Wolf Man: Best Monster Movies Leigh Whannel Should Reboot

Though he began as a writer, Leigh Whannell has risen through the ranks as a horror director over the years with films such as his takes on The Invisible Man and Wolf Man. His style is different from what fans of Universal Monsters expected, but he is regarded as someone who understands modern horror.

As a result of his fame and talent, some fans are curious as to what Leigh Whannell will do next after Wolf Man. If he continues to bring back monster movies of the past, there are many to choose from, both in and outside the lexicon of Universal Monsters, with some practically begging for a chance to be rebooted in the modern age.

8

Pumpkinhead

A Legacy Sequel Could Erase The Poor Sequels

Pumpkinhead was directed by special effects legend Stan Winston and became a cult gem of a monster movie. Leigh Whannell’s horror movies focus on the emotional side of characters and that is what Pumpkinhead is centered around, with the titular creature rising to kill those who wronged a man by accidentally causing his son’s death.

The concept of Pumpkinhead is malleable enough that it doesn’t need to be a direct retelling of the same story, but potentially a better sequel than what came before. Leigh Whannell could create a new person to agree to the supernatural deal that causes the demonic entity to rise and start slaughtering people. It could be like Nia DaCosta’s Candyman, a reboot and a sequel to the original film.

7

The Blob

Imagine An Isolation Thriller With Carnivorous Good

The 1988 movie about a gelatinous organism consuming anything living in its path, gradually getting bigger and bigger was already a remake of a 1950s film. A reboot of The Blob by Leigh Whannell has the chance to do something different with the idea, from showing the story from the monster’s point of view to swapping to a more secluded setting.

The Blob could be shown slowly taking over a house or a facility with a smaller cast of characters trying to avoid the Blob as it creeps and leaps. Claustrophobia would play a large factor, similar to the horror seen with the Xenomorph in the Alien franchise. It’s also worth mentioning that the gore and body horror aspect would still be prevalent given what Leigh Whannell did with Saw and Wolf Man.

6

The Hunchback Of Notre Dame

The Original Universal Monster Deserves A Comeback

Since Leigh Whannel rebooted the Wolf Man that Lon Chaney Jr. originally portrayed, he could also adapt the first Universal Monster movie starring Lon Chaney Sr. to the modern day: The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. Quasimodo is a tragic character who wants to love a woman but is treated like a monster for simply being born differently from others.

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Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback Of Notre Dame suits Leigh Whannell’s past with the Saw franchise, focusing on a villain who lashes out against society. However, where Jigsaw is a more heartless killer, the Hunchback is, at its roots, a tragedy and that could be used to craft a character that audiences both hate and love.

5

Tarantula

A Movie That Would Be Every Arachnophobe’s Worst Nightmare

• Release Date: November 23, 1955
• Director: Jack Arnold
• Writers: Jack Arnold, Robert M. Fresco
• Starring: John Agar, Mara Corday, Leo G. Carroll
• Production Company: Universal Pictures
• Distributed By: Universal-International

Tension and suspense can go a long way in crafting a horror movie, even when the concept is bizarre and outlandish on paper. For example, Tarantula, a giant spider going on a rampage thanks to radiation sounds like something out of a comic book, but Universal Pictures delivered a movie that terrified audiences thanks to the slow build-up to when the monster attacks.

With modern technology, Tarantula has the potential to make a giant furry spider horrifying. With Leigh Whannell, he could deliver sequences of the tarantula stalking the protagonists from the darkness, creating more suspense in the same vein as Jaws. As a result, any viewer with arachnophobia might be encouraged to stay home.

4

The Invisible Woman

The First Movie Left The Door Wide Open For A Sequel

Not every good horror movie needs a sequel, but Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man ended with the protagonist, Cecelia, becoming The Invisible Woman to murder the titular villain, Adrian Griffin. That opens up the possibilities of her trauma, with Griffin being the beginning of a cycle, with her becoming so obsessed with being free that she becomes just as much of a killer as he was.

The Invisible Woman was one of the lesser-known sequels to The Invisible Man back in the 1930s. If Leigh Whannell can deliver on three Saw movies, multiple Insidious movies, and more than one Universal monster, nothing is stopping him from a sequel to The Invisible Man. It can still be a slower burn like the first, with more of a perspective on an invisible killer this time.

3

Dracula

Leigh Whannell Could Make A Unique Vampire Movie

Arguably the most overused Universal Monster is Dracula, but that is a testament to how strong of a property Bram Stoker created and the film legacy that more or less started with Bela Lugosi. Vampires in general have seen a resurgence with movies such as Renfield, Abigail, Nosferatu, and The Last Voyage Of The Demeter, which also happen to be adaptations of Dracula.

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Leigh Whannell has started a trend of Universal Monsters being adapted more realistically. Considering how many times Dracula has been rebooted and in various styles, a grounded angle focusing on a more beast-like vampire would be another way to keep the story fresh.

2

The Creature From The Black Lagoon

The Gillman Does Not Get Enough Love From Universal

Of all the various Universal Monster movies, The Creature From The Black Lagoon has strangely been one of the very few to never get a remake or reboot. Yet, the Gillman remains an iconic monster with his face on posters, merchandise, and nearly everything involving the Universal Monsters franchise.

Considering how much special effects have advanced, a modern retelling of The Creature From The Black Lagoon could maintain what made the original so terrifying while adding more brutality and gore to the monster’s rampage. Movies such as Hellboy and The Shape Of Water prove that the concept can be done and done well.

1

Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde

The Duality Of Jekyll And Hyde Best Matches Whannell’s Style

Leigh Whannell’s take on Universal Monsters focuses on the emotional and psychological horror of the concept. There is no better monster suited for that style of storytelling than the enigmatic Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, mixing the horrors of Dr. Jekyll struggles to keep control of his body while his darker persona, Edward Hyde, becomes a twisted serial killer.

The concept of Jekyll and Hyde can be used in various ways. If Leigh Whannell wants to show off an actor’s talents by having them portray two personalities, focusing on a form of dissociative identity disorder akin to Split, that is viable. However, Whannell could also effectively portray a psychological and physical transformation like the original Universal movie with special effects as he did with Wolf Man.

Wolf Man

Release Date

January 15, 2025

Runtime

103 minutes