On a dark and somber night, following the death of their leader, a secret cabal of monster hunters emerge from the shadows and gather at the foreboding Bloodstone Temple. In a strange and macabre memorial to the leader’s life, the attendees are thrust into a mysterious and deadly competition for a powerful relic, a hunt that will ultimately bring them face to face with a dangerous monster among them.
In his directorial debut, Michael Giacchino brings us a live-action adaptation of one of Marvel’s most unique horror hero characters, Werewolf By Night. In the MCU we have gone through the cosmos, the multiverse, the realms of deities and magic as well as the grounded streets but now we enter a new corner of the continuously expanding universe, the realm of supernatural monsters. Massively inspired by horror films of the 1930s and 1940s, this surprise Halloween special comes in swinging hard with bloody horror fun that brings forth monsters and monster hunters from the pages of comics, delivering one of the most stand-out entries to the MCU by far.
I absolutely loved Werewolf By Night from start to finish. I grew up reading Werewolf By Night comics, which were my earliest introduction to horror, and I can say with absolute certainty this adaptation nailed so much from the comics while having its own flair. It is also a perfect combination of two film genres I love dearly and it is beautifully crafted by Michael Giacchino, both from a directing and technical standpoint.
Even with a short runtime of 54 minutes, it managed to be an absolute blast of a horror comic book film, introducing a new realm and new characters that I would love to see more of, whether it be in their own isolated stories like this or crossing over with other heroes and their stories.
Gael García Bernal plays the character of Jack Russell and absolutely nails it. He plays the role very much like the lead of a 1930s/40s film, bringing great charm and instant likability the very moment he’s on screen and especially shares great chemistry with Laura Donnelly as Elsa Bloodstone. But of course, things take a dark turn when he becomes the titular beast. And my god him in werewolf form was fucking glorious.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen an actual werewolf done right on screen that isn’t some CGI monstrosity or part of some toxic love triangle. This werewolf is real, he is practical, and he fucks shit up in bloody horror fashion. And I do mean bloody. He slashes throats, mauls faces, and leaves no mercy to his enemies. He is not your typical Marvel hero in the slightest but you still root for him because of the person he is on the inside and what his motives are.
Laura Donnelly also had a fantastic performance as Elsa Bloodstone, sharing great chemistry with our lead as mentioned but also really standing out as a badass heroine worthy of joining the other badass heroines of the MCU. At the same time, she has some depth to her character where she is the estranged daughter of a famous monster Hunter who dislikes her family’s tradition of hunting monsters. You instantly attach to both these characters and feel desperate to have more of them due to how amazing they are, both in performance and writing.
The other hunters are also given good supporting performances but truly the stand out is the villain Verussa Bloodstone, played by Harriet Sansom Harris. She absolutely hams up and embraces this villainous role as a sadistic leader of a monster-hunting cult in the best way possible. It can feel campy at times but it’s the best kind and feels fitting considering the kind of films this draws inspiration from.
We also get a surprise guest star in the form of another marvel monster hero who was shown in the trailer, which is Man-Thing played by Carey Jones. Man-Thing may have a short role but he was an absolute delight to have been included in this film and be brought into the MCU. On top of that his design looks amazing effects-wise, despite the lower budget, and has a completely comic-accurate design right down to vines and toadstools on his body.
The story is simple and straightforward, but still effective, and does make you eager to see more of this monster realm in the MCU. It has tongue-in-cheek humor at times but it works alongside the horror in a perfect balance and again feels fitting for what it is inspired from.
The film is shot and made in black and white, going full Mank mode, making it feel like an authentic film that comes from the 30s and 40s, including little details like grain, black scratches, and pitch-perfect sound design that adds to the gothic horror atmosphere. Shadows are also utilized extremely well to add to the tension of certain scenes and give chills down viewers’ spines.
The action is absolutely impressive across the board, featuring beautifully choreographed and filmed fight scenes that are thrilling, brutal, and bloody.
Everything you heard regarding this film being the goriest installment of the MCU is absolutely true. We have seen Phase 4 dip into darker territories with some of their films and shows, but this film dives right into straight up R-rated horror territory with its action, featuring brutal animalistic kills and gore that dialed up suspense and stakes. It did not hold back and this definitely signals great things for the MCU’s future, showing that Marvel Studios is not afraid to go all the way.
The cinematography is gorgeous in every single frame and the practical sets and effects again add more to the horror elements. In some frames I was convinced I was watching a film made by Orson Welles just by how it was shot and how technically brilliant everything was. And of course, Michael Giacchino also did the music for his own film and it is hauntingly epic. The music felt like a character of its own that really gave this film so much energy to both the big and small scenes and definitely contributed to the story being told.
Werewolf By Night is truly another successful entry to the MCU that really went all out as a perfect special for October and showed the amazing directing abilities of Michael Giacchino. I would love to see him direct more films. I also would have loved if this special was a lot longer because it really left me wanting more of these characters and this realm. Whether they choose to continue it in their own little pocket of the MCU or eventually cross over with the rest of the universe in other installments, I say bring it either way because I want more. I’m going to give Werewolf By Night an A+ = 99.
You can find more of my writing on instagram, and check out my channel on YouTube!