Halloween Horror Nights didn’t do Leigh Whannell’s upcoming Wolf Man any favors this past Halloween season, offering fans a disappointing first look at the werewolf design via a costumed actor in the park. Revealing a movie’s character design through a theme park costume is never ideal, and the lackluster reveal didn’t sit well with audiences.

Perhaps as a response to the backlash, Universal has decided to drop a major spoiler just one week before the film’s release. A new clip from Wolf Man has surfaced, showcasing Christopher Abbott’s character undergoing a grotesque body horror transformation after being bitten, giving fans an up-close look at his fully transformed werewolf form.

It’s an unusual move to reveal so much so close to a movie’s release, but it seems Universal is trying to salvage the film’s first impression as it approaches its January 17 debut. The transformation clip, however, comes with a warning: SPOILERS ahead.

In a recently released featurette, Whannell explains the inspiration behind his werewolf design: “With the look of Wolf Man, I knew I wanted to do something very different. I was really inspired by movies like John Carpenter’s The Thing and David Cronenberg’s The Fly.” Whannell’s take on the werewolf diverges from the traditional furry monster, drawing more on an infection-based, hybrid wolf-man design. Abbott’s character, Blake, looks far more like a man wrestling with the monstrous side of his transformation, rather than the usual full-on beast. Fans can now get a glimpse of this unique take on the iconic monster.

Abbott stars as Blake, a man who inherits a remote childhood home in rural Oregon after his father goes missing. The film’s plot unfolds as Blake’s relationship with his wife, Charlotte (Julia Garner), deteriorates. Blake convinces Charlotte to visit the property with their daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth). When they arrive at the farmhouse in the dead of night, they are attacked by an unseen creature and are forced to barricade themselves inside, trying to survive as the beast stalks them from outside.

See it to believe it – a new era of terror is here. #WolfManMovie only in theaters January 17.
Get tickets now: https://t.co/NQD0ITe71Q pic.twitter.com/VVw9uTG0sT

— Wolf Man (@WolfManMovie25) January 7, 2025