A Cheesy 'Wolfman' Worth Watching

by Brett Parker

The lights from the full moon cast an alluring and ominous glow on the shadowy forests of the Earth below. An increasingly-frightened villager shines the puny light from his lamp into the blinding darkness surrounding him as he stumbles his way through a forest. A bloodthirsty beast with long and lethal claws stalks this prey throughout the trees and taunts him with a terrifying growl that would be commonplace in hell.

I love this stuff. If I had to pick my all-time favorite movie monster, it would probably be the Wolfman. Through this hairy beast, we can see an intriguing symbol for the uninhibited and untamable recesses of the human soul. The idea of a mild-mannered man transforming into a rampaging and merciless monster invites Freudian ideas of repressed feelings and untapped urges allowed to run wild in a zestfully violent release. This beast could represent sexual urges, repressed anxiety, buried anger, nearly anything from the psychology books. The Wolfman represents pop release therapy of the goofiest kind.

Director Joe Johnston (Jumanji, Jurassic Park III, Hidalgo) brings us an update of The Wolfman that doesn’t really update that much at all. The new version is a rather straight-forward remake of the original, keeping the period setting and plot intact in its old school simplicity. Cinematographer Shelly Johnson (The Last Castle) brings the film a delicious horror glow while Production Designer Rick Heinrichs (Planet of the Apes, Hulk) brings a fun gothic tinge to the surroundings, yet Johnston lets us down in not unearthing a substantial point of view on this seemingly-rich horror premise. Everything is played for a simple spook show. On that level, it’s competently entertaining, but so much more could’ve been drawn from this material.

The film takes place in Victorian-Era England in the small hamlet of Blackmoor(which is just as well; it might’ve been straining to see the Wolf Man push off of the present day. Military and Computer technology might’ve diminished the plot’s fun). A nobleman named Ben Talbot (Simon Merrells) is viciously mauled and murdered by what can only be concluded as a giant beast of some sort. This sudden death prompts the return of Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro), Ben’s stage actor brother who has been estranged from the family for many years. Lawrence experienced a traumatic childhood at the hands of his wickedly mysterious father, Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins) and still carries emotional scars from a horrifically traumatic past. Still, Lawrence promises Ben’s beautiful fiancé, Gwen (Emily Blunt) that he’ll solve his brother’s murder.

Lawrence’s investigation leads him into the local woods one night and he is horrified to discover an other-worldly beast galloping through the night. The creature violently attacks a band of gypsies before sinking its fangs into Lawrence’s neck. Lawrence survives the attack but feels that his body is changing in alarming ways. His suspicions turn out to be correct, for when the full moon occurs, Lawrence turns into a hostile werewolf that storms the landscape, causing death and destruction at every turn. As Lawrence tries to wrestle with his newfound mutation, he shockingly discovers that his werewolf curse just may have strong ties to tragic events throughout his family history.

On its elemental level, The Wolfman is packed with old school charms that can surely swoon horror enthusiasts on a ridiculously low level. The creature himself is certainly impressive in his rampaging endeavors and I applaud legendary Make-Up Artist Rick Baker for keeping the design of the Werewolf fairly close to the original Lon Chaney, JR. look. The Wolfman’s exploits are not staged for haunting scares or brooding tension, but to provide jabs of gore that supplies moviegoers with cheap thrills. Indeed, audiences are sure to cheer with laughter and mad awe as the Werewolf rips out intestines and decapitates his victims. It’s disappointing that Johnston has no ambition of horrifying audiences or framing scenes for strategic scares. It’s all a straight-up gore fest, laboring for what must curiously be intentional laughs.

When one reflects on the excessive hairiness he’s sprouted for roles in Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, Sin City, and Che, Benicio Del Toro seems like a perfect match to play the legendary demonic furball (Del Toro is reportedly a big collector of Wolfman memorabilia). His depiction of Lawrence may be a tad too modern, but it feels more acceptable than watching a stiff British actor strain to convey horror anguish. Nonetheless, Del Toro is appropriately moody and haunted in the role. You don’t doubt for one minute that a monster is weighing heavily on his soul. Hopkins and Blunt may be occupying thankless roles they can sleepwalk through, but they are still thankfully engaging. Hopkins brings us a welcomed hamminess while Blunt truly conveys a beauty that could tame even the wildest of wolves.

Even though the Wolfman’s violent rage is meant to represent repressed feelings of a traumatic childhood and dysfunctional family life, Johnston doesn’t really make grand artistic efforts to make the underlying themes feel substantial. The plot comes across too hokey to make that possible. Aside from an effective dream montage based in an insane asylum, the film’s premise is played for cheap thrills while promises of underlying philosophies fester away. Certain moviegoers, like myself, will probably feel robbed of a hard-hitting, significant horror classic. Just imagine if a director like Martin Scorsese got his hands on this material. To merge his ideals of guilt and hostility with the Werewolf myth would catapult this remake into a grand territory far beyond the ghoulish cheesiness Johnston is all too content with.

There are certain horror enthusiasts who celebrate the simple pleasures of the genre so religiously that to elevate them to more philosophical or artistic heights would seem like a huge miscalculation. The cheap thrills and the gore seem to be the point unto itself. Johnston’s Wolfman seems to be made with this same kind of regard and will, alas, please such horror fans. There will be those paying ten dollars to see a giant wolf tearing humans limb from limb, and they certainly won’t be disappointed. However, if you’re one of those moviegoers who question why the Wolfman would want to tear through limbs, they will be left wanting more food for thought.