Werewolf by Night Is a Marvelous Monster Mash: Review
The post Werewolf by Night Is a Marvelous Monster Mash: Review appeared first on Consequence.
The Pitch: A guild of monster hunters gather for the funeral of their leader, Ulysses Bloodstone. The dearly departed himself has set up a challenge to choose his successor: A fearsome creature will be unleashed on the grounds of his manor, and whoever kills the beast will not only become head of the hunters, but gain possession of a powerful relic called (not so incidentally) the Bloodstone.
Amongst the group is Ulysses’ estranged daughter, Elsa (Laura Donnelly), returned after 20 years away to claim her birthright. Also present is a relative stranger, one Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal), who reportedly has over 100 confirmed kills. But one of this party hides a dark and deadly secret that would make them both threat and traitor to the ranks if it were revealed. As darkness falls, monsters are unleashed, and the hunt for the Bloodstone begins.
Macabre Cinematic Universe: Marvel’s first foray into the seasonal special — or Special Presentation — swings in a completely new direction for the franchise. It looks, feels, and sounds different from anything the Marvel Cinematic Universe has presented to date; with the general formula of these blockbusters growing staler with each new addition, that can only be a good thing. That is, if it works.
So let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: Werewolf by Night works. It really works. It could just be the best thing Marvel has released directly to Disney+. In his directorial debut, composer Michael Giacchino creates a loving, cheeky ode to Universal’s classic monster movies that somehow still fits within the MCU. Alongside cinematographer Zoë White, Giacchino captures the unique feel of those black-and-white pictures, right down to the cue marks in the corner of the screen. It’s an effort that should make him a star of the macabre, hopefully leading to more work both within the MCU and horror in general.
The desaturated presentation also allows for more viciousness than you’d expect from Marvel or Disney. While the fight choreography tilts towards typical MCU fisticuffs that could detract from the aesthetic, there are some brutal blood spurts that keep it in grindhouse trappings. Hands are chopped and throats are slit in ways that will make Marvel diehards gasp while satisfying those who appreciate gore with their scares.
Werewolf by Night (Marvel)
And there’s decent fright to be found, balanced by a fair helping of MCU quips, as is to be expected. Although it doesn’t fully embrace true darkness, Werewolf by Night provides a few solid jump scares and engrossing suspense. True, there’s a bit of a cheat in the lycanthropic transformation, but even that feels like a deliberate choice by Giacchino. It maintains the sense of dread, and prevents a CGI transformation from clashing with the practical effects of the werewolf himself, a design that looks odd and wonderful and shockingly true to the comics.
The Legion of Monsters: With only 53 minutes to tell its tale, Werewolf by Night does make some sacrifices. In a cast of about eight, only half get any sort of rounding out, and even those are often severely lacking. For as captivating and charming as Bernal is in the role, we get very little information about Jack Russell (still an annoyingly clever name 50 years later). There are scant teases about who he was before this night in Bloodstone Manor (an utterance of the word “once” speaks volumes), but you’re left wanting to know much, much more. Perhaps that’s the point, because if Marvel wants to build out this corner of its CU, they’ll want us hungry for it.
Most of the other hunters are forgettable set dressing — antagonists for our protagonists to cut through. (Though if this is an elite monster hunters guild, why sanction killing said hunters?) Other side characters are given the freedom to get campy enough to be a joy, particularly Harriet Sansom Harris as the delightfully diabolical Lady Verusa Bloodstone and Al Hamacher as her bumbling servant.
Werewolf by Night (Marvel)
It’s Donnelly’s Elsa that becomes the true centerpiece of the special. Calling it Werewolf by Night almost feels like a misdirect, as this could easily have been Bloodstone. A blend of Jessica Jones and Sandman’s Johanna Constantine, this fierce, sardonic monster hunter becomes the individual we care about most. Her motivations are clear, her history laid out in fittingly blunt exposition, and her presence formidable. Some of the most memorable kills come at her hands, and you’re cheering for her the whole way.
And then there’s the biggest surprise of the whole thing, spoiled briefly in the trailer but even more thrilling in the final product: Man-Thing, a.k.a. Ted. Destined to be another otherworldly favorite á la Groot, this strange creation is a C-character made A-lister thanks to his function in Heather Quinn and Peter Cameron’s screenplay and Giacchino’s handling of the (admittedly incongruous) CGI.
The Beast Within: Through it all, there’s actually a strong amount of heart and morality in this little monochrome story. There’s the probing of humanity versus monstrosity, the wrestling with familial legacy, the value of unconventional friendship. It’s all presented in undertone, as it should be in the best of both horror and Marvel.
Again, to this point, it’s been hard to envision a true melding of those two genres (as much as Marvel is a “genre”). Sam Raimi gave it a go in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but even when it worked there it felt shoehorned into a massive MCU production. Werewolf by Night does a far better job with the balancing act, an instance where its confined runtime works to its benefit.
Werewolf by Night (Marvel)
The Verdict: That confinement actually goes a long way to serving Werewolf by Night. By being “MCU” without having to be “MCU,” it gets to take risks the rest of the franchise isn’t often granted. In that way, it feels somewhat like the origin days of the franchise: It’s a self-contained story that lays some intriguing groundwork for a much larger series. With Blade in the works, Moon Knight a confounding success, and Doctor Strange already playing in the macabre, there’s potential for a lot of fun to be had in this supernatural side of the MCU.
But that’s almost incidental to the short-film itself. Taken at its face — a Halloween special about a werewolf that pays homage to classic monster movies — Werewolf by Night more than succeeds. Strong leads and masterful directing from Giacchino make this a delectable All Hollows’ treat.
Where to Watch: Werewolf by Night howls onto Disney+ on Friday, October 7th.
Trailer:
Werewolf by Night Is a Marvelous Monster Mash: Review
Ben Kaye
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