Why is “Wolf Man” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “bloody violent content, grisly images and some language.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes several scenes of a man transforming into an animal-like creature, scenes of attacks on humans partially transformed into animals with biting, tearing flesh and throats and scenes with bitten-off digits and limbs, several scenes of people being terrorized by attacks, and at least 4 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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When a man (Christopher Abbott) takes his wife (Julia Garner) and young daughter (Matilda Firth) to Oregon after receiving word that his father has been declared dead, they encounter a creature that changes their lives in a terrifying way. Also with Leigh Whannell, Sam Jaeger, Benedict Hardie, Ben Prendergast and Zac Chandler. Directed by Leigh Whannell. [Running Time: 1:43]

Wolf Man SEX/NUDITY 1

 – A husband and his wife talk about whether they are happy or not. A young girl puts lipstick on her lips, as well as her father’s lips.

Wolf Man VIOLENCE/GORE 7

 – A woman takes a man undergoing a transformation and a young girl outside in the dark to a truck, she jump-starts the engine and tries to drive away as a creature jumps on the hood, breaks through the windshield, pulls the gear shifter off, tries to grab the woman and she slashes it on the arm with a knife; the three people in the truck run away and climb on top of a greenhouse, the girl nearly falls through and the man jumps off distracting the creature and they fight off-screen (we hear growling and howling). A man opens a door and a creature from outside lunges in and tackles him; they fight biting and slashing each other, a woman stabs the creature in the shoulder with a knife, and one character is bitten on the throat (we see the bloody wound with blood pulsing out) and dies. A man undergoing a transformation approaches a woman and a young girl and the woman slashes him on the hand when he reaches for the child (we see blood); he grabs the blade and drags his hand along it (we see a lot of blood). A woman and a young girl hide in a barn and a man undergoing a transformation enters and threatens them from the shadows; he steps in a trap that clamps around his ankle, he bites his own foot off to free himself (we see blood and torn tissue and the severed foot remains in the trap), runs on all fours to chase the woman and the young girl into a deer blind and when he breaks the door open, the woman shoots him and he falls to the ground (we see blood on his face and mouth).
► A man leaves a house and we hear howling and roaring in the distance; we see him transforming and becoming wolf-like, his hands change to look more like paws and he pulls on his lower jaw (we hear bones crunch) as he grows fur on his back. A man’s arm is very bloody and a woman removes a bandage to reveal the flesh under the bandage appears, which decaying and he rushes to a corner where he chews on his own arm (we hear growling and tearing, we see his bloody mouth and face and a tooth pops out of his mouth); the woman watches in terror.
► A man driving a truck at night swerves to miss what looks like a man standing in the road; the truck drives off the road and is hung up on its side in trees; a man opens his door and falls out and to the ground where he is mauled by something and dragged off-screen (we see a bloody abdominal wound and hear growling and snarling); another man in the truck is scratched on the arm by an animal (we see some blood) and he, a woman and a child, run through the forest to find a house while being chased by the animal. A man hears noises outside a house and we see something moving past the window; the man stands at a door listening, a creature grabs his leg through a doggie door and tries to drag him out until a woman hits the creature several times with a hammer and the man recoils and loses consciousness.
► A man and a young boy in a forest hear strange noises and heavy footfalls nearby; the man sends the boy to a deer blind, the man follows and they wait as we hear animal noises outside and a loud bang sends the animal away; the man sees something move in the distance and shoots at it (we hear a roar, but do not see anything struck). A man hears a woman’s voice but cannot make out the words she is saying; we hear just sounds as she speaks and he is unable to form words when he tries to speak. A man takes aim at a deer in the forest and the deer moves out of sight; a young boy runs to get a better vantage point, and he sees something strange through his site as he takes aim.
► A man’s face begins to change, his hair begins to fall out and the shape of his hands changes. A woman finds a bloody wound on a man’s arm (we see the bloody wound and swollen tissue around it) and disinfects and bandages it. A man bites into a tough piece of jerky and spits out a blood-covered tooth. A man accidentally hits his hand with a hammer and groans in pain. A man hears loud noises and movement in a closet and when he opens the door we see a large spider skittering on the wall; the man seems feverish and gags.
► A man, a woman and a young girl in a truck stop at a gate and a man with a rifle is seen in the shadows of a deer blind; he moves toward the truck and the woman protests telling the man in the truck to leave.
► A man yells at his young son and shakes him by the arm. A man yells at his young son when he is not paying attention to him and says that it is not hard to die. A man tells his young son that mushrooms in the forest are called “death cap” because they are poisonous. A man yells at his young daughter for climbing on road construction barriers near traffic and when she jumps down, she bumps into a man that also yells at her. A man wakes his son by calling “Ten-hut!” and the boy scurries to make his bed and get dressed to go hunting. A man tells another man over a radio, “I saw it,” after an encounter with an animal and talks about wanting to protect his son. A woman calls for help over a radio and says, “My husband was infected.” A man receives a document about his father having been officially declared dead. A man and a woman talk about whether they are happy. We read about a hiker having gone missing in Oregon and suspicions of him being infected with an animal borne virus. A sign reads, “Keep out. There is nothing here worth dying for.”
► Screeching noises accompany a wasp being attacked by ants. A man vomits a lot of blood (we see goo and blood) and we understand that he bit the finger off a creature (we see a severed finger with a bone exposed in the pool of vomited blood). A man complains about the smell of something and opens a door to find hanging cuts of meat and some jerky. The bloody remains of a deer are seen in the distance with blood and exposed ribs. A deer pelt is seen draped over a sofa, and a deer’s head is shown mounted and hanging on a wall. A man seems ill and urinates on the floor; we see the puddle forming at his boot. A man’s hands change shape and we see his nails pop off and claws grow in their place accompanied by blood. A severed human arm is shown on the ground.

Wolf Man LANGUAGE 5

 – About 4 F-words and its derivatives, 4 scatological terms, 3 mild obscenities, name-calling (creepy, scary), 1 religious profanity (GD), 6 religious exclamations (e.g. oh my God, I swear to God, Jesus). | profanity glossary |

Wolf Man SUBSTANCE USE

 – None.

Wolf Man DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Wild animals, living in the wild, survival, disease, being strong.

Wolf Man MESSAGE

 – Protecting your children can give you the strength to do even the unthinkable to survive.