Writer/director Leigh Whannell did a fantastic job with his 2020 reimagining of “The Invisible Man.” Instead of directly adapting H.G. Wells’ story (or doing a remake of the 1933 James Whale classic), the filmmaker tweaked the tale and made something unique. Along with co-writer Corbett Tuck, Whannell has done it again with “Wolf Man.” While the film is not a remake of the 1941 horror masterpiece, “The Wolf Man,” it is part of Blumhouse’s “Universal Monsterverse,” where the studio plans to create different takes on many Universal horror classics. Thus far, and with Leigh Whannell at the helm, the studio is two for two.

Working hard to give the story an emotional punch while thrilling genre fans, Whannell and Tuck infuse their screenplay with a troubled marriage, the unshakeable bond between a father and daughter, and the legacy (and repercussions) of generational pain. The script is pleasantly surprising, as it contains more human drama than any werewolf movie ever made. As “Wolf Man” is a more contained story, the humanity found within the film allows the horror moments a stronger impact.

Rather than using the standard werewolf movie playbook, Whannell and Tuck made their film a more intimate story that keeps the action to just a few characters. Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner star as Blake and Charlotte, a troubled married couple who are suffering from an emotional disconnect. Blake is a writer who is between gigs. He is a stay-at-home dad with a deep bond with their daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth). Charlotte is a businesswoman who spends a lot of time at work and is jealous of the strong connection between her husband and daughter. Neither spouse is happy, but both love one another and are willing to try and make their marriage work.

As the film opens, we meet Blake, a young boy (played by Zac Chandler) who lives in a remote house with his strict father (Sam Jaeger). The father seems to rule in a military-like fashion, and the first reaction is to see him as an overbearing bully. The screenplay is too smart to paint him in such a cliche fashion, as it is revealed that he is doing what he can to protect his son from a monster that roams the woods surrounding their home. There is love for his young son, but Blake’s father cannot be the loving “let’s play catch” kind of dad while there is a creature trying to kill them. His stern treatment of his son is the only way to teach the boy the importance of protecting his family at all costs. The act of keeping Blake safe and alive comes from pure love.

Once we meet the older Blake, we see how he has taken that protective instinct from his father. In an introductory scene, Dad and daughter are going for ice cream. When Ginger fails to listen to his instructions to be careful while playing, Blake gets angry and yells at the young girl in public, frightening her. While he apologizes and promises never to speak to her like that again, he reminds her that his duty as a father is to be her protector.

The script gives Blake and Ginger real moments. There is nothing coy or saccharine in their design. Abbott is good at setting up a deep-rooted interconnection between father and daughter. The actor plays his role naturally and finds the shifting dynamics of a husband and father doing his best to love and protect his family unit. Once the film turns up the horror, the actor shines. Abbott creates a layered performance full of changing dramatic beats where love, sacrifice, and the sins of the father guide his destiny.

The family lives in San Francisco in a comfy apartment, but Blake inherits his childhood home in rural Oregon once he gets official word that his father (who had been missing for some time) has been officially pronounced deceased. Blake urges Charlotte to take a break from her job so the family can go to the country and spend the summer rekindling what has been frayed.

As the three head to the country, “Wolf Man” reminds the audience of its title. Once he starts the horror, Whannell gives the audience no reprieve. The director goes all in to create a truly pulse-pounding cinematic experience full of nonstop tension and creative chills. There are many well-crafted moments that will have horror fans frozen to their chairs. Whannell isn’t concerned with startling his viewers. He is out to scare them.

Cinematographer Stefan Duscio and his director take advantage of every inch of their frame. Creating a sober visual tone, they find the terror in the shadows and in glimpses of a creature in the distance. Whannell doesn’t resort to harsh music queues to jolt the audience, as he has faith in Duscio’s ability to visualize the horror through sly framing. In the film’s cleverly designed shots, tightly wound tension and palpable paranoia find an unnerving symmetry. Look all around you. The monster is where you least expect it.

Whannell is resourceful as a filmmaker, using his small cast and secluded location to an effective horror movie advantage. The screenplay wastes no time, as Blake’s encounter with a beast (during an incredibly executed nail-biter of a sequence) leads to a minute-by-minute terror ride. Whannell fills the second half with one skillfully designed scare scene after another. Once Blake begins to feel the “change” inside him, the protector becomes the unwilling aggressor. One of the film’s more fascinating aspects is how, when Blake becomes more wolf-like as the hours go on, he still fights to save his family from the beast outside and the monster he is becoming. The duality of man and creature hasn’t been explored so intriguingly in many moons.

Leigh Whannell stated that he was influenced by David Cronenberg’s 1986 reimagining of “The Fly” and how he gravitated to that film’s tragic tone. Cronenberg made a story of a man infected whose body and humanity deteriorate in front of the woman who loves him. As Blake sees the physical manifestations of the wolf creature he is becoming, Julia Garner does very well as the wife who is helpless in watching her husband die. Maternal instincts and the devoted love of a wife to an “ailing” husband make up Garner’s character, and the actress embraces the many changing roles that Charlotte is forced to play. It is a performance that sneaks up on you.

Supreme praise goes to the makeup effects crew. Blake’s transformation is done practically, which makes for some effectively gruesome moments. This isn’t Rick Baker or Rob Bottin turning a man into a full-on werewolf. This film’s special effects are a throwback to both the 1941 film, 1935’s “Werewolf in London”, and Hammer Studio’s “Curse of the Werewolf”. In these pictures, man becomes a monster, but portions of his clothes remain. While that may seem silly to younger horror fans, the design of Blake’s transformation (and the other creatures) makes it work. The makeup team does incredible work showing the pain of a physical transformation without going over the top. The intimate setting lends itself to the emotional and physical terror of Blake’s infection.

Horror fans should welcome this film with open arms, as it has the right ingredients to satisfy lovers of the genre. From the well-written characters to the interesting human drama to the great practical makeup and nonstop chills, “Wolf Man” is an excellent werewolf film. Inventive and consistently surprising, this is how it’s done.

Grab your popcorn and hold on tight.