Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Starring Gael Garcia Bernal (Jack Russell / Werewolf by Night), Laura Donnelly (Elsa Bloodstone), Harriet Sansom Harris (Verussa Bloodstone), Kirk R. Thatcher (Jovan), Eugenie Bondurant (Azarel), Leonardo Nam (Liorn), and Daniel J. Watts (Basaro), with Carey Jones providing the physical performance of Man-Thing and Jeffrey Ford providing the voice of Man-Thing)
WEREWOLF BY NIGHT
Directed by Michael Giacchino
A Kevin Feige Production
Executive Producers: Stephen Broussard, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Brad Winderbaum
Music By Michael Giacchino
Distributed by Disney Platform Distribution
Run Time: 53-minutes
Initial Streaming: October 7, 2022
Marvel Entertainment
Fun Werewolf by Night Facts
Werewolves are traditionally a human being that boasts the ability to either completely transform into a wolf or to at least physically and mentally manifest wolf-like characteristics. Sometimes this is seen as a cursed affliction, while at others it is seen as a sacred gift. Werewolf transformations traditionally take place on the night of the full moon. Werewolves are viewed today as works of fiction but beginning in the early part of the 15th Century, belief in werewolves rose to such a point that select people were actually tried in courts of law under the accusation that they were werewolves. Like witches, those found guilty of being werewolves were often persecuted and some were even killed.
The Werewolf by Night character debuted in 1972 in Marvel Spotlight # 2 with the Jack Russell character being based on an idea by Roy Thomas. Marvel’s actual first werewolf character of the same name appeared in 1954 when Marvel was known as Atlas Comics. The creative team behind Werewolf by Night’s first appearance was Gerry Conway and Mark Ploog with input from Roy and Jeanie Thomas. The Jack Russell character’s introduction was reflective of the relaxation of the Comics Code Authority, which had forbidden the publishing of horror themed stories and characters for several years. Marvel creators were anxious to introduce monsters when they finally could, and Werewolf by Night would join characters such as Blade, their own version of Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster, the Living Mummy, Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, and Morbius the Living Vampire on Marvel’s supernatural side. The first Werewolf by Night solo comic book series was published later in 1972. Marvel’s Moon Knight character first appeared in Werewolf by Night # 32 (August 1975).
Werewolves and wolf-men themselves have a long and rich tradition in the genre of horror and monster movies. The very first werewolf film was simply titled The Werewolf and was released all the way back in 1913. Other notable films from this specific branch of the genre that I would suggest viewing include 1935’s Werewolf of London, 1941’s The Wolf Man, 1943’s Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, 1981’s The Howling, 1981’s An American Werewolf in London, 1984’s The Company of Wolves, 1985’s Teen Wolf, 1994’s Wolf, 1997’s An American Werewolf in Paris, 2000’s Ginger Snaps, 2003’s Underworld, 2004’s Van Helsing, 2005’s Cursed, and 2010’s The Wolf Man.
Werewolf by Night marked the Marvel Studios debut of Michael Giacchino in the Director’s Chair. Along with composing the score for Werewolf by Night, Giacchino previously composed the scores for Doctor Strange, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Thor: Love and Thunder for Marvel Studios.
In the 2023 book Marvel Studios – The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline, Werewolf by Night’s place on the MCU (Sacred) Timeline was revealed. The series takes place in the Fall of 2025, after Thor: Love and Thunder and prior to The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
On October 20, 2023, Werewolf by Night was re-released on Disney+ in full color in celebration of Halloween.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
My Werewolf by Night Review
Werewolf by Night was Marvel Studios’ inaugural Special Presentation, which makes it more of a mini-movie than anything else, clocking-in at just under an hour. If the Marvel Studios team were looking to make a film that paid tribute to the rich history of monsters in cinema (specifically the Universal Monster films of old), while staying true to the source material that this special was based on, with a few chills, thrills, and scares mixed in, then they hit the ball out of the park!
From the start, this was unlike anything that I’ve ever seen from Marvel Studios!
This was a horror production, with a specific focus on jump-scares, gore, and scary sequences!
Me, being a fan of the old Universal Monster movies and enjoying the mythology surrounding vampires and werewolves and whatnot, this was right down my alley, and I had a lot of fun with this production.
As I write this review, I am at the Universal Theme Parks in Orlando, Florida celebrating Halloween Horror Nights, and Werewolf by Night was a perfect Halloween-time viewing experience!
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
The plot of this Marvel Studios Special Presentation was easy to follow and understand.
The widowed Verussa Bloodstone plays host to five experienced monster hunters who are instructed to take part in a competitive hunt for a loosed monster on the grounds of Bloodstone Manor. One of these hunters is Jack Russell, and another is the stepdaughter of Verussa Bloodstone and the daughter of Ulysses Bloodstone: Elsa, who joins the hunt despite her stepmother’s warnings. The winner of the competition will claim the sacred Bloodstone and become the leader of the monster hunters.
Elsa ends up forming an uneasy partnership with Jack, who discovers the loosed monster to be his friend “Ted” (Man-Thing). Jack wants to rescue Ted and Elsa soon agrees to assist him on this mission and claim the Bloodstone in the process. Jack ultimately reaches the Bloodstone, and the Stone violently rejects him, exposing Jack as a monster.
A repulsed Verussa locks Elsa and Jack in a cage together and uses the Bloodstone to force Jack to transform into a werewolf. Jack does all that he can to ensure Elsa’s protection as the spell is cast, and after transforming, Jack spares Elsa and assaults Verussa’s guards, ravaging the men. Verussa uses the Bloodstone to subdue Jack, but Elsa defends him, preventing his death. Jack makes an escape and a furious Verussa turns her aggression on her stepdaughter, but Man-Thing intervenes, and incinerates Verussa.
With Verussa, her guards, and all of the other hunters dead, Elsa claims the Bloodstone. Jack wakes up in human form the following day in the company of Man-Thing and is pleased to discover that Elsa is safe, and that brings the Special Presentation (now in color) to an end.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
In praising Werewolf by Night, I have to start with Laura Donnelly, who portrayed Elsa Bloodstone in this Special Presentation. I thought she was amazing in her role, portraying a likable character whose eyes we experienced the show through more often than not, and bringing the sheer horror of it all to the forefront through her performance. Laura’s expression and demeanor when she was locked in the cage with Jack was pure panic and pure fear! You believed that she was scared out of her mind, and that made the seen quite powerful! She was great throughout this special!
My single favorite scene was Jack’s transformation in the cage. The use of lighting and shadow really worked and again, I just loved the entire presentation of it! I also want to say that I thought the black-and-white production of all of the suspense and carnage worked for this show! It created a unique ambiance and that benefited the special in all the right ways.
My favorite character in this show has to be Man-Thing, who may be Marvel’s latest big hit with audiences! With his kind eyes and unique grunting in the absence of his voice, Man-Thing commanded affection and was extremely entertaining, formidable, and … cute!?! I adored Man-Thing and can’t wait to see more from this character! Man-Thing was a homerun!
The other character that connected with me was Jack Russell himself. Gael Garcia Bernal was really good in the role! He was noble and he was brave, and a bit mysterious, and he certainly unleashed his fair share of carnage! There were some really great kills, and I really liked Jack’s friendship with Man-Thing and his chemistry with Elsa!
All of the monster hunting stuff was fun and well-executed, and this got me really excited for Marvel’s monsters and how they may be incorporated into the MCU! We have the introductions of Blade and Ghost Rider to look forward to, and lots more, and I thought Werewolf by Night was a fantastic start!
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Highlights of Werewolf by Night:
Laura Donnelly as Elsa Bloodstone
Carey Jones / Jeffrey Ford (Man-Thing)
Gael Garcia Bernal as Jack Russell / Werewolf by Night
Jack’s Werewolf Transformation
Chills, Thrills, and Gore
Production Tributes to the Monster Movies of Yesteryear
Notable MCU Concepts and Characters Introduced:
The Bloodstone. Monster Hunters. Jack Russell / Werewolf by Night. Elsa Bloodstone. Man-Thing. Ulysses and Verussa Bloodstone. Actual Talking Corpses (Ulysses Bloodstone, possibly a precursor to Zombie characters).
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