Werewolf by Night (TV)
Can we get a new “Werewolf by Night” special event every year, Marvel? That was my big takeaway from this film, along with the fact that Michael Giacchino can direct, and should direct often.
This Disney+ exclusive was a surprise announcement at D23, and I love that. I am not familiar with the comics, so Werewolf by Night is not something I was ever aware of, but Jack Russell (played by Gael García Bernal) has my immediate attention as someone whom I’d like to see get into scrapes that involving exploring horror movie tropes as frequently as possible. Here, he is a hunter who has gathered, with other monster hunters, at Bloodstone Temple. The death of their leader is the occasion for the gathering, and Verussa (Harriet Sansom Harris)- the woman in charge of the manor- has a hunt in mind for them. The prize? A powerful relic. Normally, it would have gone to Bloodstone’s living heir, but Elsa (Laura Donnelly) has not been around for years; she has returned, however, to take part in this.
The film’s black & white cinematography (by Zoë White) is a wonderful throwback to the Universal monster movies of the ’30s and ’40s, as is the tone of the script by Heather Quinn and Peter Cameron. There’s an innate understanding of genre, and what matters when calling back to a specific time period in the genre, that Giacchino and his collaborators get. The theatricality of the performances, the creature effects for not only the titular character, but Man-Thing (who steals the movie), and the music- which Giacchino of course nails; it’s all here. And the cast is up for the silliness of this thing all the way, but they don’t forget that this is, at its core, a horror movie. That I can believe this happening in its own little corner of the MCU, while also hoping we could see Man-Thing and Groot together at some point, it’s a great feeling. “Werewolf by Night” gives us a new element to get excited for in the MCU- one that reflects on the past, but sends us in a new direction in the future.
