“Werewolf By Night” Movie Review by Josh Davis : Pop Culture Leftovers

“Werewolf By Night” Movie Review by Josh Davis

October 11, 2022 1:11 pm |

Right away, it’s easy to see the creative team behind Disney/Marvel’s “Werewolf by Night” put a lot of love and care into making the one-shot Halloween special into something … er … special.

About five seconds into the opening fanfare, a werewolf claw slashes the screen, the bright colors fade to black and white, and the high-definition sound cuts to a tinny brass and string piece meant to evoke classic horror productions from the 1930s and 1940s.

The title cards crackle and fizz like old film, and then give way to tin-can voiceover explaining the premise. There is a place where monsters dwell alongside those who hunt them for sport. The most prolific hunters are the Bloodstone family, led by Ulysses Bloodstone, keeper of a powerful relic that carries his surname.

However, Ulysses has died, and his widow, Verussa, is hosting a competition where the top monster hunters in the world will face off against a mysterious beast for the right to inherit the Bloodstone.

“Werewolf by Night” is the major directorial debut of renowned film and TV composer Michael Giacchino, whose music credits range from “Alias” and “Lost” to “Thor: Love and Thunder” and “The Batman,” along with some of the biggest and best Pixar movies.

Giacchino’s mastery as a composer is felt right away. As the camera pans around the creepy confines of Bloodstone Manor, a lush orchestra, booming kettle drums, and a single soprano voice channeling a pulsing theremin perfectly set the scene.

Verussa (Tony award winner Sansom Harris) announces that the five hunters present have accounted for more than 200 supernatural deaths. Most impressive and least assuming of the lot is Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal of “Y tu mamá también” and “Mozart in the Jungle”), who Verussa says has accounted for more than 100 kills by himself.

Also present is Ulysses’ estranged daughter and Verussa’s stepdaughter, Elsa (Laura Donnelly, “The Nevers”), who looks like a dead ringer for Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones. Elsa makes it known she’s only there for the Bloodstone, and not to honor her father.

The principal cast is basically three people and a team of redshirts.

Harris, as emcee, plays it so straight that it’s almost cheeky. She evokes a bit of Vincent Price, but also Tim Curry in “Clue.”

Donnelly, conversely, brings a more modern tone that fits right in with the MCU. She’s tough, but also detached and a little sarcastic, as if she’s too cool to be there.

Bernal hardly speaks at all in the first 20 minutes. Jack is a sort of stoic POV character, but it’s also obvious by his introduction that there’s more than meets the eye, and his performance is thoughtfully measured and evocative of horror classics from the first half of the last century.

After the opening quarter, the action moves from Bloodstone Manor to a labyrinthian garden maze, where the Bloodstone relic has been attached to a clandestine monster. For long periods, there’s hardly dialog. Just loads of atmosphere, fantastic sound design, lush practical sets, and Giacchino’s stellar score.

Of course, there are several twists and turns, and Jack and Elsa end up working together as the other monster hunters become monster fodder. It’s all a little predictable, but that doesn’t take away from any of the fun.

More than a decade in, the best parts of the new MCU are the ones taking the biggest risks. “WandaVision” was perhaps first and foremost on that list, and more recently “Ms. Marvel” and “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” have continued to push what’s possible by using the TV format to shake up the universe.

“Werewolf by Night” also belongs on that list. It’s a singular ode to classic horror films, but also evidence that there are still bold new directions for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to travel. It’s also probably the bloodiest Marvel production to date, and the violence is only subdued by the black-and-white look and throwback atmosphere.

Credit should also go to the writing team of Heather Quinn (“Hawkeye”) and Peter Cameron (“WandaVision”). It’s nice to see Marvel rewarding staff writers with more projects, and both deserve praise here and even more to do in the future.

PCL RATING: TUPPERWARE

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: FRESH