The Wolfman: A Howling Bad Time

What do I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Lon Chaney Junior’s The Wolfman and Teen Wolf all have in common? They all have werewolves, they all have characters you care greatly about and they are all far superior (and more fun) than 2010’s The Wolfman. Starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Benecio Del Toro and Emily Blunt, The Wolfman seemed destined to be one of the great horror films of all time. Unfortunately the director forgot one of the rules of horror-dom: the audience has to have at least one character to care about. There is not one in The Wolfman.

I found myself bored by Del Toro, annoyed by Hopkins and totally puzzled by the usually startlingly good Blunt and not caring for any of them. Hugo Weaving (The Lord of The Rings) is also in the film, but even he seems rather lackluster and uninteresting. Of course, the original film had Claude Rains, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr. and Ralph Bellamy, all legendary actors and, though mostly the same story, a far creepier appeal. The newer film just suffers in comparison. What’s more, The Wolfman (2010) suffers from an excess of Greek tragedy with fathers killing mothers and sons and then falling in love with future daughters-in-law. Oh and, of course, a son who kills his own father in a most grisly fashion.

In The Wolfman’s defense the film has superior creature effects, per the incomparable Rick Baker, excellent cinematography (if a little heavy handed) and all around stunning visuals, if universally too dark. Unfortunately, the director of The Wolfman forgot what the great writers like Shakespeare knew so well: every story no matter how dark needs a little humor, even one as dark as Hamlet. Joe Johnston forgot the rule and the film comes off as a depressing mess. Even worse, The Wolfman is a truly boring horror film: there were short periods of the predictable extreme violence with nothing of interest in between.

Lastly, extreme violence and visually stunning CGI is no substitute for great characters and story, and The Wolfman has neither. More importantly, the best horror stories have a little hint of the absurd and the extremity of the plot, but The Wolfman goes way too far for a break from the depressing and the need for catharsis. It left the audience and me totally disengaged. I would not recommend the film either in the theater or at home. There is nothing at all appealing even for monster horror junkies.

Rating: 1 out of 5.