“Scaring people is addictive – it's an addictive drug.”
So says Leigh Whannell, director and co-writer of the new film The Wolf Manwhich opens on January 17. I saw an advanced screening, and if you want to add some nightmares to your nightmare playlist, I recommend checking it out for yourself. This is a seriously scary take on the classic furry beast. Teenage wolf it is not.
Horror movie fans know Whannell as the co-creator of FrONt and its iconic main character, that fun party boy Jigsaw. Whannell's extensive film credits also include writing the latter The invisible man shooting starring Elizabeth Moss, Secretly franchise, and a ton of other delicious stuff. The man really knows how to make a hot move.
I spoke with Whannell about The Wolf Man and his bloody career in the new episode of How success happens. I wanted to find out how he got so good at making money off of terror and also ask him point blank, “What the hell is wrong with you?” Listen to the entire conversation below or on the platform of your choice. Enjoy the nightmares!
On the terror of making money
“Well, there was never a decision to make money from terror. After I graduated from film school, where I met FrONt co-creator James Wan, he and I were dedicated horror fanatics, but we certainly didn't see any money in it. We just wanted to make a movie, and the horror genre is not only one we love, but it's also so friendly to first-time filmmakers and low-budget filmmakers. You don't need a celebrity to play the lead role. You don't need a lot of noise effects – horror is something you can do on a budget. And we still love horror and we just kept going. Scaring people, I think, is the same feeling a comedian gets when they laugh too hard. I have dragged an involuntary auditory response out of human beings without their consent! To me, a scream and a laugh are just different sides of the same coin. It is very problematic. It is an addictive drug.”
Going crazy
“There were moments in the early days of writing these movies where I said, 'I need professional help.' But with fictional characters, you can kill them without guilt. The Wolf ManI was thinking about what I hadn't seen with this character – I felt it needed something a little new, a little drop of fresh blood. I wanted to do something really terrifying and intense.”
Moving from FrONt franchise
“It's very strange to be sitting in my bedroom in Melbourne, Australia and create a character, and then this thing that I created now belongs to other people. If I see a billboard for another FrONt movie I had no connection with, it's a very strange experience. I can only compare it to maybe watching your child leave the nest and go on and do something. You say, “Well, I brought this person into the world as best I could, but now they're on trial for murder or they're the CEO of a Fortune 500 company!” It's like, 'You are your own person, but I had a lot to do with your existence.' There have been moments where I don't like where the franchise has gone, but I feel like it doesn't belong anymore. This happens a lot in the film world. You create something, but often you don't own the rights to it. It's a very strange experience, but look, it's not a bad experience. of FrONt Movies mean a lot to people, so I'm grateful. I probably wouldn't be sitting here talking to you if those movies hadn't gotten into people's hearts, you know?”
Subscribe to How Success Happens: Apple | Spotify | to YouTube
About how success happens
Each episode of How Success Happens shares the inspiring, entertaining and unexpected journeys that influential leaders in business, art and sports took on their way to becoming household names. It's a reminder that behind every great career, there's a person who persevered in the face of self-doubt, failure, and everything else thrown their way.