WOLFEN (1981)

Director: Michael Wadleigh

Writers: David Eyre, Michael Wadleigh, Eric Roth (uncredited), based on Whitley Strieber’s novel The Wolfen

Producer: Rupert Hitzig

Cast: Albert Finney, Gregory Hines, Diane Venora, Tom Noonan, Edward James Olmos, Dick O’Neill, Peter Michael Goetz, Dehl Berti, Sam Gray, Ralph Bell, Reginald Vel Johnson, James Tolkan, Sarah Felder, Michael Wadleigh, Max M. Brown, Anne Marie Pohtamo, John McCurry 

When a gruesome triple murder of a real estate tycoon, his wife, and his bodyguard occurs in a public park, New York City police detective Captain Dewey Wilson (Albert Finney) is called back in from his leave to investigate. The mutilations of the bodies can’t be traced to any known type of weapon and there seems to be no apparent motive. More killings continue as Wilson and his colleagues consider the possibilities of terrorist groups, religious cults, or American Indian activists being responsible for the bizarre and savage crimes. 

The Flashback Fanatic movie review

Wolfen was released between two successful 1981-werewolf films, The Howling and An American Werewolf in London. Its audience probably had certain expectations of what kind of a horror they were getting and may have been disappointed, which probably explains its failure at the box office. While based on the 1978 Whitley Strieber novel The Wolfen, which is not a straight up werewolf story either, the Wolfen film moves even further away from a traditional horror movie menace. It is a truly original and thoughtful concept that at first is a bit hard for one to get their head around. It is also a bit frustrating to not know the abilities of the wolfen, yet their deadly motivation seems every bit as valid as those of the equally fantastic beings of zombies, vampires, and werewolves. However, this unique menace is one of this film’s virtues.

The film is loaded with good performances and interesting characters, in particular are Albert Finney as detective Dewey Wilson and Gregory Hines as medical examiner Whittington. They both exhibit eccentricities and humor that always seem of their character and environment. None of the forced cop-buddy shtick that would become a cliché as the decade wore on. Each of them is funny and believable. There is nothing showy or self-indulgent here, just people going about their business investigating a series of weird crimes while relieving their tension or boredom with some jokes. Notice how Finney delivers his lines on the phone when he is joking about how busy he is while on leave when his boss (Dick O'Neill) calls him to return to duty. Finney’s character is not delivering some scripted and rehearsed remark, but is improvising a mildly bitter quip. That is a smart acting choice. We buy into the reality of this character as a down-on-his-luck cop instead of an actor handing the audience snappy one-liners.

The police procedure is intriguing as it raises more questions than it answers. Standard motives and modus operandi do not seem to apply to this situation, and the professionals seeking justice are open to an array of conventional possibilities that never seem to lead very far. Law enforcement has no experience dealing with what is happening here. Since this film’s menace is original, the audience is no more informed than the police are about the nature of the killers. We are trying to understand the who, what, and why responsible for the murders and are counting on the investigators to enlighten us. It increases audience involvement with the story and the challenge of this strange case. 

Director Wadleigh’s use of Steadicam and Louma crane shots depicting the viewpoint of the wolfen while in motion are very effective. Eerie optical enhancements of this footage and sound effects are used to depict the heightened senses of the killers. 

James Horner was on quite a roll doing horror film scores at this time. His music works along with the killers’ perspectives, movements, and violence to create a terrific sense of dread. 

Equally effective are the locations of the neglected ruins of New York City neighborhoods. Great swaths of the area have been leveled for renovation and appear like the aftermath of war. In this apocalyptic scene it seems only fitting that derelicts and something inhuman haunt it.

It is a shame that Michael Wadleigh did not go on to direct more horror films. Wolfen is a film of great craft where everything seems to come together to create something unique and compelling that may also be a bit frustrating. It really depends upon its audience to have an open mind and try to get a handle on an unfamiliar menace that is not easily categorized. It also may make its mainstream audience feel a bit uncomfortable to be told modern man does not have all the answers and that his preoccupations with status and technology still leave him vulnerable.