Wolf Man director Leigh Whannell has revealed which ’80s body horror film inspired the upcoming monster movie’s terrifying werewolf transformations. The next Wolf Man The remake focuses on a family consisting of Blake (Christopher Abbott), his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) and their daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth), who are isolated in a rural house after being attacked by a monster. It turns out to be a werewolf that infected Blake, causing him to slowly transform into a beast under the light of the full moon.
Talking to EmpireWhannell explained how the 1986 body horror film The fly was a key inspiration for Blake’s upcoming transformation sequence into Wolf Man. The director said the terrifying elements of the ’80s film also emphasized the tragedy of the situation, something he also wanted to emphasize in the way Blake and his family cope with what’s happening. Check out what Whannell had to say about the transformation sequences below:
What The Fly did, that many other practical effects based horror films of that era, didn’t do, was bring out the tragedy of those practical effects. It wasn’t a joke in The Fly. It was there to illustrate someone who was dying of illness. I was like, ‘I have to do this.’ It’s not about being funny, gross or gory. It is the tragedy of the collapse of the human body.
What Whannell’s Fly Inspiration Means for Werewolf
Films will express tragedy in its terror
The 1986 film focused on scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) accidentally infusing himself with fly DNA while testing a teleportation device he had created. As the film progresses, he begins to transform into a more monstrous creature, until he transforms into a large humanoid that is more fly than man at the end of the film. Since the cast of Wolf Man we will see a family isolated from the outside world as they slowly begin to become monsters, the film has ample opportunity to address the tragedy of the situation.
Since Whannell quoted The fly as inspiration because of his tragedythat same approach will no doubt be reflected in how the werewolf movie plays out. As Blumhouse’s first horror film of 2025, the film could offer a good impression of what’s to come if it sticks to the elements its director is praising. Even though it’s unclear what events will unfold in the film, the idea of ​​a werewolf film focusing on family tragedy makes it unique, creating a monster that’s more sad than scary.
Our opinion on the werewolf taking inspiration from the fly
Provokes many layers of terror
Since The fly will serve as a great inspiration for Wolf Manthe film’s horror can be overlaid with tragedy, making the events intense for both Blake’s family and himself. This undoubtedly means a lot of emotional moments that carry a terrible weight for them, as the family races to inevitably lose one of their own. With the film being released in early 2025, it won’t be long before the true influence the ’80s film had is fully exposed.
Source: Empire