Helmed by Leigh Whannell, ‘Wolf Man’ revolves around a San Francisco-based family whose lives become a living nightmare when they visit a remote farmhouse in Oregon and are attacked by a spooky creature (likely a werewolf) that doesn’t show its face. Following this incident, as the night goes on, the family is in for a lot of trouble. After being bitten by the creature, the patriarch of the family, Blake (Christopher Abbott), transforms into something ominous and sinister and becomes a threat to his own family. What is a good horror movie without a chilling atmosphere? The gripping ambiance makes or breaks a horror movie. Whether you want to shake the audience with a jumpscare or envelop them with the dread of psychological horror, the overall atmosphere plays a key role.
A horror movie is incomplete without solid visual storytelling as it contributes significantly to this atmosphere, so picking the correct location to execute it is always important. ‘Wolf Man’ relies heavily on an engrossing atmosphere to give the audience ample chills and thrills necessary for a horror movie. Being the reimagining of the 1941 classic ‘The Wolf Man,’ it also offers both psychological and metaphysical aspects of horror throughout its runtime. In doing so, the shooting locations that add to the overall eerieness play are extremely pivotal.
Wolf Man Filming Locations
While making Wolf Man, director Leigh Whannell had the themes of isolation, dread, and anxiety in mind. Hence, he decided to base the movie in Oregon which fits these themes. While the film is set in Beaver State, it was actually shot in several locations in New Zealand, specifically in and around Mangaroa, Upper Hutt, and Wellington. The production of the creature horror film commenced in March 2024 and continued for a few weeks before reportedly concluding in May of the same year.
Mangaroa, New Zealand
A large part of Wolf Man was shot in Mangaroa, located in Upper Hutt in the lower North Island of New Zealand. Considering the nature of the movie, picking this city as a filming spot seems like an appropriate choice. Whannell wanted the movie to be a modern, unique take on the character of Wolf Man, who already has a lot of lore to boast about. Apart from this, he also wanted to give tribute to 80s horror classics like ‘The Thing’ and ‘The Fly’ by John Carpenter and David Cronenberg, respectively.
Mangaroa is a rural settlement on the outskirts of Upper Hutt, covered by hills and farms. Hence, deciding to shoot a movie of this nature here makes perfect sense. Whannell wanted to start a new era for the iconic character of the Wolf Man with this movie, and while scouting the shooting locations, he found Mangaroa suitable for this haunting and tense story to unfold.
Wellington, New Zealand
Wolf Man is essentially one of those stories where a family moves from a posh city area to a remote farm. Therefore, it is only fair that all the scenes involving the family in the city are shot in Wellington, which also happens to be the capital city of New Zealand. With lavish locations and many iconic destinations, Wellington has been the epicenter of various notable events and activities and movie shootings are one of them.
New Zealand has had a rich history of many iconic films being shot there. From sweeping epics like ‘The Lord of The Rings’ to one of the most popular spy thrillers like ‘Mission Impossible: Fallout,’ the country has hosted movies and shows of various genres to showcase distinct narratives to the audience. If we speak about modern horror, acclaimed movies like ‘Evil Dead Rise’ as well as ‘X’ and ‘Pearl’ from Ti West’s ‘X’ trilogy, also found New Zealand to be the ideal place to deliver scares to the audience. So, it is sufficient to say that filmmakers are indeed enamored by something elusive in New Zealand that makes them gravitate towards it. With ‘Wolf Man,’ it was about taking the legacy of an already established monster character forward, and the makers thought New Zealand was the ideal place to do so.
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