Leigh Whannell Archives | Otaku No Culture

When The Wolf Man (2025) Is All Bark with No Bite, Where’s the Excitement?

Not every take of the Wolf Man legend will gel, and this is one film I wish existed under the abandoned Dark Universe banner.

The Wolf Man 2025 Movie Poster Maybe Universal Studios should have stuck to having a board of directors who know their monster lore to at least keep ideas consistent when rebooting what’s beloved from their classic catalogue. I love Robert Eggers Nosferatu in all its nasty glory (movie review), but for Leigh Whannell‘s Wolf Man, setting this tale in the modern day is not for me. Not only is the story set away from the classical European origins but also, in what I could sit through, the connection to the tribal lore said to have created the beast is weak.

Blake (Christopher Abbott) is the latest victim to inherit the curse, and it doesn’t happen right away. First, he’ll have to convince his family to move. And I can’t think of many people who are used to city life willingly move to a rural home. Despite settling in, I’m sure his wife and daughter, Charlotte (Julia Garner) and Ginger (Matilda Firth), will want to leave after all the terror.

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The Invisible Man. Can You See Right Through Me?

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Even though Universal’s Dark Universe plans are no more, it won’t stop me from seeking out The Invisible Man. Leigh Whannell‘s take with the classic H.G. Wells story goes into new places. His modern day discourse even hints at a greater terror–about those methods where stalking comes easy in this digital age. This writer-director is in fine form, adding elements of a possible ghost. How he approached making this tale modern is far more innovative than the Insidious series.

However, we all know that this tale is more of a science fiction tale and the revelation of Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen who barely gets enough screen time for a reason) as a brilliant optics engineer says it all. He’s created an invisible cloaking technology and put it in the form of a suit. It’s the ultimate in espionage, as long as the wearer doesn’t make a stupid move to reveal him or herself.

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Halloween is near and it’s Insidious to Fear this Franchise is Not Continuing

Insidious (2010) - IMDb By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

If there are any more Insidious movies to be made, the producers are not saying. There are whispers of a fifth movie, but how many fans want it? Many believe the saga has run full circle. When considering The Last Key ended at where it started, where it can go will depends on where the story can go next. Lin Shaye gives the character of Elise Rainier credibility to what most real-life paranormal investigators do.

When this series began, we were introduced to a young Dalton Lambert (Ty Simpkins). He is gifted with the ability to walk in a netherworld (known as the Further) unabated. His parents, Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne), are very scared and believe with this talent, he will lose his way. Spirits populate this realm and none of them are friendly; they spirits wish to feed upon his life energy like a vampire requiring blood.

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Connecting the Dots in the Insidious Series and The Last Key

The only real problem with the Insidious series is in how many times can the producers play with a familiar plot and Astral Projection?

Insidious

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

The Insidious series is one of those guilty pleasures where I hope some answers are given about Darth Maul — er, The Red Faced Demon. The previous films, which I had to see again before penning this article, and the latest, The Last Key, do not necessarily follow in a logical order. This franchise is taking just as long as the Paranormal Activity series to offer answers. I fear I will have a complete head of gray hair by the time any will be offered.

All we get with this latest work is that it looks at the life of Elise before she became a full time paranormal investigator, and everything that has plagued her life, before taking on the case presented from the first film.

This prequel has its moments, and actually has one great jump scare which caused me to gasp. I often wondered if I could ever get that reaction with any horror movie, and this film actually delivered. It’s very rare for me to get startled. Also, Specs and Tucker (Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson) are hilarious as always. This movie’s saving grace is with how well-developed the character of Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) is. She defines and saves this franchise from mediocrity.

Whannell is also this series lead and co-writer. He develops what goes on in the Astral Realm known as The Further in baby steps and the details which matter is nothing new to those who study the occult. In what goes on there are darker reflections in what goes on in the mortal world. Rainier has skeletons in the closet and I am not surprised at the visions she sees in this other world. When she’s called to investigate her childhood home, all those memories are going to surface in some horrible way. To watch her deal with, bury the past and deal with her demons makes this fourth film better than the previous. Her resolve is being nicely developed.

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