wanted to showcase their talents and character development/relationships even further.

I’ve had many rants throughout my “horror career” regarding practical effects/makeup so in summary, just know that I’m all about practical effects over CGI when it comes to horror flicks. To me, a badly constructed puppet is still more entertaining (and somewhat realistic) than a computer-generated creature that you can tell is not something you can physically touch and thus, loses the credibility of it being a legitimate threat…plus I can’t help but love the way physical effects look on screen for horror flicks, there’s just no comparison. CGI effects have their place for sure, but nothing beats an actual monster knowing there’s a human right underneath that surface. I’ve seen PLENTY of Werewolves throughout the years that were mostly or all CGI and although they were enjoyable enough, I was STOKED to see the actors transform into monsters with the final product being more makeup and practical effects driven than CGI. There was something downright terrifying about the snarling faces of the wolves in this flick, again, the magic of makeup and practical effect were in full show here. Although CGI was definitely still utilized throughout the movie the actual creature itself was definitely a transformed human which makes for a better impact in the overall story.

Trying hard not to give spoilers but I shall say that the action of the movie is quite fun to watch. I usually don’t comment on the action of flicks but the way the creature moves, fights and kills are something worth noting. There are some fantastic scenes in this flick where you get to see the wolf in full kill mode and rather than just slashing everything that moves, you get an appreciation on how this creature truly is part man and part wolf because it’s not just biting everything that moves, there were plenty of slashes, throwing, etc. that was fun to watch (especially to those characters who deserve the pain lol).

Overall, I think this flick belongs in the same sort of realm as Bram Stoker’s Dracula when it comes to solid Universal Horror Monster remakes but I hope whenever the studios try to dip back into this legendary cauldron (and you KNOW they will), I hope they take into account the quality of story, impact of great actors and…PRACTICAL EFFECTS (mic drop).

Life is FAR more interesting when we take interest in things that scare us.