While not as effective as his modern take on THE INVISIBLE MAN, Leigh Whannell’s WOLF MAN still works as a no-nonsense representation of a painful and tragic transformation. In a slightly laboured setup, Christopher Abbott’s Blake must return to his childhood home in the Oregon countryside with his wife and daughter (Julia Garner and Matilda Firth) to clear out his missing-presumed-dead father’s belongings, but is soon infected by a werewolf and faced with a horrifying transformation. The film’s main new gimmick is its “wolf vision”, where perspective shifts to the creature’s POV, with darkness illuminated and its prey’s dialogue muffled, their eyes now with retro-reflective highlights to show just how far removed from humanity he has become. There are some meaty themes here but they’re not really pushed far enough and the solid performances and great prosthetics work can’t make up for a relative lack of genuine scares. SSP