Werewolf by Night Review

By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)

This review is spoiler-free.

The iconic composer Michael Giacchino makes his directorial debut with his very own passion project Werewolf by Night and, to put it mildly, it is simply incredible!

Werewolf by Night is written by Heather Quinn (Hawkeye) and Peter Cameron (WandaVision & Moon Knight) and is based off the comic of the same name – by Roy Thomas, Jean Thomas, Gerry Conway and Mike Ploog. The story is centred around a group of monster hunters who, following the death of their leader, undertake a deadly monster hunt in order to become the sole owner of an ancient and powerful relic – the Bloodstone, which will see them become the new leader of the order. Despite this being billed as a horror film, there is a lot of humour and emotion woven into the story, so it actually feels like a hybrid movie. Now, don’t get me wrong, the horror aspects go HARD, and this is defiantly not one for a younger audience!

In terms of the characters – as a long-time fan of Gael García Bernal (The Motorcycle Diaries) I am super happy that he has been brought into the MCU and given this type of exposure. He was perfect! He brought so much warmth and humour to the role of Jack Russell. Not one to be overshadowed, Laura Donnelly (Tolkien) was simply incredible as Elsa Bloodstone! We truly have our very own MCU monster hunter, and I can easily see both of these characters fitting into this new niche corner of the MCU – especially with Blade on the horizon. Harriet Sansom Harris (Desperate Housewives) really dialled up Verusa to eleven and I absolutely loved it! This was such a classic performance that really leant into the camp moments usually seen within this genre of classic horror. Oh, and be prepared to have your heart stolen by Ted AKA Man-Thing – who is incredibly cute, even if he is a swamp monster!

One thing I truly appreciate is the fact they really go down the practical route in regard to the werewolf. It is very reminiscent of the classic aesthetic that you would see in The Wolf Man – where the focus is being able to see the performer amongst the prosthetics. Most importantly, you can see the eyes, so this allows for a very emotive performance and thus allows the emotion and storytelling to be told through the werewolf’s facial expressions and reactions. I was concerned that they would go down a full CGI route and that is something I really didn’t want to see. If you know me, you know I love a good one-shot and there is a GREAT on-shot here in Werewolf by Night that is up there with the best of them! Especially given the colouring and raw animalistic nature of the scene. Incredible!

From a production standpoint, Werewolf by Night is truly a very unique piece of MCU media. The stunning black and white colouring really give you that sense of the classic Universal Monster movie and Hammer Horror feel. Likewise, the set design is truly astonishing and really captures that 40s aesthetic – Maya Shimoguchi really brought her A-Game here! The costumes were also really on point, and I am struggling to find any faults with any aspect of the production.

Hopefully, this is the first of many Marvel Monster stories that we’ll see within the umbrella of the MCU – because when they are THIS good, then I am certain that the fans will be screaming out for more and Michael Giacchino has definitely started something here with Werewolf by Night.

What did you think of Werewolf by Night? Let us know in the comments or find us on social media!