Werewolf By Night Review: Horror Comes To The MCU

Werewolf By Night was released by Marvel Studios on Disney Plus, and this is what I’ve been waiting to see from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) for quite some time. This Halloween Special marks a new era in the future of the MCU, a much scarier and darker one, and I’m all for it!

The TV special was directed by Michael Giacchino, and this was actually his directorial debut, and after watching Werewolf By Night, I’m desperate to see what he will do next behind the camera.

Giacchino is a very well-known film score composer in Hollywood and has delivered incredible scores for movies such as The Batman and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Who knew that he was also an incredibly accomplished filmmaker also. Well, I suppose Marvel President, Kevin Feige knew.

Werewolf By Night marks a new ear in the MCU

Credit: Marvel Studios

READ MORE: Daredevil Season 4 Potential Release Date, Cast, Story & Everything You Need To Know

When it was first announced that Marvel was going to be making a Halloween TV special based on their character, Werewolf By Night, I was intrigued. However, I also thought that they might not be able to do the character justice. Werewolf By Night is violent, bloody and pretty dark.

However, they actually took the TV special to places I wasn’t expecting. I do believe the fact that it was filmed in back and white allowed Giacchino to really push the boundaries. There’s one fight scene in this show that is hands down the most brutal, bloody and gory we’ve ever seen in the MCU.

I genuinely believe this special marks the beginning of a new era for the MCU, and I haven’t been this optimistic about the future of Marvel movies for a very long time. It demonstrates that they are willing to go to darker places and explore more obscure and slightly scary characters.

I was also very impressed by the cast’s performances in this special. Gael García Bernal stars in the special as Jack Russell (a.k.a. Werewolf by Night), along with Laura Donnelly and Harriet Sansom Harris. The three of them are all wonderful, but I have to say that Harris stole the show for me. She was very over the top, but in a wonderfully 1920s and 30s horror movie way, which I loved.

Michael Giacchino’s directorial debut is an impressive one

Credit: Marvel Studios

READ MORE: When Will She-Hulk Season 2 Be Released?

I loved how much this TV special made me think of the classic Universal Monster movies, and also the Hammer Horror films that I watched as a kid. Some of the scenes harkened back to films such as Bride Of Frankenstein and Christopher Lee’s Dracula, which I am a massive fan of.

I also saw a lot of Nosferatu in this special. There were some scenes that used silhouettes a lot as that film did. It’s a TV special that I think anyone who’s into film history might enjoy because there are a lot of callbacks to those classic horror films, to which modern cinema owes a huge debt.

The fact that this particular project was made as a TV special is also quite a novelty, and brings to mind some of the scary TV specials that used to be shown on television during the Halloween season. Honestly, this is the perfect watch for this time of the year, and I also think it shows that the MCU is moving forward and evolving, which is very, very important as it’s started to become slightly stale, in my opinion.

The one thing that I would have liked, and this isn’t really a criticism – more just wishful thinking, is for this TV special to have been longer than it was. I just felt as though it was a bit short at just over 54 minutes-long. I was so enthralled by what was going on that I didn’t want it to end. I also hope that this doesn’t end up being a ‘one-off’ sort of thing in the MCU. I want the studio to make more movies and TV shows like Werewolf By Night. I think the MCU desperately needs it.

What do you make of this Werewolf By Night review? What did you make of Werewolf By Night? Are you looking forward to watching more content like this from the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

What do you make of this story? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages! And if you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out our podcast, The Small Screen Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts!