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Wolf Man ending spoilers follow.
Leigh Whannell is back with another update of a Universal Monster with Wolf Man, starring Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner.
Like he did with The Invisible Man, Whannell updates the classic werewolf movie with modern themes, while still paying homage to 1941's The Wolf Man with its stripped-back werewolf transformation.
But there's another way that Wolf Man pays tribute to the original movie by delivering a tragic twist in its final act.
We're about to delve into Wolf Man's major reveal to explain all, so look away now if you haven't seen the movie yet.
Wolf Man ending explained
Unlike the 2010 movie, Wolf Man is more of a reboot of The Wolf Man than a direct remake, and tells a new story that focuses on a new set of characters without any comparison to those in the 1941 movie.
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Years earlier, Blake's father went missing in the woods and after he's legally declared dead, Blake inherits his childhood home. He decides to take his wife Charlotte and their daughter Ginger on a break to his childhood home to try and salvage their marriage.
Not long after they arrive though, they're attacked by an unseen creature and Blake is scratched on his arm. You don't need to have seen The Wolf Man to know that this means Blake is about to undergo a hairy transformation.
They manage to barricade themselves in the home, but continue to be stalked by the werewolf outside which is preventing them leaving. After a failed escape attempt, Blake leads the werewolf away to give Charlotte and Ginger the time to get back into the house.
When Blake arrives back, the werewolf follows him and manages to break in. A violent battle between Blake and the werewolf ensues and, eventually, Blake gets the upper hand and kills it.
Unfortunately for Blake, he spots a familiar tattoo on the werewolf's arm, revealing that the werewolf was his father. This tragic reveal is a callback and a reversal of the ending of The Wolf Man.
In that movie, Larry told his father that he was a werewolf, but Sir John didn't believe him. Later that same night, Sir John kills the werewolf and then discovers that Larry was telling the truth and he killed his son.
While that was the ending of The Wolf Man, the new movie has another act to go after this twist. Blake completes his transformation into a werewolf and finds himself unable to stop himself from attacking Charlotte and Ginger.
Charlotte manages to capture him in a beartrap in the nearby barn, but Blake chews through his own leg (hello, Saw reference) to continue chasing them into the forest.
At the final moment though, just as he corners them, Blake stops himself and recognising he's in pain, Charlotte shoots him with the rifle she took from the house.
Compared to The Wolf Man, it's a more bittersweet ending than a father killing his own son as Blake effectively sacrifices himself to protect his family.
You wouldn't go as far to say it's a happy one though.
Wolf Man is out now in cinemas.
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
