Inspired by the classic Universal film that launched a legacy of horror, “The Wolfman” brings the myth of a cursed man back to its iconic origins. Oscar® winner Benicio Del Toro stars as Lawrence Talbot, a haunted nobleman lured back to his family estate after his brother vanishes. Reunited with his estranged father (Oscar® winner Anthony Hopkins), Talbot sets out to find his brother…and discovers a horrifying destiny for himself.

Talbot is reunited with his father (Anthony Hopkins) – something that he hadn’t planned on after fleeing domestic life after the death of his mother. After being called back by Ben’s wife Gwen (Emily Blunt), the hunt soon turns to a funeral after the discovery of Ben’s mutilated body.

Talbot begins an investigation into the brutal slaying of his brother – and even Scotland Yard’s finest (including Hugo Weaving) are called in. But as Talbot digs deeper into claims an animal killed his brother, he’s drawn into a dark world and finds himself facing his deepest fears.

The Wolfman is a straight forward remake of the 1941 film – complete with gory blood letting moments and some spine chilling scenes.

And quite frankly after the recent Twilight shenanigans of the wolves with their rippling abs and easy transformation, it’s refreshing to see a Wolfman which is primal and angry. Rick Baker’s creature  work is pretty impressive – and the time-lapse photography when del Toro changes gives the whole thing a spooky dark feeling.

Del Toro himself, apparently a fan of the original film, is perfectly cast in this – his knack of carrying off a troubled character works wonders in Talbot as he questions his own sanity and the reality around him – by keeping Talbot away from too much emotion, Del Toro’s created the perfect Gothic horror.

Emily Blunt acquits herself well and provides really the only humanity on display – although she feels a little wasted in the role; Hugo Weaving’s glowering and deadpan Aberline has some great lines – but it’s Anthony Hopkins who veers a little too close to Hammer horror hamminess which threatens to derail the proceedings. Fortunately though he’s reigned in and just about manages to carry it off.

What you’ll see here is very much like what we saw at Comic Con in 2008. That footage was considerably more violent and gory (there were some eviscerated guts, etc) but this trailer and the old clip summarize the story in basically the same way. Last year, makeup guru Rick Baker wasn’t too keen on the level of gore in the film, and it’s hard to tell from this whether that’s been dialed down or not. We can see, however, that there’s some good old-fashioned weirdness going on. Maybe a trip to the famous Bedlam home for the insane, and definitely a few sequences of the transformed Benicio exploring London and the suburbs.

There was also concern about how the transformation sequences would look. This trailer seems designed almost expressly to address those qualms, and the transformation looks pretty great. Baker is known for his amazing practical werewolf effects in An American Werewolf in London, and the blend of CGI and practical effects seen here looks excellent. For that alone I’m still extremely curious about the film. Marvel fans consider, too, that this is by the director of Captain America, so if you haven’t seen The Rocketeer in a while, this could be a refresher course on his style and approach.