Synopsis: Golden Globe nominee Christopher Abbott (Poor Things, It Comes at Night) stars as Blake, a San Francisco husband and father, who inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon after his own father vanishes and is presumed dead. With his marriage to his high-powered wife, Charlotte (Emmy winner Julia Garner; Ozark, Inventing Anna), fraying, Blake persuades Charlotte to take a break from the city and visit the property with their young daughter, Ginger (Matlida Firth; Hullraisers, Coma).

But as the family approaches the farmhouse in the dead of night, they're attacked by an unseen animal and, in a desperate escape, barricade themselves inside the home as the creature prowls the perimeter. As the night stretches on, however, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognizable, and Charlotte will be forced to decide whether the terror within their house is more lethal than the danger without.

Review: I liked Leigh Whannell's take on "The Invisible Man." He brought a modern sensibility and elevated the narrative's psychological horror to the next level. So, I looked forward to seeing what he would do with "Wolf Man."

The story begins with a father and son hunting in a remote location in the forests of rural Oregon. The pair are attacked by a beast. Fortunate to escape, the duo returns home to their nearby home where the father contacts a friend to go and hunt down the creature.

Decades pass, the young boy, Blake, now a father, receives news that his father has been declared deceased. Blake decides to take his daughter, Ginger, and wife, Charlotte, to his father's home.

As you might guess, things quickly go off the rails as the forest monster stalks the family. Wounded by the creature, Blake, who has already displayed a quick temper, begins to give in to his animal instincts.

The cinematography and special effects are fantastic. Julia Garner, who is the real heart of the film, is as strong as the material allows. Unfortunately, Whannell's attention to detail proves to be lacking as he fails to ground the story in a believable world. Horror films often defy logic, but "Wolf Man" is more ambitious than most creature features in that it wants to be taken seriously.

I couldn't take it seriously. I was too distracted by details that didn't make any sense to even begin to listen to its social commentary. I doubt Whannell's intent was to suggest that stupidity is hereditary and infectious. Maybe it was.

"Wolf Man" isn't terrible. It's serviceable. But it clearly wanted to be more than that. Lower your expectations and you might be satisfied.