#horror2025

Wolf Man (2025) isn’t trying to reinvent the monster. Instead, Leigh Whannell delivers a grounded, grief-soaked reimagining that trades gothic castles for rain-drenched Oregon woods and cosmic dread for something far more intimate: the terror of losing control of your own body—and your family.

Christopher Abbott gives a quietly devastating performance as Blake, a man whose return to his childhood home unravels into something primal. Julia Garner, Matilda Firth, and Sam Jaeger round out a family you genuinely care about—which makes the horror hit harder. The practical effects are strong, the atmosphere thick with dread, and the first half is masterful slow-burn tension.

But the second half falters. The themes—fatherhood, inherited violence, fear of self—feel hinted at but never fully explored. The CGI “wolf vision” sequences are serviceable but unremarkable, and while the one major transformation is well-handled, it’s not enough to carry the film’s meandering final act.

This isn’t The Invisible Man—it lacks that film’s razor-sharp clarity. But it’s also not the disaster some critics claim. It’s a competent, atmospheric, deeply average big-budget horror: not a new classic, but not a waste of time either.

3/5 stars. A noble, flawed effort that honors the spirit of Universal’s tragic monster—even if it doesn’t earn a place beside it.

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So yeah we went to see the new horror movie The Black Phone 2 and I would have to say we weren't the only ones to do so being it was packed for this! and I would say rightfully so being this movie was awesome!

I personally loved the first one, it was an excellent movie. The idea and how it was done was really good I loved it. You can see my original thoughts on the first movie here.

Now after the first one I thought it would be great to get a type of prequel for it rather then a sequel because I felt there was plenty of things backstory wise that could have been explored but happily this movie covered everything I wanted from a prequel as well as giving something new and pushing the story forward. So I was extremely happy about that being it gave me everything I wanted and more!

The basically story is pretty much this… It picks up a few years after the first one where the kids have grown up more and Fin (Mason Thames) is some what famous for his experience with "The Grabber" and is now experiencing a bit of PTSD over the whole thing. While his sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) is also trying to deal with the events that changed their lives and trying to deal with her strengthening powers. After having strange dreams about a youth camp that not only has ties to the Grabber's origins but to their family as well. So the 2 with Gwen's new Boyfriend Ernesto (Miguel Mora) go to investigate and while there they experience the return of The Grabber (Ethan Hawke) who returns as this Freddy Krueger-ish type of creature intent of getting revenge on Fin for what Fin did to him by killing his sister in her dreams. So they have to figure out the mystery of the Youth Camp and stop the The Grabber once and for all.

One thing I kinda thought was stupid was when they get to the camp in the middle of the snow storm they make Gwen sleep in the bunk house all alone I'm like why don't they let her stay with Mustang (Arianna Rivas) just for that night it felt kinda cruel to make her stay there by herself.

Now one of the things that was really cool about this was how they showed Gwen's dreams/the dreamworld I can't remember if they did this in the first one or not but in this to separate the 2 worlds is when Gwen is dreaming it is pictured as this almost grainy 8MM type of film reel. Which I thought was a real nice stylistic choice and added to the over all creepiness of the movie.

The visuals, production design and everything was great. It really has a mood and tries to get you with how things look and tries to push you into feeling almost this sense of isolation, desperation and dread. Also the make-up effects were great in this when The Grabber has his masked removed near the end it was very gooey to say the least also were I felt the original was more of a thriller this one pushes more into horror it is I'd say more scary then the first one and there is some good jumps in it.

The acting was I thought great especially from the returning cast and of course from Ethan Hawke as the Grabber he is so perfect as this character and it feels like he puts everything into it and is having a great time while doing it. also another one that was great was Maev Beaty who played Barbara she is just this character you want to hate and is almost like this secondary villain in a way. but yeah everyone was great and even though this is horror there was a few funny moments.

Now in the end some might say its a rip off of "A Nightmare On Elm Street" but not really being it fits the over all story of the movie The first one was some what of a "ghost story" so in this one The Grabber is now a wrathful, vengeful ghost himself so I feel it is a natural story progression.

Lisa Kudrow. Brian Cox. Edie Falco. Dean Norris. Parker Posey. Plus rising stars Nik Dodani and Brandon Flynn as a sweet, grounded gay couple. A stacked cast that reads like a prestige TV dream team.

And yet… it’s a total misfire.

This horror-comedy—about two sets of parents meeting at a countryside house, only to be terrorized by a 400-year-old entity—feels like a recycled SNL sketch stretched to 90 minutes. The jokes don’t land. The scares don’t scare. The “satire” is toothless, relying on tired tropes and gags we have seen a million times.

It’s not Scary Movie—it’s not even trying to be. It’s safe, studio-approved quirk with all the edge sanded off. And that’s the real tragedy: when you give legends like Cox and Falco nothing to do but deliver sitcom lines, it’s not just boring—it’s insulting.

I went in hoping for a genre-reviving Halloween gem. I left wondering how this script ever got greenlit.

2/5 stars. A wasted ensemble in a film that’s neither funny nor frightening—just forgettable. We should stop letting SNL writers make movies.

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If you’ve seen it, I’d love to hear your take! And if you’re new here: I’m covering 31 Days of Horror all October with daily reviews of hidden gems, misfires, and everything in between.