Universal Removes Wolf Man HHN Photo Op Following Backlash

The full moon no longer seems to be shining in the night sky over Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights event. Earlier this month a photo op was set up where guests could both interact with and take pictures with the Wolf Man, specifically the one from the upcoming 2025 reimagining from Blumhouse.

First look at the Wolfman in Leigh Whannell’s ‘WOLF MAN’

Just revealed at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights.

(via: @SpeculationMatt) pic.twitter.com/qNfPFVQDFz

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 4, 2024

However, after a month, the display is gone. The area that once featured a backdrop with the Wolf Man logo and props to better immerse guests has now been replaced with a generic “Halloween Horror Nights” backdrop.

The disappearance of the display might have to do with the massive online backlash over the reveal of the monster’s design. He looked less like a wolf and more like a goblin from the Harry Potter films. He was definitely more man than wolf.

The design was heavily mocked by fans of the traditional 1941 film starring Lon Chaney Jr. and the 2010 version starring Benicio del Toro. Admittedly, compared to its predecessors, it becomes far less impressive than what they may have originally hoped for. This iteration seems to be a radically different take on the concept, much like the 2020 version of The Invisible Man.



Recently, actor Christopher Abbott (The actor portraying the titular Wolf Man) gave an interview with Collider about the film and how they wanted to give him a “tragic-looking” design:

“It was a lot of prosthetics, a lot of time in the prosthetics chair. We did it old-school style, which I appreciate. I thought [Arjen Tuiten] designed a scary, beautiful, but tragic-looking creature for it. I’m really excited for people just to see that work.“

Despite attempting to calm the storm surrounding the design, Universal seems to be already preparing for the film to whimper at the box office instead of howl. The film’s budget isn’t currently known, but since it is being made by the same people behind the 2020 Invisible Man remake, it could be somewhere in that range, which was around $7 Million.

If the film does flop, Universal won’t lose that much, but it could prevent further remakes of their classic monsters from being made at Blumhouse. Only time will tell if this big bad wolf is more bark than bite.

What do you think? Are you looking forward to the 2025 remake of the Wolf Man? Or will you just put the DVD of the 1941 original on this Halloween? Let us know your thoughts.

Sources: WDWNT, Collider