In 1995, in the remote mountains of central Oregon, a hiker went missing and was said to have contracted “Hills Fever”, an animal-borne virus the indigenous people called “face of the wolf”. Blake Lovell (Benedict Hardie) grew up in this small town at that time, and would go hunting in the woods with his father Grady (Sam Jaeger). However, his father could get quite intense when Blake didn’t follow his rules, and so Blake left his home as soon as he was old enough. It’s 30 years later, and Blake (Christopher Abbott) is now a writer in-between jobs in San Francisco, where he serves as a stay-at-home dad to daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth). Currently his only job is to protect his daughter, but sometimes he finds himself snapping at her when she does something dangerous such as nearly walking into traffic. He’s scared he’s becoming like his own father, and doesn’t want to end up like that. Journalist Charlotte (Julia Garner) often brings her work home with her, and doesn’t spend much time with the rest of the family. While she still loves her family, Charlotte has forgotten how to be a mother to Ginger, and has grown a bit distant with Blake.

One evening, Blake receives a package containing keys to his father’s farmhouse in Oregon, and a letter stating that his long-missing father has been declared deceased. Blake sees this as an opportunity to not only get closure on his relationship with his father, but also a chance for his family to reconnect. He thinks it would be good for Charlotte and Ginger to join him for the summer as he packs up his father’s home, and so they all set out on a family road trip. However, while driving down the dirt path to the farm, Blake is startled by a creature standing in the middle of the road, and swerves to avoid it, causing an accident. In the ensuing chaos, Blake is scratched by the creature, and the family must make a mad dash for the safety of the farmhouse as the creature pursues them. As the beast growls and lurks outside the home, looking for a way in, the family tries to call for help without any luck. Blake appears to be coming down with some sort of sickness, and Charlotte notices her husband’s wound. The original plan was to wait until daylight to leave the house and find help, but Blake’s condition seems to be rapidly getting worse, both physically and mentally—he is losing his ability to communicate, and is slowly transforming into something non-human. What’s worse&mdaash;the danger that lurks outdoors, or the possible future danger within if Blake’s condition further deteriorates? They will need to try to make a run for it, and it’s up to Charlotte to take charge and step up to protect their daughter.

If you’re looking for your standard run-of-the-mill full moon werewolf movie, Wolf Man is not that. This reimagining comes from Australian writer/director Leigh Whannell, who also created 2020’s The Invisible Man. He seems to be the go-to guy for reinventing Universal Monster properties, coming up with new and creative ways to explore these iconic characters in a why that is not just a generic remake of what’s been done many times before. For Wolf Man, we don’t get the usual supernatural element of a cursed man who instantly changes into a furry dog-like creature at the presence of a full moon. Instead, the curse is replaced by a viral infection that slowly progresses from the time the host first comes in contact with the wolf-like creature. It is a much more gradual process that looks like a disease is spreading through the body, as the animal aspects slowly take over the host’s body, and their more human aspects start to go away. This kind of transformation is more reminiscent of the body horror film The Fly, where we see the fly and human aspects duke it out as the character slowly changes in grotesque ways as the more visceral animalistic traits and rage start to take control.

We don’t really get a full shot of the creature that is hunting this family until much later in the film. Like with many classic horror films such as Jaws, the audience is just given teases of the danger that lurks. But we do see Blake’s transformation in every gory detail. Like he did with The Invisible Man, director Whannell gives this transformation a unique look and feel, seamlessly flowing back and forth between “wolf vision” and regular human vision. As the animal takes over, Blake’s senses of sight, sound and speech change, and the filmmakers play with light and sound to showcase this and allow the viewer to really experience what is happening.

While the film does have some jump scares, thrilling action sequences, and some body horror, this film is much more about the characters, and not just gruesome kill after gruesome kill. In fact the body count is quite low for a horror movie. The film does a great job of setting up these characters and their motivations from the start, allowing the viewer to see and experience how this unfortunate situation changes all that. Even though Blake appears to be turning into a monster, Charlotte and Ginger do not immediately give up on him. They love him and want to help him. At the same time, Blake may not know what’s happening to his body, but inside he still has this urge to protect his family from the creature that lurks outside. So the story becomes one of this family trying to survive together, despite the transformation.

Universal has released Wolf Man on Limited Edition 4K SteelBook, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD & Digital. We were sent the standard 4K release for review, and it looks and sounds fantastic. The first thing you notice as the film opens is the amazingly-immersive soundscape. From the creaking of trees, to the warbling sounds of insects, and the rumbling of thunder overhead, you are instantly transported into this mysterious forest. Throughout the film, all of the audio channels are well-utilized to help make the viewer feel the changes going on with Blake, or to be put in the middle of the action. The picture is also clean and clear throughout, with a solid level of detail. Whether characters are being chased through the dark forest, or we are witnessing the low yellow lighting of the farmhouse, or the bright blue tones of “wolf vision”, the picture always looks great.

This disc release contains a solid selection of bonus material, including an entertaining and informative director commentary track and over 30 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast/crew. The 4K release includes both a 4K and a Blu-ray disc, packed on either side of a standard UHD keepcase, along with a cardboard slipcover, and redemption instructions for a 4K digital copy of the film.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:42:44)

4K Ultra HD:
• 2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Dolby Vision / HDR10
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, French 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus
• Subtitles: English SDH, French

Blu-ray:

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English DVS (Descriptive Vieo Service), Spanish 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, French 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (code may not be valid after 3/31/2026):

• 4K Digital Copy (Movies Anywhere compatible)

Extras:
Al of the same material is avilable on both discs. Play All, or select from:

• Unleashing A New Monster (8:07)
  The cast and crew discuss this new, more-grounded take on the character and lore that makes the affliction less of a supernatural curse and more of a disease, the writing process, the progression of the wolf, the cast, the filming locations and sets, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer/executive producer Leigh Whannell, executive producer Beatriz Sequeira, supervising location manager Jordi Scott Smith, production designer Ruby Mathers, director of photography Stefan Duscio, and stars Julia Garner (“Charlotte”), Christopher Abbott (“Blake”), Benedict Hardie (“Derek”), Matilda Firth (“Ginger”) & Sam Jaeger (“Grady”).
• Designing Wolf Man (8:54)
  The cast and crew discuss the look of the creature, using practical effects and prosthetics, leaning away from the classic furry dog look and making it look more like and infection, the slower progression to becoming a monster, the hair and make up process, using RC-controlled animatronics, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes and concept footage, and interviews with director/co-writer/executive producer Leigh Whannell, special make-up effects designer Arjen Tuiten, prosthetics artist Alice Baueris, prosthetics key artist Jason Docherty, hair and make up designer Jane O’Kane, director of photography Stefan Duscio, and stars Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner & Matilda Firth.
• Hands-On Horror (6:51)
  The cast and crew discuss the practical stunt work and the challenges of filming the action sequences. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer/executive producer Leigh Whannell, stunt coordinator Steve McQuillan, assistant stunt coordinator Rodney Cook, stunt rigger James Smith, visual effects supervisor Stuart White, director of photography Stefan Duscio, and stars Matilda Firth, Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner & Ben Prendergast (“Grady Wolf”).
• Nightmares And Soundscapes (6:56)
  The cast and crew discuss the visual and aural effect of experiencing the change from the Wolf Man’s perspective, how practical lighting VFX effects were combined to seamlessly switch between the wolf and human perspectives, the sound design on the sets, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, sound tests and foley footage, and interviews with director/co-writer/executive producer Leigh Whannell, director of photography Stefan Duscio, production sound mixer Chris Hiles, and stars Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner & Matilda Firth.
• Feature Commentary With Director/Co-Writer Leigh Whannell (1:42:44)
  Whannell has a lot of fun with this commentary, treating it more like a casual discussion with a friend, often offering advice to film students. He discusses creating and designing the sets and locations, combining practical and CG effects, the cast and performances, designing the monster, and more.

Final Thoughts:

Wolf Man is not your typical supernatural werewolf movie, but more of a character drama/horror centered around a family being hunted by a creature while one of them is infected with a virus that is slowly changing them into one of these monsters. Universal’s 4K release looks great and sounds phenomenal, and includes a nice selection of bonus material. If you enjoyed director Leigh Whannell’s reinvention of The Invisible Man, I think you’ll also like his take on Wolf Man (as long as you don’t go in expecting a dog howling at a full moon). I hope Whannell gets the opportunity to reinvent more of these Universal Monster franchises in the future!