‘Werewolf by Night’ Review – The MCU Goes Classic Horror by the Light of the Full Moon
The MCU is bringing its darkest side into the light of the moon in its first frightening holiday special Werewolf by Night.
Just in time for the Halloween season, the MCU introduced us to a couple of Marvel’s monstrous lineup of dark-sided heroes. We got our first little bit of horror flavoring with Sam Raimi’s sequel to Doctor Strange, and that was right after fans got a teaser for Mahershala Ali’s appearance as Blade. But in Werewolf by Night, Marvel goes full classic horror. With spectacular casting and a loving tribute to the Universal monster movies of old, does Marvel’s first seasonal feature bring the bark with its bite?
Dark Tones Meet Bold Reds
Werewolf‘s most obvious tribute to the classic monster tales by filming in stark black and white. Only the Bloodstone appears in red, a bright magical heirloom that weakens monsters… and apparently pisses them off. The use of black and white gives it the feeling of a noir mystery, but the feature also pays tribute to the Crypt Keeper-like characters who have hosted monster movie marathons in the past.
The Cast is to Die For
The show’s use of eerie silence and close-ups of horrified faces help to usher the MCU officially into the realm of horror. Some of the best faces come from Harriet Sansom Harris, who you may recognize from American Horror Story.
Laura Donnelly as Elsa Bloodstone really helps the feature nail its monster-pulp vibe as well. She’s giving hard-boiled family outcast in spades, and I’m really hoping we’ll see more of her as Marvel cracks open the dark corners of its universe.
The Physiology of a Werewolf
Gael García Bernal turns in an incredible performance as Jack Russel, the Werewolf by Night. There’s a moment when he absentmindedly scratches behind his ear that really tickled me because it’s so casually dog-like. He also has that subtle air of sadness that classic werewolf Lon Chaney added to the groundbreaking lycanthrope tale of 1941’s The Wolf Man.
Unfortunately, his performance couldn’t quite warm me to the actual design of the character. I felt like there were missed opportunities during his transformation to show off some incredible practical effects, something most MCU properties don’t have the opportunity to explore. Maybe I just have impossibly high standards for werewolf transformations thanks to An American Werewolf in London.
Still haven’t seen it? This is the spoiler portion. Be warned!
Now is the Era of Ted
Undoubtedly the MCU’s newest headlining star is none other than the plant-based monster Man-Thing, known fondly as Ted in the show. He’s actually the monster everyone is intending to hunt down – and Jack, being a good friend, is there to help him escape.
It’s almost a sure thing that Man-Thing will be back, and since he’s a regular on Marvel’s monster-themed teams, both his and Jack’s appearances mean there are some very exciting things in store for Marvel comics fans. Since the feature’s release, there’s been plenty of online buzz about the possibility of Midnight Sons MCU lineup.
Excluding Morbius, of course.
‘Werewolf by Night’ is streaming now on Disney+.
