Wolf Man’s Most Brutal Kill Almost Involved Ripping Off a Head

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In our interview with Ben Prendergast, we discovered that the crucial death scene in Wolf Man (2025) wasn’t finalized until the day before it was shot. Various alternatives were still up for debate right up until the last minute.

Initially, Wolf Man may seem like just another typical horror movie, but beneath the furry exterior lies a deeper story. What binds each plot point together is the complex web of relationships portrayed by the character, Blake.

One significant bond is with his character’s father, named Grady. However, the exact nature of their relationship wasn’t fully decided upon prior to filming. Although the general concept was established, the specific details on how we would reach that end result were somewhat unclear.

In this chat, we got together with Ben Prendergast, the talented actor who played the werewolf in Grady’s movie. We explored different directions his character could take and delved into the intriguing finale scene of the film (beware: major plot spoilers ahead).

A near-impossible one-shot sequence

Leading up to the New Zealand shooting scene, Prendergast was granted both the entire script and contact with the director, which allowed him to create his character appropriately. Yet, it wasn’t clear where Grady would ultimately end up in the storyline until the very day before we started filming it.

To make his death significant and fitting for both Blake and Charlotte’s characters, it needed to be a meaningful event they could truly deserve.

From the get-go, Prendergast made it crystal clear that we were dealing with a fight scene, but there were many aspects of it that were still up for debate.

The confrontation was inevitable, yet its exact outcome was uncertain. During the production of this fight scene, Director Leigh Whannell appeared thoughtful, suggesting that they would need to discuss and figure out the specifics later on.

Initially, we intended to film an extended battle scene as a single, unbroken take, similar to the style seen in movies like “Children of Men” and “True Detective Season 1”. The scene would culminate dramatically with a clear signaling of death.

The actor, chuckling, commented that they had planned the fight scene to last for five minutes and it turned out to be quite intense. They admitted that they were tired from practicing it.

A significant challenge surfaced even prior to the idea being translated onto the big screen. The question became, “How can an actor appear motionless following such intense physical activity during a death scene?

For five continuous, high-energy moments, it would have been extremely tough for Prendergast to abruptly catch his breath. In the end, this concept was discarded.

Grady’s death could’ve been much more brutal

After the extended single shot concluded, there remained the question of how Grady would meet his demise. Naturally, the team brainstormed numerous ways to eliminate the movie’s main antagonist, a sort of big, bad wolf.

According to Prendergast, we performed numerous attempts. Once, Blake seemed to mimic an UFC chokehold, putting pressure on his neck. On another occasion, Charlotte intervened dramatically, jabbing a red-hot fire poker into Grady’s torso.

In addition, we explored alternatives featuring Charlotte shattering a bottle on him during the fight sequence. We aimed to incorporate several elements into this battle, but due to their limited abilities to merely slash and bite, we faced some restrictions in executing these ideas effectively.

“Blake’s hand usage isn’t as extensive. The chokehold attempt failed since it wasn’t intense enough, and also, we needed to teach Grady a lesson during the fight.” (This version maintains the original meaning while using simpler language and rephrasing some of the sentence structures for easier understanding.)

Undeniably, the concept that stood out as the most brutal among those they debated was a joint execution method, as Prendergast disclosed. “An alternative was thrusting a red-hot poker through Grady’s neck. Then, Blake held one side while Charlotte gripped the other, before they tore his head off.

In the end, what transpired was indeed a fulfilling conclusion, serving both the narrative and the intensity of the scene. Moreover, we discussed with Prendergast the finale of Wolf Man and how Grady’s fall paved the way for the climax of redemption.

The final result was more than satisfactory, catering to both the plot and the violence in the scene. Additionally, we conversed with Prendergast regarding the ending of Wolf Man and how Grady’s descent led to the peak of redemption.

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2025-01-17 19:23