Werewolf By Night (Exclusive Series) (Disney Plus)
- Matt Palmer
- Oct 25, 2022
- 2 min read
Studio: Disney Plus/Marvel
Plot: On a dark and somber night, a secret group of monster hunters emerge from the shadows and gather at the Bloodstone Temple following the death of their leader; the attendees are thrust into a mysterious and deadly competition for a powerful relic.
Cast
Gael Garcia Bernal - Jack Russell
Laura Donnelly - Elsa Bloodstone
Harriet Sansom Harris - Verussa
Kirk R. Thatcher - Jovan
Eugenie Bandurant - Azarel
Leonardo Nam - Liorn
Daniel J. Watts - Barasso
Al Hamacher - Billy Swan
Corey Jones - Ted (Man-Thing)
David Silverman - The Flaming Tube
Richard Dixon - Ulysses Bloodstone
Writer(s): Heather Quinn (Disney Plus' Hawkeye)
Peter Cameron (Disney Plus' Moon Knight)
Director: Michael Giacchino
Rated TV-14 (52 min)
'Werewolf By Night' is the first MCU Special Presentation made for the Disney Plus streaming platform and more will eventually follow. And, this is the most interesting MCU project since 'No Way Home.'
Even though the 'Doctor Strange' sequel, 'Multiverse of Madness' is technically the first released MCU project that goes into the horror territory, 'Werewolf By Night' does it alot better. This project definitely reminds me of the older black and white classic films from decades ago. 'Werewolf' delivers some really decent scares and a couple gory moments (which is different for both Marvel and Disney Plus).
The filmmakers even added "cigarette burns" to a few spots to give it an older feel. And, for those who don't know what "cigarette burns" are, it's a cue mark that is generally seen in older films in the upper right hand corner of a film frame. This cue generally means a change of the reel is coming up soon.
The imagery is simply awesome and the score is incredible. This could actually have worked just fine as a feature length film.
'Werewolf By Night' is available on Disney Plus.
Here are some interesting tidbits for 'Werewolf By Night':
The directorial debut of composer Michael Giacchino. He previously written the scores for 'Doctor Strange' and the Jon Watts-directed 'Spider-Man' trilogy and was co-composer on 'Thor: Love and Thunder.' He also composed the amazing score for 'The Batman.'
Marvel Studios' first Halloween special.
Among the many creative reasons behind the use of black and white filter in this film, the main purpose was to obscure the blood and gore in order to avoid a TV-MA rating (equivalent of an R-rating).
The Marvel Comics character Werewolf By Night was planned for a feature film by may 2001, to be licensed from Marvel Studios and distributed by Dimension Films.
By August 2021, Marvel Studios was developing a Halloween-themed TV special for Disney Plus, that was reportedly centered on Werewolf By Night, though it was unclear if either the Jack Russell or Jake Gomez versions of the character would be featured.
The special is largely a self-contained story within the MCU, with no appearances by established characters, though there had been some consideration to include Blade.
The teaser trailer and poster for the special were revealed at the 2022 D23 Expo.
In September 2022, co-executive producer Brian Gay said that 'Werewolf By Night' would begin to explore a variety of monsters that have existed in the MCU for centuries.
Kevin Feige said the special would introduce a part of the MCU that would become "quite important" in its future.
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