Director Leigh Whannell returns with another swing at reinventing the classic Universal monster with Wolf Man. Here the World War 2 anxieties of the original 1941 film are replaced with the more current specters of generational abuse and trauma as a family seeks refuge from a vicious beast in a remote farm home. Whannell and co-writer Corbett Tuck admirably attempt to construct a new beast from Pacific northwestern folklore rooted in the scars that we inevitably pass on to our loved ones. Unfortunately the result is a monster movie that is light on monster and far too concerned with the allegory to be bothered with things like scares and suspense, much less a good look at the titular beast.

Blake (Christopher Abbott) is a self-employed writer in San Francisco. He and his journalist wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) juggle family life and careers while raising their young daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth) with all of the compassion and empathy that the world never offered them. Blake learns that his estranged father has been declared dead and Blake is now the owner of the family home deep in the Oregon forrest. After having only seen a moderate bit of dinner time conflict, we are made to believe that things aren’t all that great betwwen husband and wife. Charlotte and Blake decide that this is their chance to heal from Blake’s troubled childhood and really reconnect as a family while saying goodbye to the past at the family farm.

Driving a bulky U-Haul along a one way dirt road en-route to the home a two-legged creature darts out in front of the moving van. In one of the film’s better moments the family narrowly survives the accident and must make it on foot to the farm with the creature in hot pursuit. In the mayhem of the crash we learn that Blake was injured by the creature and is beginning to show signs of infection. The family works to secure the home from the threat outside, and slowly, Blake begins to change into a monster himself. We are offered glimpses of his growing sense of sight and hearing along with the increasing disconnect with his family. Whannell’s eye for technical detail shines in these moments. In a change to the Wolfman lore, the transformation isn’t triggered by a full moon. Instead, lycanthropy is transmitted and rapidly takes hold. Think zombie rules but with a werewolf. This choice, unfortunately, cheats the audience out of those shocking scenes of sudden transformation.

So we have the conflict. There is a threat outside the house, looming threat inside the house, and no real way out. So why doesn’t it work?Whannell and Tuck seem to struggle with how to best utilize the remote location and the disintegration of the family unit to frightening effect. Granted, There are few places to go when trapped in a home but the three story farm house looks to be choc full of set pieces. The action tends to focus more on the already understood transformation of Blake and his monstrous descent. None of this lands however, because Blake and Charlotte are already having issues. The couple merely goes from bad to really bad as Blake becomes even more disconnected. Blake is also deeply concerned with becoming a monster to his daughter, much like his father was to him. But from what we see, things are pretty darned good. We understand that Blake suffered a nasty childhood but aside from a strict father, we are given no real reason to understand why he never talked to his dad after leaving home.

From a technical aspect there are some marvelous things though. The sound design is by all accounts spectacular. Visually, Wolf Man is a classy and impressive piece of work. The make up effects, and even the actual Wolf Man himself are effectively frightening when we are allowed a fleeting glimpse of the fully transformed beast.  The performances are adequate, the setting is spooky but Wolf Man struggles to tap into the primal horror that we thirst for. Wolf Man demonstrates Whannell’s understanding of elevated horror and the importance of character development but he just doesn’t square the circle this time. The whole affair ends up coming down to a home invasion thriller with monster elements that is executed with technical precision. If that is your cup of tea then by all means, run on all fours to see Wolf Man. If you are looking for a truly frightening monster movie, this isn’t it.