Leigh Whannell’sWolf Manhas created a lot of anticipation around the title monster’s appearance and how different the overall story will be from the 1941 horror classic, but Whanell’s body horror inspiration from the 1980s should now relieve all worries aboutWolf Man’s new look. After the success of his take onThe Invisible Manin 2020, Whanell will now give new life to another classic horror monster inWolf Man. Based on the 1941 movieThe Wolf Man, directed by George Waggner, Whannell’sWolf Manstars Christopher Abbott as Blake, a family man who turns into the title monster.
After Blake’s father disappears and is presumed dead, Blake inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon. As his marriage to Charlotte (Julia Garner) has been struggling, Blake convinces her to take a break from the city and visit the house with their daughter. However, as they approach the house at night, the family is attacked by an unseen animal, forcing them to barricade themselves inside their new house. Unfortunately, Blake is injured by the animal, andhe begins to behave strangely and goes through a horrifying physical transformation– and for the latter, Whannell took inspiration from a body horror classic.
Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man Took Inspiration From David Cronenberg’s The Fly
David Cronenberg’s The Fly Is Key In The Body Horror Genre
Speaking toEmpirein November 2024, Leigh Whannell shared that David Cronenberg’s 1986 body horror classic was one of his main inspirations for the transformation Blake goes through inWolf Man. Although he mentionsThe Fly’s use of practical effects to bring Seth Brundle’s (Jeff Goldblum) transformation from human to human/fly hybrid to life,Whannell’s inspiration comes more from what Cronenberg told through those mindblowing practical effects. Whannell saidThe Flywas about the tragedy of “the human body falling apart”, and those effects were to illustrate how Seth was dying of an illness.
Seth decides to test the telepods himself, but as he’s unaware that there’s a housefly inside one of the pods, their DNAs merge.
Loosely based on the 1957 short story of the same name by George Langelaans and the 1958 movie adaptation of it,The Flyfollows eccentric but brilliant scientist Seth Brundle, who is working on a teleportation machine. Seth meets journalist Ronnie Quaife (Geena Davis), who is interested in covering the development of the telepods, but they end up falling in love with each other. One day, Seth decides to test the telepods himself, but as he’s unaware that there’s a housefly inside one of the pods, their DNAs merge andSeth gradually transforms into a horrifying human/fly hybrid.
The Flywas a critical and commercial success, even winning the Academy Award for Best Makeup in 1986.The Flyis now regarded as one of the greatest sci-fi and horror movies ever made, and it’s a key film in the body horror genre, serving as an inspiration to many other movies in the genre.The Fly’s practical effects continue to be praised, and they also continue to be highly influential in the world of horror.
Wolf Man’s Monster Already Caused Controversy (Despite An Official Look Not Being Released Yet)
The New Wolf Man Looks Nothing Like The Classic One
Christopher Abbott’s fullWolf Manlookin Whannell’s movie hasn’t been officially revealed yet, but it has already caused controversy.The clearest look at it so far is a costumed Wolf Man at 2024’s Halloween Horror Nightsto promote the film, and it was controversial because it looks nothing like a werewolf. The new Wolf Man’s look is far from the classic one of a hairy wolf/human hybrid and, instead, looks more like a feral old man – and while he looks like someone you wouldn’t want to come across, he doesn’t really look like a werewolf.
The teasers andtrailers forWolf Manso far haven’t fully shown Blake’s full transformation, either, with the closest there has been being one very quick look at him through the truck’s not-so-clean windshield. It’s assumed that the costume shown at Halloween Horror Nights is that of the final look and transformation of Blake, and while controversial due to how different it is from a typical werewolf, it makes sense in Whannell’s style, who’s aiming to make a movie completely different from other werewolf films.
How The Fly Explains Wolf Man’s Different Look In The 2025 Movie
Wolf Man’s New Look Makes A Lot More Sense Now
The biggest question so far is why Whannell opted for a not-very-werewolf-like Wolf Man even if he wants his movie to be different, but after understanding hisThe Flyinspiration, it actually makes sense. The trailers forWolf Manhave only shown what triggers Blake’s transformation but nothing beyond that. TakingThe Fly’s influence into account,Wolf Manwill most likely be more about Blake’s psychological transformation rather than his physical one, with the latter reflecting his inner problems rather than just happening to shock the audience.
Wolf Mancould very well end up being more tragic than it seems, andthe true horrors will be in how Blake’s transformation affects him on the inside and his familyrather than on how monstrous or not he becomes on the outside.Wolf Manwill surely surprise the audience asThe Invisible Mandid, and it’s to be seen what other surprises it has prepared.
Wolf Man
Wolf Man, released on July 19, 2025, follows Blake and his wife Charlotte as they visit his secluded childhood home in rural Oregon. After a mysterious animal attack, they become trapped inside, and Charlotte is forced to confront Blake’s disturbing transformation amidst growing tension and fear.
