"A Marvel Studios Special Presentation: Werewolf By Night" Talkback (Spoilers)

[Yojimbo]

A Marvel Studios Special Presentation: Werewolf By Night

On a dark and somber night, a secret cabal of monster hunters emerge from the shadows and gather at the foreboding Bloodstone Temple following the death of their leader. In a strange and macabre memorial to the leader's life, the attendees are thrust into a mysterious and deadly competition for a powerful relic-a hunt that will ultimately bring them face to face with a dangerous monster. Inspired by horror films of the 1930s and 1940s, the chilling special aims to evoke a sense of dread and the macabre, with plenty of suspense and scares along the way as we explore a new corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

External Links:
-Disney+ page

Related Links:
-Disney+ News and Discussion Part 7
-Doctor Strange Talkback (Spoilers)
-WandaVision Talkback (Spoilers)
-Moon Knight Talkback (Spoilers)
-Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness Talkback (Spoilers)
-Blade: The Vampire Slayer News & Discussion (Spoilers)
-Cloak and Dagger Season One Talkback (Spoilers)
-Cloak and Dagger Season Two Talkback (Spoilers)
-Helstrom Season One Talkback (Spoilers)
-Man-Thing Talkback (Spoilers)
-Universal Monsters Legacy Collection Talkback

 

[Neo Ultra Mike]

I am glad that Marvel is realizing that though they are finding success with the TV Division that there is an excuse to do more then just tell either a seasons's length that amounts to a really long movie or even only slightly connected adventures based on an idea or a character. Thus we're getting more one shots that allow to tell a story longer then an episode but obviously not one worthy of a movie. And this is one that's actually for quite awhile been under wraps as it were. It was announced some time ago that James Gunn would make a Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special but some time after we only got rumblings of there also being a "Halloween/Monster" special before that. With only sparse details to go off on before finally only a few months ago confirming it would involve Werewolf by Night and only getting the trailer like a month ago. So that did birth the special in an era of mystery of what exactly it was about and what sort of tone it was going for. As we got more to the point it was confirmed more to obviously lean very horror focused which did worry me as horror is probably one of my least favorite genres but I still was going to watch and have an open mind about it so tuned in and... overall it's decent though yeah though dealing with monsters and creatures it's hard to really say this is horror as even I didn't find this remotely scary.

I will give credit to this over something like say New Mutants where here not only does it make sense to lean more towards horror but they aren't wasting time with a lot of false scares. Even the "jump scare" used here was to set up Jack and Elsa's connection more as every other time there was some actual creature worth bumping into. Still though the atmosphere looked nice it still had a bit of the feeling of the TV shows in terms of budget and feel so it's hard to really amp up the terror especially since even if the monsters aren't supposed to be scary and sympathetic, the hunters themselves aren't that freaky or dangerous either. I get wanting to focus more on the leads but... we got so little from the other hunters it felt they were pretty much there for mini boss fights. And really only Elsa's first one with the guy with the crossbow (they all have names but... I'm not bothering pointing them out as they were so otherwise useless as characters) was well done especially how she offed him with the bow and then held his mouth so the accented one couldn't hear her. The others had their moments but with such empty bodies there needed to be more spectacle and yeah cool how Elsa carved in the lady hunter's head or staked the black guy but... again just cool moments. And really hard to get a feel for how threatening this supposed centuries old monster hunting organization is when they approach the Werewolf beast with... pointing taser sticks. Maybe like in the MCU Werewolves don't have the same weakness as werewolves in most other media but that's really your best defense? No wait the best defense was the blood stone which yeah I get why Verussa wanted to turn Jack into a Werewolf before killing him as they're all about hunting monsters but seriously they should be a lot better prepared then especially if they were able to take out and hold Man Thing for their little hunt. I also do wish we got to see some of the more sly and dry Elsa from the comics. I'm not too much a fan but I do know Elsa in the comics not only has an awesome look (that I also wish was done more but I guess it is one that'd be hard to translate to the screen) but she also has this more no nonsense/cyncial attitude. I guess since this is her first getting the blood stone and again a journey you had to show her a bit freaked out and they still had moments obviously showing her being cool but still moments of being freaked out that eh didn't really work for me.

Still there's a lot to like here. Honestly I am glad that though there are jokes in this one they make sure to only put them in scenes where it not only makes sense and doesn't totally destroy the point and feel of what these characters are, but they are actually funny. I love the idea of Elsa having to be told by Jack "you have to make sure Ted sees you as a friend so he won't try and fry you" and Elsa managing to do that and then we see at the very end Man Thing pop in to off Verussa when looking for Jack and seeing the two at the end bickering over who saved who and what food they want to get. Like that's the kind of unique and amusing sort of bits that do work without feeling like they break the tone of the story. And you know I do like the opening narration as well as the whole idea of having this hunt to see who gets the Bloodstone (which IMHO is why we should have gotten more a taste for the other players as it'd make us care more about the hunt then knowing "oh it will go to Elsa since she's the only one named of these yahoos at first") and the relationship Elsa has with her step mom. And I will give credit that though not scary there is an awesome use of werewolf carnage with that door slowly closing in that one room and Jack Werewolf ripping into the guards as you see more blood around the walls as less and less light gets in the room. It's no one shot hallway scene from say the netfix shows but it is thinking out of the box on these fights in a rad way. I also like the idea that Jack isn't an idiot and wasn't going on this hunt since he knew his weakness and tries keeping to himself during a full moon but was transformed by the power of the blood stone itself. And for a project developed by someone mostly known for their music the actual music here especially in the last part really worked and they also knew when not to have any playing. Plus bits like Elsa knowing how to get out due to knowing the story of her aunt or sitting down after finally getting the blood stone do set her up as a character I would want to see again in another project. Hard to know about what especially when it may only till be at latest next year when we get more Marvel "horror" but I'd be down for more of her.

So yeah not really scary and really did need more of the hunters and more budget pumped into it but still a solid One shot special and I'm glad it is getting a lot of praise and probably will ensure Marvel makes more of these going forward.

 

[Fone Bone]

Werewolf By Night

Aw, man! I am SO bummed! My computer monitor fritzed out and I had to watch the whole thing on my dad's old black-and-white TV! What'd I miss?*

Seriously, the black-and-white didn't make things scarier, but it definitely helped play up the comedic angle. Although as far as scares go, they were allowed a lot more blood and gore than usual simply because it WAS black and white.

I thought Man-Thing was pretty awesome, and I appreciated there was no damn tag teasing Blade and the Howling Commandos. It's nice to be able to enjoy a single Marvel project on its own terms for the very first time. It's refreshing actually.

It's kind of cool that since Michael Giacchino directed this, he could provide his own score. Not many directors are musicians, much less composers. So we got our money's worth on the spooky soundtrack.

Positive review. I liked it. ****.

*Some of the people who read these reviews are too young to get this joke.

 

[Rick Jones]

I hope Marvel visits this short format more often. I've wanted this kind of thing forever, both animated and live-action. I have no real expectations of what this was going to be, and what little expectations I had were pretty much dashed after first seeing the trailer. I really enjoyed this. Halloween hadn't been on my mind at all this year but that probably changed a bit after how much fun I had with this and the new Hocus Pocus movie.

It was much more brutal than I honestly expected but I thought that was handled well. I found myself really liking Jack, Elsa and "Ted", and I wouldn't be opposed to another adventure someday.

I thought they made great use of the short run time. It kind of felt like the next step past the old One-Shots, or even like a live -action version of DC's Showcase shorts.

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[the greenman]

Yes, that was fun. I enjoyed seeing Man-Thing show up. Even though I'm more of a fan of his DC alternative Swampy. I loved the campiness of it. The use of blood and gore in classic b&w.

Enjoyed the idea this isn't a full-on tie-in to something. No post credit stingers.

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[-batmat-]

I loved this! Loved the vibe, the characters, the action, the costumes! I had faith in it, but it surpassed my expectations.

+1 to Marvel doing more one shots like this!

 

[Yojimbo]

This was so awesome! What a treat. Glad Marvel Studios went ahead with making specials. Definitely a great love letter to the old black and white Universal Monsters movies. They really weren't meant to be what we deem as "scary" and was more focused on the themes of humanity and monsters. Jack instantly reminded me of 1941's The Wolf Man. The charm and the interplay of a good man turning into a murderous beast. The irony is The Wolf Man set off what was essentially the first movie universe canon back in the day and the Wolf Man was basically Phase 1 Agent Coulson crossing over in other monster movies. And you can even see parallels between the main characters Larry and Gwen in The Wolf Man and Jack and Elsa here. And that first clear shot of Jack as Werewolf by Night, a clear homage to the famous still of Wolf Man. Plus, all the practical effects. The Vincent Price-esque narrator, the soundtrack, smoke, Jack's transformation being practical - using tension, shadows, and Elsa's reactions to convey the horror of his transformation off-screen, and even the nod to the burns in the film.

And if I believe the Bloodstone history seems to imply Ulysses was killed by Jack or at least by a werewolf during the last full moon. Glad they hinted at his classic comic origins have been kept alive for thousands of years by the Bloodstone. Along with the child who tried to run away from "the life," coming back to claim the legacy, the Bloodstones have a lot of parallels with Shang-Chi. Perhaps the Bloodstone will be of the same origin as the Ten Rings and Ms. Marvel's Bangle.

Dug the notion that Jack had no interest in the stone and came just to save a fellow monster and friend, Man-Thing, who's a bit more human than the hunters are. Loved that contrast. Also intriguing is the implication Jack's kill count was in regards of the hunters who tried to take him on once we see he's a werewolf. Some asides, quite worrisome crazy Aunt Frances claimed she would come back as a zombie. Man-Thing was so awesome. So happy we finally we get to see him after the hints like his statue among the champions in Thor: Ragnarok or Selvig referenced the Nexus of All Realities on his chalk board in Thor: The Dark World.

With Elsa in charge, guess she's gonna need a new council. It was interesting her kill count wasn't said and you're left wondering if she hunted in the 20 year gap or not. Loved her dry sense of humor, cynical edge, and hope to see more of her in action. With her, Jack, Man-Thing, Black Knight set up, Moon Knight, Blade coming soon, and more - the supernatural side of the MCU is slowly building itself up. I'm glad they kept it 99% a standalone story aside from the Avengers artwork at the very beginning. Looking forward to more of these new characters, more specials, and more supernatural stories!

 

[Gold Guy]

This was pretty neat. I wouldn’t say I loved it like other people seem to, but it was short and sweet and stylistic.

The black-and-white to color transition with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” was really cool.

Man-Thing (or Ted) was the mvp. I hope to see more of him.

 

[hobbyfan]

It felt like old school horror. It played like a mash-up of old and new school. The CGI on Man-Thing made that 2005 DTV look like the chump change it was. Man-Thing's two kills were total immolation, unlike the comics, in which certain body parts are burned and mutilated, unless that's changed in 51 years. The only thing missing was Jack Russell narrating the story himself, as he did in the comics.

 

[Yojimbo]

10/12: Gael Garcia Bernal suggests Jack is hundreds of years old.

10/14: Billy Christian posts Werewolf by Night concept.

Phase Zero Podcast interview with Michal Giacchino.

10/16: Interview with writer Heather Quinn. The special was inspired by Werewolf by Night #4 and 6.

10/18: The Man-Thing animatronic revealed.

Man-Thing concept art posted.

Werewolf By Night getting a special "Director By Night" and streams November 4.

10/30: Bts video of hallway fight rehearsal.

11/4: Director By Night is now streaming.

 

[Frontier]

Despite being titled "Werewolf by Night" this felt much more like an Elsa Bloodstone story guest-starring Jack Russel and dealing with her whole family issues than it does the story of Werewolf by Night. Like, Jack has his own supporting cast and mythology behind him which isn't really present or heavily alluded to that much here, whereas we get a lot more with Elsa and shes' ultimately the one who actually kills most of the named or significant characters/antagonists. Which isn't necesarilly a criticism, just something I noticed .

I really liked the atmosphere and direction of this, and all the obvious artistic influences in it. I think there was a smidge too much "Marvel" humor for my taste that took me out of it, but it wasn't as bad as it could've been .

Gael Garcia Bernal was really likeable as Jack, so much so that I wish we got to dive deeper into his character than we were here, and I loved how they achieved a comic-accurate Werewolf by Night look with practical effects .

Laura Donnely definitely had Elsa's scathing sarcasm and wit down to pat, and minus the fact that she's not cussing like a sailor this was a pretty solid interpretation of Elsa, even if it was really weird to see Elsa as a brunette. Like, we got the reveal of her orange jacket at the end, but her with dark hair just makes her feel like British Jessica Jones. Like they could have at least had her hair in Elsa's ponytail, if nothing else .

I guess there are some implications that not all monsters naturally threaten humans and the hunters might be a tad too overzealous in hunting down monsters, yet at the same time you have to wonder if it's okay to be killing all these people when, presumably, they might have actually saved some people by slaying the monsters they did. I mean, self-defense, but still .

(Although I guess we have to assume Jack saves any monsters that don't deserve killing...)

Ulysses Bloodstone never struck me as the type of guy to have his corpse or a facsimile propped up as an animatronic to give a message for a great hunt and leave off on a bad joke. I get it was trying to convey this as being inspired by horror b-movies but it kind of took me out of it .

"You were always your fathers' greatest disappointment." So not Cullen then !

I have to admit I think this is the first time I've seen them actually mention or address Elsa's mother. It sounds like she was a hunter with her own (maligned) style that she passed on to her daughter, although if you ask me Ulysses remarried down...but maybe he just wanted a sycophant for a wife .

Man-Thing! Finally after so long! And his CG looked so amazing! The "Ted" thing was kind of unexpected because I feel like the one thing that distinguishes Man-Thing from Swamp Thing is that he's less in-tune with his human identity and is more of a force of nature, yet here they actually make him cute and don't even call him Man-Thing. Which kind of bummed me out because this was like the one production where they could have unironically said "whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing's touch" .

 

[RoyalRubble]

Apparently a color version of Werewolf by Night will be released on October 20.

 

[Frontier]

Apparently a color version of Werewolf by Night will be released on October 20.

That will look kind of weird...although now Elsa's lack of red hair will be even more distracting for me .

 

[Yojimbo]

Giacchino reveals the color version will be vibrant as a homage to the Hammer horror movies from the 60s/70s.

 

[Frontier]

Giacchino reveals the color version will be vibrant as a homage to the Hammer horror movies from the 60s/70s.

The only way to still capture the right vibe .

 

[the greenman]

Apparently a color version of Werewolf by Night will be released on October 20.

The hint of desperation. . .

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[Yojimbo]

9/26: Live Score event on October 4 at Minneapolis Orchestra Hall.

9/29: Another interview with Giacchino about the color version.

 

[RoyalRubble]

Trailer for Werewolf By Night: In Color.

 

[Fone Bone]

Werewolf By Night In Color

I remember liking this back when I first saw it and I still do. I think most of it plays better in black and white, but if you ask me you can't get the full Man-Thing experience without full color.

Rewatching this was pleasant because instead of just being wowed by the horror movie eye-candy I was able to slow down and appreciate some of the character moments and touches. I loved Jack smelling Laura Donnelly's character and saying he's doing it so he'll remember her after he changes. Them looking into each other's eyes was a purely pleasurable humanistic cinematic moment and one of those things that reminds me that Marvel Studios TV output isn't always entirely worthless. And it's good to sometimes get that reminder because I often forget that. A LOT.

Yeah. That felt great. It was definitely a superhero thing, but it was also an old school horror film, specifically a monster movie too. I guess I think that because for awhile before things got too bloated, the MCU films often used to explore different genres and types of stories. The MCU is now a place where the third Ant-Man movie has as huge of stakes as Endgame. This horror corner of the Marvel Universe takes me back to when things were more well-rounded and Feige wasn't constantly trying to top himself. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is NOT a huge film. It's a cold war spy thriller and my second favorite superhero movie of all time after Endgame. If more Marvel films emulated Winter Soldier's "unique to to the franchise premise" idea rather than "Everything from now on must be Endgame or bigger" the MCU would be better off.

Take note: As a Disney+ Streaming Special Disney can rate it TV-14 and nobody can say boo. If they tried to put that in a theater sans any cuts or edits, that would get an R from the MPAA. As unfathomably corrupt as they are, not enough money could possibly change hands for them to NOT insist a LOT of the violence be toned down. Just for the record.

I am glad I saw this again, and the color gimmick was a nice excuse. ****1/2.

 

[RoyalRubble]

Won a Saturn Award for Best TV Presentation.