Wolf Man (2025) (Collector’s Edition) [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Leigh Whannell

Cast: Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Sam Jaeger

Release Date: March 18, 2025

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 7/10
Disc Rating: 7.5/10

Synopsis:

From Blumhouse and the director of The Invisible Man comes a modern take on the classic monster story, Wolf Man. Seeking a fresh start, Blake moves his wife Charlotte and daughter Ginger to his childhood home in rural Oregon. Upon arrival, they encounter a brutal animal attack, forcing the family to barricade themselves inside the house as an unseen creature prowls the perimeter. As the night wears on, Blake’s injuries worsen, and his bizarre behavior turns monstrous. To protect her daughter, Charlotte must decide whether to confront the danger outside or the growing horror within.

‘Wolf Man’ tells the story of family man Blake, his overworked wife Charlotte and their daughter Ginger as they decide that some time away could do the family good and after receiving word that he has inherited his father’s property and home in rural Oregon determines it’s the perfect opportunity. But as they arrive at Blake’s childhood home, they are suddenly attacked by a mysterious wolf-like animal that stands on two feet like a man and in the attack Black is scratched. Finally escaping the situation and arriving inside the safety of the house, things only become drastically worse when not only does the creature seem intent to torment them and try to find a way inside, but Blake becomes ill, transforming in weird ways.

Directed by the talented Leigh Whannell (The Invisible Man, Upgrade) from a screenplay that he also co-wrote along with his wife Corbett Tuck, Whannell does a nice job at the helm of ‘Wolf Man’ guiding along the different, yet still intriguing and unnerving new take on the classic monster. The film’s limited cast includes Christopher Abbott (Poor Things), Julia Garner (Apartment 7A), Sam Jaeger (The Eyes of Tammy Faye), Matilda Firth (Subservience ), and Benedict Hardie (The Invisible Man) who each provide solid and quite capable performances at the very least in their respective roles.

‘Wolf Man’ is an intriguing, original and unique take on the classic movie monster which instead of the more common approach to the material which typically deals with the underlying curse and the quest for answers and a cure, Whannell instead chooses to focus on the progression of the curse itself and the terrifying changes and confusion that arise once Blake begins to turn, yet with no idea what is occurring and what precisely is happening to him; starting with fingernails falling out and his jaw shifting, plus numerous other and often far more unpleasant alterations to his body. As much as it focuses on the struggle and terror that encompasses Blake during the whole ordeal, it also spends its time delving into the reaction and uncertainty that his wife and daughter must deal with while trying to be strong and avoid making the horrific situation worse.

Perhaps one of the most clever things that this new take on ‘Wolf Man’ does is to explore the difference between the human world we all take for granted and the animal world that Blake slowly finds himself being pulled into as it uses the camera to move between the two perspectives and offer a more in-depth look at what each is experiencing along the course of the night’s events. It does have its violent moments and plenty of grisly tidbits that will make even the more hardened genre fans cringe on occasion, while introducing a different, yet also somewhat familiar look to the creature itself and Whannell’s unique approach, shooting style and clever camera movements repeatedly complement the tale and help to further immerse the viewer in the terror that the characters are experiencing.

Overall, Leigh Whannell’s ‘Wolf Man’ delivers a very different take on the classic monster that may displease some but as a whole still provides a solid, atmospheric and unsettling tale of suffering, loss and one man’s willingness to do anything that might help his family. While it seems to be largely dividing audiences, ‘Wolf Man’ is still recommended to any horror fans, those who appreciate a well-crafted body horror film and of course fans of Leigh Whannell’s work. Granted some may not like it as well as I did, yet it’s one of those that is still worth giving a whirl if only to decide for yourself; it’s not a bad film by any means and even if it has a few issues with pacing and balance, it has plenty of rewarding elements in its favor. Even so, due to the varying opinions it certainly couldn’t hurt to rent it instead of making a blind purchase for those who haven’t yet seen it.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Wolf Man’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with HDR-10, presented in its original 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks pretty terrific for the most part and it delivers a sharp, clean and nicely detailed presentation from start to finish that does have a few incredibly dark moments but doesn’t suffer from any unexpected issues or troubles to be located throughout. Detail is fantastic on characters including the intricacies of the character’s progression once he begins to change, along with both interior and exterior surroundings, while the HDR offers some more lifelike colors on occasion noticeable on clothing and other elements. Black levels are rich and generally clean, yet they do become a bit overwhelming in one or two excessively dark moments. Overall, this is a very nice Ultra High Definition presentation that holds up without issue throughout and should leave both fans and newcomers quite pleased.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This multichannel soundtrack is a real treat and from the opening Universal logo showcases just how aggressively immersive the presentation is; rich with eerie noises and other unsettling audio moments often going from calm to full blast with little warning. It takes advantage of all seven available channels repeatedly throughout in order to send music, eerie and hard hitting noises, effects and the unpleasant crunches and snaps of the changes, plus nature effects and quite a bit more overtaking the various speakers whenever appropriate, while never allowing any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously to become distorted or problematic in the process. Overall, this is a phenomenal Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that splendidly complements the tale and many of its unnerving moments throughout.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Wolf Man’ offers a handful of entertaining extras including an ‘Audio Commentary with Co-Writer/Director Leigh Whannell’, in addition to a few Behind the Scenes Featurettes that include interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more. The included Featurettes are ‘Unleashing a New Monster’ (running approximately 8 minutes in length), ‘Designing Wolf Man’ (running approximately 9 minutes), ‘Hands-On Horror’ (approximately 7 minutes) and ‘Nightmares and Dreamscapes’ (7 minutes).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray disc included in the 4K UHD Combo Pack and resized. They do not represent the quality of the 4K Ultra HD disc itself and will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on the 4K UHD & Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 7/10
Disc Rating: 7.5/10

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Leigh Whannell’s ’Wolf Man’ Arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD March 18, 2025 & is Now Available on Digital from Blumhouse & Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

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You can purchase ‘Wolf Man (2025)’ on 4K UHD at Amazon HERE!

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