Director Leigh Whannell on viral ‘Wolf Man’ backlash and why horror fans will be “blown away”

nme.com:

Wolf Man, has spoken to NME about an online backlash that followed an alleged ‘reveal’ of the creature’s appearance.Blumhouse Productions’ loose remake of the 1941 Universal Studios horror classic The Wolf Man is not due until January and trailers have not revealed the werewolf’s full appearance.

However, in September, Orlando’s Universal Theme Park Florida hosted a Halloween Horror Night that featured a photo opportunity with branding for the new movie.This included an actor, apparently intended to portray the Wolf Man, with outlandish makeup, white hair and torn clothes.

Fans were quick to mock the ‘reveal’ on X, casting doubt on the film itself. “That’s not The Wolf Man,” wrote one user. “That’s your insane grandpa who transformed into a werewolf and broke out of the retirement home.”Another commented: “Oof, that doesn’t look good… more so just the design, if that’s what it’s going to look like in the movie then I’m officially worried about the movie now.” In October, Whannell reassured fans at New York Comic Con that this was no reflection on the actual film, while the Wolf Man branding was quietly removed from the theme park.The Wolf Man from the upcoming Blumhouse film has made his HHN debut! #HHN33 #HHN pic.twitter.com/ifIkz7giFJ— HHNSpeculationMatt (@SpeculationMatt) September 4, 2024In a new interview with NME, the director reflected on the apparent gaffe. “The marketing department for a movie is so huge,” he said, “it’s really impossible to keep tabs on every single thing.