Vampires one week, werewolves the next. Unlike the highly cinematic Nosferatu, Wolf Man is merely a good-looking streaming movie. It could be psychological scarring from Covid, but monstrosity because of disease has taken root in the mind of horror writers.

In fiction, lycanthropy has been everything from a pact with the devil to a supernatural curse, but here we return to the idea of it as an illness. This is a movie where the werewolf is neither calculating nor 8 feet tall on two legs with a great coat of computer generated hair. Here instead it is rabid, deformed and has lost comprehension of humanity.

There’s some majestic Oregon scenery here. The practical effects used for the werewolf look great. Not only is that cheaper than doing it with CGI, but it’s a throwback to Lon Chaney Jr. as The Wolf Man. With practical effects, wounds fester quickly, bones break with satisfying crunches and if the actors can disgust you they’ll try to. The 1941 movie has a more satisfying story, though both movies focus on parent and child relationships.

At a lean 100 minutes, the film doesn’t overstay its welcome; its simplicity makes it suitable for second-screen viewing. Horror movies when they hit at the box office can make studios a fortune because the cheap ones are the best ones. They do less well on streaming. This is that. I can see it generating a tidy profit at the box office and then stalking off into the wilds of the streaming forest. You might only glimpse it again at the edge of your vision while scrolling through your viewing recommendations.