Werewolf By Night is a 2022 TV special film that follows a lycanthrope superhero who fights crime using a curse brought on by his bloodline.
Based loosely on the 1970s Marvel comics character the new film also takes stylistic inspiration from Universal’s The Wolf Man (1941) with a whodunit element similar to the 1974 werewolf movie The Beast Must Die and the more recent Werewolf Within (2021).
Created by Gerry Conway and Mike Ploog in 1972, Werewolf By Night‘s Jack Russell suffers from an ancient family curse that turns him into a werewolf. After managing to conquer his beastly nature, he becomes a wandering hero who uses his powers to fight demons and other forces of evil, frequently intersecting with other Marvel heroes in the process.
Directed by composer Michael Giacchino (who has scored Thor: Love and Thunder; Jurassic World Dominion; The Batman; Spider-Man: No Way Home and many other movies) and co-producer Jaycob Maya (The Nevers) who also co-stars, from a teleplay by Heather Quinn. Also produced by Will Spencer.
The Marcel Studios production also stars Gael García Bernal, Laura Donnelly, Harriet Sansom Harris, Eugenie Bondurant, ShaShaty and Al Hamacher.
Initial release and full-colour version:
Werewolf By Night is an MCU Halloween special that premiered on October 7, 2022, on the Disney+ streaming channel. And later on Hulu too. A full-colour colour version will stream on Disney+ on Friday, October 20.
Michael Giacchino told Marvel: “Last year when we were finishing the film, we started messing around. What would the colour version of this look like if we were to do it? We started doing some tests, and we were like, that’s cool. We were well into this a year ago — wanting to do this and share this. We thought after a year of people having seen it, it’s been up there, it would be fun to reintroduce it in another way — in another version of what horror really is, which is in those old movies that I used to love growing up from Hammer horror films, which were these saturated colours and stark lighting.
When we shot it, we tried to— at least in my head, I always knew black and white was foremost, the first version we were going to do. But I also kept an eye on what we were doing colour-wise, in hopes that if we did a colour version, it could be fun. So I think it’s just a fun, nice way to reintroduce it to the world in a different way for them to experience Werewolf By Night.
And maybe if we’re lucky, some viewers will go, “I want to go check out some of the films that inspired this.” Maybe they’ll go back and check out some of those crazy Hammer horror films and things like that, which are nuts. But I love them, and it was just fun to bring a touch of that to what we did with Werewolf.
Reviews:
“While the film’s tone and lack of characterization keep it from being great, Werewolf by Night is still a whole of fun — especially if you’re a Marvel fan. If you’re not, though. then it’s worth watching simply to see the first film by someone who might turn out to be a great director.” AIPT
“Less of the whodunnit I expected, Werewolf By Night is an absolutely stunning piece of work that shows that the MCU has so much more to give, especially when it allows creatives to push hard into a genre they love. While it’s easy for some to say that this is a B-movie, it isn’t. It’s a look into filming techniques, humor, and an eye for practical effects that comes from the past.” 10/10, But Why Tho?
“While Werewolf by Night’s outer characters touch on being slightly less ‘PC’ in the opening scenes, the special has such a quick turnaround, there’s less character development there and a lot more on the lead characters […] I did, however, enjoy the suspenseful Giacchino score, with perfectly plucked string moments, and there’s just enough fun tongue-in-cheek comic points, combined with suspense and story twists, to keep you hooked.” 3/5, Critical Popcorn
“Werewolf by Night comes entirely in black and white with solid camera work and stark lighting. It directly homages the classic black-and-white monster flicks of the golden age. This choice works well for the film. It lends a classy air to the special while still promising some choice B budget action.” 3/5, Irish Film Critic
“The true success of Werewolf By Night is that is it precisely what I did not expect from a Marvel film and from Michael Giacchino, who is best known as a fantastic composer. In art, in this case, cinema specifically, it’s the surprises and taking chances that give us all that thing that we desire, but often don’t get. Magic.” Nightmarish Conjurings
“Werewolf by Night is an enjoyable outing, ripe with plenty of monsters and drama that comes in time for Halloween. It doesn’t take itself too seriously either, with bits of humor sprinkled throughout. Bernal and Donnelly make for an excellent duo and the special ends in a way that will certainly leave viewers wanting to know more about them and the monster world they live in.” Screen Rant
For YouTube reviews click the page 2 link below
MOVIES & MANIA provides previews of new films, our own movie reviews/ratings, and links to other reviews from trustworthy recommended sources - all in one handy web location. Plus, links to legitimately watch 1000s OF MOVIES FREE ONLINE via platforms such as Amazon Prime, Plex, Roku, Tubi and on YouTube. As an Amazon Associate, we earn a very tiny amount from any qualifying purchases.