Woe is us, for gone are the days when filmmakers had a sound understanding of what makes for top-notch horror. The latest example of bungled horror films, Joe Johnston’s remake of “The Wolfman,” opened Friday, garnering more sighs than screams from film fans with its underdeveloped narrative and oversaturation of special effects and clichés.

The film opens on Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) being called home to England after the disappearance of his brother (whose mangled body is soon discovered), and his subsequent search for answers yields dealings with gypsies and townsfolk, entanglements with an obligatory love interest (played by Emily Blunt), lycanthropy, and ever-increasing conflict with his father (played by Anthony Hopkins). Sadly, however, “The Wolfman” invests little more time in explaining itself than has the description you’ve just read.

The film’s fatal flaw is just that. From shot number one, it makes far too many assumptions, which seems to ultimately breed laziness on the part of the film’s “creative” team. In the world of “The Wolfman,” character and narrative development are apparently considered a waste of time, leaving audiences with characters who are difficult to care about, and a story that isn’t particularly original or captivating.

If “The Wolfman’s” intention was not to rely on silly things like characters or story, then its biggest priority is clearly its overdependence on special effects. It’s true: oftentimes less is more—a rule that Johnston has neglected to apply to his film. Trippy flashbacks and nightmares and computer-generated bears and werewolves do not a scary movie make.

With much more memorable endeavors such as “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” and “Jumanji” to his credit, Johnston would have done well to follow the lead of the original 1941 film, which demonstrates masterful use of suspense and psychological tension to frighten audiences. Johnston’s version makes little use of either.

I have to take the time to applaud “The Wolfman” for its one real accomplishment—it achieves the unthinkable by actually being too grand a snooze for even the talents of the legendary Sir Anthony Hopkins to fully salvage. However, the expanded story of Hopkin’s character is the only feature original to the Johnston version, and simultaneously the only element to add even a smidgen of intrigue to the film.

Although the film is far from being the worst werewolf movie ever made, the simple fact is that “The Wolfman” fails miserably in its attempts to be scary (more disturbing imagery has been seen in Skittles commercials). The film, which never really had a chance of standing up to the glory of its classic predecessor, is one lukewarm title worth waiting to rent.