Marvel's Latest Horror Treat

Review: Werewolf by Night (2022)

By Sara Ciplickas

I have briefly discussed Marvel’s ability to bring people back to the movies and the “lack of risk” critics like Martin Scorsese claim about their films. One of its newest installments, Werewolf by Night directed by award-winning composer, Michael Giacchino, proved to be a pleasant Halloween treat that opened Marvel to more independent, artistic endeavors. Based on the comics of the same title, initially released in 1972, Werewolf by Night follows a group of monster hunters who meet one dark night after the death of their leader. The attendees are thrust into a mysterious and deadly competition for the powerful bloodstone. This hunt ultimately brings them face to face with a dangerous monster. Taking inspiration from the classic horror films of the 1930s and 1940s, Giacchino brings an entertaining stand-alone experience to the Marvel cinematic universe.

I’ll be honest, this film was not on my radar until a friend mentioned it to me in passing. Both of us were more interested in Giacchino’s celebration of horror classics than the story itself. Upon watching the film, the cinematic history within the film proved as entertaining as the actual plot. In a way, as Giacchino explained in an interview, the film celebrated the limitations of early filmmaking including borrowed sets, lack of special effects, and sensitivity of film itself. Giacchino chose to present the film as if it were shot on actual prints including an almost completely black and white picture with the details of scratched celluloid and the sync marks in the upper right hand corner of the frame. He also had his star werewolf put into makeup and costume rather than following the Marvel tradition of using special effects.

The film introduced Jack Russell (played by Gael García Bernal) and Elsa Bloodstone (played by Laura Donnelly) in a rather tight story about a hunt, a hidden monster, and a complicated past for both protagonists. In a way, I agree with criticisms that the fifty-three minute feature fell in between a short film and a feature length film. However, Giacchino creatively intertwined classic techniques with new ones in an independent project I would consider ambitious given Marvel’s rock solid universe that has been building since 2011. The film, most likely from its length, lacked solid character development and left many stones unturned, but I was entertained. This could be the beginning of Marvel’s exploration of independent storytelling, and I am excited to see if they continue to dive deeper into the horror genre.