Wolfen

Some films are so far ahead of their time that their true greatness only becomes apparent years or even decades later. One of these visionary works is Michael Wadleigh’s adaptation of Whitley Strieber’s horror novel »Wolfen« (1981). Even at the time, the story of a detective played by Albert Finney, investigating the murder of a real estate mogul and his wife, was something of a sensation. Wadleigh portrayed the New York of those years, marked by both opulence and decay, with an almost documentary-like ruthlessness. Today, it is also evident how prescient he was regarding the political and ecological developments that followed. In doing so, Wadleigh exploited the possibilities of horror cinema in a way few other filmmakers have. Disturbing effects and overwhelming Steady-Cam sequences create an atmosphere of terror that sharpens rather than obscures the view of political realities. The true horror does not come from the Wolfen themselves. It arises from a capitalism that destroys the foundations of life for all and inevitably lays the groundwork for fascist tendencies.