Wolfen

R

Released Jul 24, 1981

1h 55m

Horror

List

77%

26 Reviews

Tomatometer

47%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

New York City police investigator Dewey Wilson (Albert Finney) is trying to solve a series of grisly deaths in which the victims have seemingly been maimed by feral animals. He teams up with expert criminologist Rebecca Neff (Diane Venora), and together they stumble upon a band of inner-city Native Americans, led by the streetwise Eddie Holt (Edward James Olmos), who warns Wilson and Neff about a wolf-like, mythical creature that could offer a shocking solution to this disturbing case.

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Critics Consensus

Police procedural meets werewolf flick in Wolfen, a creepy creature feature with a surprisingly profound side.

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Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Some sort of mixed-up commentary on gentrification.

Rated: C+

Jul 3, 2005

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Love, thought, care and craftsmanship have gone into this film.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 23, 2004

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…a big, meaty studio film with lots to say about how the worship of money turns us against each other…

Rated: 4/5

Nov 30, 2023

Full Review

Phil Edwards

Starburst

Wolfen is not a werewolf movie. Exactly what it is I'm not sure, but don't let my uncertainty put you off what is, for the most part, an enjoyable film.

Jul 27, 2022

Full Review

C.H. Newell

Father Son Holy Gore

A crime-thriller-style plot with elements of a police procedural that makes a statement about the plight of Native Americans specifically in big urban centres.

Rated: 4.5/5

May 7, 2019

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

The werewolf movie was revived and reworked with a vengeance in 1981 and Wolfen (1981) was a far more radical take on the genre than An American Werewolf in London or The Howling, though not as popular as either.

Oct 6, 2017

Full Review

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Alec B

Each of the characters become enduring right after they are introduced (no doubt due to the consistently funny dry humor) which is sort of a rarity for these kinds of monster movies. Also, the movie almost completely avoids certain obvious narrative choices in favor of something weirder which I always appreciate

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/24

Full Review

Eddie W

A so so 'werewolf' film, the acting however I thought was okay. If you really want to get into the wolfen, the book is definitely the better option

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/07/23

Full Review

Daniel C

horror gelijk vroeger met echte dieren geen weerwolven die mens zijn en veranderen in wolven neen gewoon dieren met goede speciale effecten voor die tijd redelijk spanning en horror. wolven die mensen vermoorden maar dit zijn geen gewone wolven maar volgens de legende zouden het geesten zijn van indianen die hun grond beschermen. lang geleden gezien en gekocht om dvd

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/15/22

Full Review

steve m

I don't understand the high scores this movie got from Ebert and Metacritic. It was just average to me.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Taylor L

Edward James Olmos goes full frontal in this movie, which is not something I was expecting. Though it might lack the sheer brutality or nuance of a film like Candyman, much of what people like about that 1992 Bernard Rose classic is present in Wolfen - a horror film with themes of political injustice, hammered home by settings rife with authentic urban decay. Taking advantage of the extensive urban renewal initiatives that New York City was undergoing in the '80s, the production team deliver these shots of sprawling desolation, with full blocks of demolished apartment complexes at the center of which rests a burned-out church (constructed for the film, but shockingly convincing); it's quietly some of the best urban on-location set design you'll ever see. Seriously, Tarkovsky wishes he could have filmed Stalker in 1981 New York City. While nominally a werewolf movie, Wolfen actually earns its keep as a surprisingly modern investigative thriller, following a grungy and thoroughly convincing Albert Finney through a series of clues featuring the sense of suspense and dangr in lonely rooms that thrillers still trade off of. This was also my first time seeing the work of Gregory Hines, notable for both his film career and in particular for his tap dancing expertise - he nails his role as expressive coroner and co-investigator Whittington. It's crazy that director Michael Wadleigh made this tight little thriller, the highly acclaimed 1969 Woodstock documentary, and essentially nothing else. An underappreciated gem that delivers consistent (if slightly simple) themes of past social misdeeds, and features underappreciated performances and production design. Bonus points for essentially creating Predator vision years before Predator came out. (3.5/5)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/18/22

Full Review

jon s

I love a good werewolf movie and this isn't one. Wolfen is borderline unwatchable with terrible special effects and a heavy-handed message that feels like a throwback to worst excesses of mid-1970s cinematic moralizing.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Michael Wadleigh

Director

Albert Finney

Dewey Wilson

Diane Venora

Rebecca Neff

Gregory Hines

Whittington

Edward James Olmos

Whittington

Tom Noonan

Ferguson

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Synopsis

New York City police investigator Dewey Wilson (Albert Finney) is trying to solve a series of grisly deaths in which the victims have seemingly been maimed by feral animals. He teams up with expert criminologist Rebecca Neff (Diane Venora), and together they stumble upon a band of inner-city Native Americans, led by the streetwise Eddie Holt (Edward James Olmos), who warns Wilson and Neff about a wolf-like, mythical creature that could offer a shocking solution to this disturbing case.

Director: Michael Wadleigh
Production Co: Orion Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 24, 1981, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 29, 2012
Runtime: 1h 55m
Sound Mix: Surround

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