Full Moon Reviews - Horror, Sci-Fi, Action, B-Movies: werewolves

Showing posts with label werewolves. Show all posts

1.18.2025

Wolf Man (2025) Might contain spoilers

DIRECTED BY

Leigh Whannell

STARRING

Christopher Abbott - Blake Lovell

Julia Garner - Charlotte Lovell

Matilda Firth - Ginger Lovell

Sam Jaeger - Grady Lovell

Benedict Hardie - Derek

Genre: Horror/Supernatural/Body Horror/Werewolves

Running Time: 103 Minutes

PLOT

With his marriage fraying, Blake persuades his wife Charlotte to take a break from the city and visit his remote childhood home in rural Oregon. As they arrive at the farmhouse in the dead of night, they’re attacked by an unseen animal and barricade themselves inside the home as the creature prowls the perimeter. But as the night stretches on, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognizable.

REVIEW

It’s funny - I had reviewed the original 1941 THE WOLF MAN earlier this month in preparation for, what I had believed, was a modern remake or retelling of the same story. I had even debated whether to watch and/or review the 2010 remake, but I felt that I would dislike the 2025 adaptation more if I had. I wanted to go into 2025’s WOLF MAN with a fresh set of eyes and judge it for its own merits without comparisons to whatever came before it.

But lo and behold! 2025’s WOLF MAN isn’t an actual remake at all! It has no Larry Talbot. There are no Romani fortune tellers. I don’t think I even caught a full moon. It has family, love, and a man changing into… something. But it’s not the Universal WOLF MAN you’re used to.

And that’s one of my main issues with this version of the story - I feel the title is a bit misleading. Yes, there’s some legend about men turning into wolves and technically there are wolf-looking men in this movie. But WOLF MAN is less of a werewolf film and more of a body horror movie that’s akin to David Cronenberg, mainly 1986’s THE FLY. It’s a horror film where someone gets infected and begins to transform for the entire film, until that person decides to attack the people closest to them. Yes, main character Blake gets scratched and becomes more of a wolf creature. But he’s not technically what one would expect a werewolf to look like either. I respect the change but the title is advertising something audiences are probably not expecting [or even wanting out of a film like this].

The film also struggles with getting its message across in a meaningful way. 2020’s THE INVISIBLE MAN turned the original story on its head to craft a fantastic horror movie about abuse and PTSD. It just happened to star a man who could turn invisible and traumatize the main character with that ability, making characters in the film wonder if she’s going crazy or her outbursts about her ex-boyfriend being invisible are true.

WOLF MAN seems to be about not wanting to repeat the same mistakes our parents did so it won’t pass on to future generations. The prologue doesn’t shy away from this, as young Blake is raised by a strict military father who barks orders rather than show love and affection for him. He’s also hiding his own secrets, which makes Blake turn on him as he grows up. In order to do that, Blake is a bit more loving with his daughter Ginger [nice GINGER SNAPS homage], who dotes on her father and seems closer to him than to her workaholic mother Charlotte. However, Blake continues to feel guilty anytime Ginger acts out or doesn’t listen to him, turning him into his father. It seems while avoiding the past, Blake can’t seem to shake it off for his present and future.

While this commentary is great, it’s not handled in a deep way. The father-daughter aspect is done well, but the rest of the relationships could have used more time. There’s issues between Blake and Charlotte that aren’t really elaborated on besides that she works so much that she feels she’s not a good mother to Ginger, while Blake is a stay-at-home dad who probably isn’t being the best husband and father financially. But we barely spend time with this couple before shit hits the fan, so it’s hard to tell whether the marriage has been rocky for a long time now or this is just a recent event. Plus considering that Charlotte and Ginger don’t have the strongest relationship, the film’s focus would be more on that. While the two do grow closer due to the events in the film, I never got a sense their relationship will improve, although I suspect it would. Plus the “Sins of the Father” deal gets hammered into your head maybe too many times that it soon becomes too much on the nose when the “twist” occurs.

I also felt WOLF MAN was pretty tame in terms of scares and action. The film relies on jump scares for the most part, using the sound design to jolt audiences. But no one in my showing really fell for any of them, which is telling in how much they worked. And while some of the gore is pretty gnarly at times, Whannell seems to shy away from it quite a bit. Some people get murdered or eaten and we just see the aftermath, which is a shame. Plus, there are action moments - including one between two wolf people - that should be the film’s highlight. But instead, they’re cut pretty short and just feel like an afterthought. Maybe it’s because of the budget or Whannell was going for something with broader appeal, but it takes away the energy and intensity from WOLF MAN.

Fortunately, the film does have things going for it. The actors all do well with what they’re given. I feel Julia Garner kind of got the short straw here, as she’s reduced to playing frightened mother and wife for the most part. But she handles it well and convinces you that she’s confused and terrified by what’s going on. Matilda Firth could have played Ginger as a kind of annoyingly precocious child, but she gives the character a level of intelligence that makes her fit with the adult actors. She handles fear well, but also has a charm about her that makes you care for her relationship with her parents. She’s good in the role. The real star here is Christopher Abbott as Blake, who is game for anything asked of him. He plays a great dad. He plays a husband fighting for his marriage. He plays a man struggling with his two lives. And as he transforms into the Wolf Man, he becomes scarier and more intense as he goes from man to beast within a short time. Walking on all fours is kind of goofy, but Abbott goes for it and I respect it. Plus, I liked him in the makeup [even if I have mixed feelings on the look] and thought he conveyed his metamorphosis well. Solid actors who needed a better script to play around with.

I also liked some of Whannell’s directorial choices. The use of the wolf powers was actually a cool idea. It had a superhero origin vibe, where the subject is realizing he or she is becoming something else by realizing they have abilities no human should have. The loud sounds and the gurgling of sound when people talk to Blake was a nice touch. I also loved the wolf sight that would come in and out, reminding me of Detective Mode in those Batman Arkham games. I feel Whannell was more focused on the style of the film rather than the substance here. I mean, that’s fine for some horror directors but we’ve seen Whannell stand out because of the substance in his works. So while I liked the film visually [it’s a nice looking movie], he’s capable of better.

THE FINAL HOWL

If you’re going into WOLF MAN looking for a traditional werewolf movie, you’re going to be seriously disappointed. If you’re looking for something different, you’ll still probably be disappointed but maybe you’ll get something out of it. The issue with this film is that it plays things way too safe. It has a strong commentary about the sins of the father and how their actions affect their children, but it never really goes deeper than that, preferring to predictably play things out on the surface without any subtlety. Same with the relationship between the characters, as their dynamic has no depth other than they have issues that need to be worked on. Also, the film isn’t scary at all and when cool action happens, it’s cut away to something else.

But at least the performances are pretty good, especially by lead Christopher Abbott, who gives his all as both human and wolf-man. And the film has a good visual style going for it, especially when the wolf powers [or “Detective Mode”] come into play. The body horror aspect had some gnarly moments that picked up the film’s intensity at times. It’s also paced very well, as this film blew right by despite my issues with it. And I respect a new way of looking into the Wolf Man character, even if it doesn’t fully work for me.

Considering what Leigh Whannell has done in the past, his version of WOLF MAN is pretty weak and disappointing. Considering how much I loved THE INVISIBLE MAN, I felt that this was a severe drop in quality. Maybe some of you will get a kick out of this adaptation, but I don’t think it’s really anything to moon over. It’s fine at best.

SCORE

2.5 Howls Outta 4

(6 out or 10)

1.08.2025

The Wolf Man (1941)

DIRECTED BY

George Wagnner

STARRING

Lon Chaney Jr. - Lawrence “Larry” Talbot/ The Wolf Man

Claude Rains - Sir John Talbot

Warren William - Dr. Lloyd

Evelyn Ankers - Gwen Conliffe

Ralph Bellamy - Captain Paul Montford

Patric Knowles - Frank Andrews

Bela Lugosi - Bela

Maria Ouspenskaya - Maleva

Genre - Horror/Supernatural/Werewolves

Running Time - 70 Minutes

PLOT

After his brother’s death, Larry Talbot returns home to his father and the family estate. Events soon take a turn for the worse when Larry is bitten by a werewolf.

REVIEW

Considering the first big horror film of 2025 is Leigh Whannell’s adaptation of THE WOLF MAN, I figured it was the perfect time to go back to when the werewolf film became mainstream. While Universal Studios’ WEREWOLF OF LONDON from 1935 was officially the first feature-length werewolf flick, that film bombed at the box office at the time although it has now gained a cult following and even a hit song inspired by it. It took six years for werewolves to be cool and engaging for moviegoers, with 1941’s THE WOLF MAN becoming a huge hit and inspiring multiple sequels, spin-offs and even remakes along the way.

While the 1941 WOLF MAN is definitely a product of its time, the film still holds up for the most part and continues to inspire werewolf lore to this day. Probably the most iconic aspect of this classic horror film is the make-up of the title character. While very primitive compared to what would come along much later in films like 1981’s AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON and THE HOWLING, the prototype for those later looks begin here. Yes, the Wolf Man looks less like a real wolf, and more like a regular man who hasn’t shaved for years and probably in good need of a dentist. But for the time, this was pretty impressive make-up work and probably horrified audiences.

THE WOLF MAN also has some thick atmosphere and cool locations going for it. Director George Wagnner does a nice job visualizing the story, using the setting quite well, especially at the end where the Wolf Man is hunting within the forest as he chases his love interest while others [including his father] chase him down. Even during the daytime scenes, there always seems to be a sense of dread and bleakness that the characters can’t overcome. Wagnner showcases through the use of fog and mist at night, while main character Larry Talbot encounters strange characters who deal in the mystical arts. There’s a level of spook all around THE WOLF MAN.

And while it may look goofy to many today, the transformation scene is still quite impressive considering this was done in 1941. It’s just a simple series of dissolves with actor Lon Chaney Jr. being shown with more werewolf makeup on in each frame. But again, 1941 audiences probably ate this up and were terrified by this metamorphosis. I honestly prefer this to much of the CGI transformations we get today, as I would rather have a werewolf look like this than look like a cartoon character. But that’s just me, I guess.

Also quite simple is the story written by Curt Siodmak. The narrative is easy to understand on paper, as it’s pretty much a man’s struggle to deal with his animal instincts when he’s bitten by a werewolf. Larry Talbot is already treated as somewhat of a black sheep within his own family, struggling with relationships with his father and those close with the Talbot family. His issues are made worse when he has no control over his new werewolf persona, killing people and stalking an engaged young woman who has refused his advances.

While Larry is a problematic character in a lot of ways, especially in how he doesn’t listen to his love interest Gwen [who is an engaged woman in love with another man], he’s really the only character we follow throughout. He’s the only character we care about because he has depth and is the only one who struggles with anything major in THE WOLF MAN. You want him to reconcile with his father. You get upset when people tell him he’s mentally ill because he believes in werewolves, to the point where he claims to be one himself. You wish he could have a chance with Gwen, who is sweet on Larry but faithful to Frank. Larry is a complex character in a simple narrative. Unfortunately, none of the other characters come close to having any depth or interesting arcs besides maybe fortune teller Maleva, who pops up whenever she needs to bail Larry out of a werewolf situation. Most of the other classic Universal Monsters films have supporting characters you can identify with, but THE WOLF MAN suffers from not having many. Pretty tough to do that when your movie is only 70 minutes.

And while the story is simple, you can take a lot of thematic subtext from THE WOLF MAN. Is this film about male puberty and sexual repression? Are we dealing with topics of duality, like a Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde situation? Is this a story about mental health and mental illness? Is Larry dealing with paranoia, anxiety, depression with everyone around him treating him feel lesser because of it, to the point where he has to transform and take it out on people as a mindless animal? Is this just a film about good and evil, or love and rejection leading to terrible things? There’s so much psychological analysis you can make out of this film, which makes it timeless in a way. THE WOLF MAN may be a monster film on the surface, but there’s a much deeper interpretation of the narrative underneath it all.

Siodmak’s biggest contribution to werewolf lore are all the elements he brings to the table here that quickly become incorporated in other mainstream werewolf movies. We have the weakness of silver. Werewolves have the mark of a pentagram once they’ve been bitten. There’s even the famous quote about men turning into wolves as “wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.” Like George A. Romero would do with zombies in the late 1960s, Siodmak formed the werewolf tropes as we know them today.

The acting is perfectly fine here. The biggest impression is obviously Lon Chaney Jr. as Larry Talbot, aka the Wolf Man. At times, his performance is a bit awkward. But for the most part, he carries himself quite well and makes Larry a sympathetic character with goofy charm. Chaney Jr. also looks great in makeup, which makes him ideal for this dual role. Even better is Claude Rains as Sir John Talbot, Larry’s father. His performances are always top notch whether it’s in horror or something like CASABLANCA. The man brings class to every movie he’s a part of and here’s no exception. I liked his chemistry with Chaney Jr. Cool to see Ralph Bellamy here, even though he doesn’t really get a whole lot to do. Same for Bela Lugosi, who is gone as quickly as he appears. Maria Ouspenskaya is pretty great as Maleva though, bringing an air of mysticism to the proceedings. A good cast, even though a lot of them aren’t given much material to work with.

THE FINAL HOWL

While not the best Universal Monsters film ever made [my nod goes to 1935’s THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN], the original WOLF MAN is still pretty damn good all these decades later. Curt Siodmak crafts a simple [maybe too simple?] story that introduces a lot of the werewolf tropes that would continue to be implemented in werewolf movies to this very day. Director George Wagnner does a nice job visualizing the narrative with nice atmosphere and a spooky mood in the last half, while highlighting the use of makeup and dissolves to showcase the werewolf transformation. It may look hokey now, but it probably wowed audiences back in 1941. The actors are fine, mainly Lon Chaney Jr., Claude Rains and Maria Ouspenskaya. I wish the supporting characters had more depth because you don’t really care for them [Chaney Jr.’s Larry Talbot has the only real arc]. And the film may be a bit too short at seventy minutes to give the actors more to do. But THE WOLF MAN is a classic for a reason and still maintains a charm that will continue to make it resonate for many moons to come.

SCORE

3 Howls Outta 4

(8 out of 10)

10.30.2023

Howls of the Week (10/22/23 - 10/28/23)

This will probably be a new feature, similar to the old monthly LUNAR CYCLE I used to do. I figured I would just post quick thoughts on films I've recently seen, while giving bigger/solo spotlights to more popular/important films. Let's see how this goes.

SANTO AND BLUE DEMON VS. DRACULA AND THE WOLFMAN (1973)

Directed By: Miguel M. Delgado

Starring: Santo, Blue Demon, Aldo Monti, Agustin Martinez Solares, Nubia Marti, Maria Eugenia San Martin, Alfredo Wally Barron, Jorge Mondragon

Genre: Horror/Action/Adventure/Vampires/Werewolves

Running Time: 90 Minutes

Score: 2.5 Howls Outta 4 (6 out of 10)

Plot: After facing defeat at the hands of Cristaldi the magician, Dracula is back to seek revenge and rule the world. With the help of Wolfman and his legion of followers, victory seems eminent. Professor Cristaldi, a descendant of the magician, is warned about Dracula’s plans and calls upon El Santo and Blue Demon in the hopes that they can put the infamous Count and the werewolf down for good.

Review: Another installment starring the two most famous Lucha Libre wrestlers of their era, SANTO & BLUE DEMON VS. DRACULA & THE WOLFMAN involves a scientist who brings back Dracula and the Wolfman to the living world after being manipulated by a scheming hunchback. Apparently the scientist’s ancestors took care of Dracula centuries before, making him plot revenge on him and his female relatives - one who is dating Santo.

It’s not as good as SANTO & BLUE DEMON VS. THE MONSTERS, but it’s still a fun time overall. Evil Dracula [played by a returning Aldo Monti] bites some people, hypnotizes other people and even tries to get his revenge on a clueless child who has some of the worst English dubbing ever. The werewolf, beautifully named Rufus Rex, uses his human good looks and “heroics” to manipulate the scientist’s daughter. You get your standard wrestling matches [which are done on a soundstage with no visible crowd for some reason], Santo and Blue Demon fighting off vampires and a group of hairy werewolves over a pit and other silliness to pass the runtime. The film was obviously inspired by the Hammer and/or Paul Naschy films of the era, making this film super colorful and visually polished [this film definitely had a budget]. I think fans of Santo, Blue Demon, or both will get a kick out of this one.

CHANOC AND THE SON OF SANTO VS. THE KILLER VAMPIRES (1983)

Directed By: Rafael Perez Grovas

Starring: Santo, El Hijo del Santo, Nelson Velazquez, Arturo Cobo, Rubi Re, Marcos Vargas

Genre: Horror/Comedy/Action/Vampires

Running Time: 85 Minutes

Score: 0.5 Howls Outta 4 (2 out of 10)

Plot: Chanoc fights alongside Santo’s son against the Killer Vampires.

Review: Before his retirement a year later, Santo appears one last time in his wrestling persona on film as he passes the torch to his real life son in the opening moments of this movie. You’d think with a younger version of Santo, the action and story would be more exciting and modern for a new generation of people. But in one of the worst films I’ve seen all year, CHANOC & THE SON OF SANTO VS. THE KILLER VAMPIRES is a waste of everyone’s time. That includes the people who were part of this production and for anyone who spent 85 minutes suffering through this thing. If it wasn’t for the fact that this film looks alright and there are some decent musical sequences (!), this would be a total dud.

Not only is it dull for the most part, but we’re stuck with two actors playing these annoying old men who are trying to pass as comic relief. I thought this was a Son of Santo film, but he feels like a supporting character in his own movie. The wrestling scenes feel like a parody of what they once were. The action is repetitive. Random scenes pop up to fill up time because there isn’t much of a story here. And those killer vampires? You maybe get five minutes worth with them and they don’t seem to be real vampires anyway. They’re just a gang dressed as them to scare people. It’s really depressing to see how low this series has fallen. I pretty much hated this movie and would never ever watch this again.

FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S (2023)

Directed By: Emma Tammi

Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Piper Rubio, Elizabeth Lail, Matthew Lillard, Mary Stuart Masterson

Genre: Horror/Mystery/Supernatural/Ghosts/Robots

Running Time: 110 Minutes

Score: 1.5 Howls (4 out of 10)

Plot: Recently fired and desperate for work, a troubled young man named Mike agrees to take a position as a night security guard at an abandoned theme restaurant: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. But he soon discovers that nothing at Freddy’s is what it seems.

Review: Based on the popular video game, Universal and Blumhouse apparently hit the box-office jackpot with their adaptation that may have brought Josh Hutcherson back to the A-list. If I were a fan of the games or even younger, I probably would have enjoyed this. But it honestly didn’t do much for me overall. I do love the Jim Henson animatronics, cool practical effects and a well-acted cast who are totally game to bring these ideas to life. But I didn’t find the film scary and some of the screenwriting and twists are odd and predictable. Like characters just buy everything that’s going on in the film without an ounce of skepticism, which didn’t allow enough drama to play out. And there’s so much story in this film that it becomes a bit long-in-the-tooth after a while. I’m glad people watched this in theaters and on Peacock for a successful Halloween weekend. But I’d probably just watch WILLY’S WONDERLAND, since that seems to be more of my vibe.

NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU (2023)

Directed By: Brian Duffield

Starring: Kaitlyn Dever, Elizabeth Kaluev, Zack Duhame, Lauren L. Murray

Genre: Thriller/Horror/Science Fiction/Aliens

Running Time: 97 Minutes

Score: 3 Howls Outta 4 (7 out of 10)

Plot: A young woman who’s been alienated from her community finds herself in a face-off against a host of extraterrestrial beings who threaten her future while forcing her to deal with her past.

Review: I finally caught up with this Hulu exclusive after all the hype it received last month. While I didn’t think it was the greatest film ever, I did enjoy it for the most part. An alien invasion movie is nothing new and this film doesn’t really reinvent the wheel, instead just turning this into a home invasion/INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS redo. But I liked how the film worked well without much dialogue [I believe only five lines are said throughout this movie]. The lack of dialogue is greatly helped by a wonderful performance by BOOKSMART actress Kaitlyn Dever, whose body language and facial expressions tell you everything you need to know. She carried this movie on her back like a champ. Her character arc was also very interesting, especially how her neighborhood hated her for whatever reason, leading to a reveal in the final act that I wasn’t expecting. I also thought the ending could be interpreted in multiple ways depending on who you are, which I think may have divided many people if social media is any indication. But the CGI aliens are interesting looking enough, but nothing that you’ll remember a month from now. And the film is pretty much just one tough woman defending herself against aliens and her own town, which slowly becomes overrun by pod people. I’m not sure if I would watch this again, unless it was for a podcast or something. But I do recommend it if you’re looking for a science fiction film done mostly right.

OUT THERE HALLOWEEN MEGA TAPE (2022)

Directed By: Chris LaMartina

Starring: Melissa LaMartina, Ted Geoghegan

Genre: Horror/Comedy

Running Time: 91 Minutes

Score: 3 Howls Outta 4 (8 out of 10)

Plot: Gorge yourself on candy corn and hunker down for a haunted house party filled with aliens, vamps, and phantom tramps via this hard-to-find flick from an infamous East Coast ’90’s bootleg video operation. Straight from the archives of Trader Tony’s Tape Dungeon, the “Out There Halloween Mega Tape” was assembled from the highest quality source materials available and presented just as it was sold via Trader Tony’s mail order catalog in the 1990’s.

Review: The sequel to the 2013 cult hit WNUF HALLOWEEN SPECIAL, this sequel is actually a lot of fun and gets all the 90s pop culture references and advertisements fairly perfectly. More comedy than its predecessor, OUT THERE HALLOWEEN MEGA TAPE is mainly focused on daytime talk show host Ivy Sparks.

The first half of the feature revolves around her talk show, where she has several guests - including a wife who is cheating on her husband with a female ghost and a vampire who is forced by a family member into one of those makeovers. The vibe of the show is definitely Ricki Lake, mixed with some Maury and Jerry Springer as well.

The second half is a parody of that FOX paranormal show from the 90s, Sightings, which focuses on an impending alien invasion and a Heaven’s Gate like cult who believe the aliens are coming to take them to their home planet since Earth is wasting away due to climate change and pollution. It makes fun of Heaven’s Gate and their beliefs, while poking light at how the government is hiding the truth about extraterrestrials by disrupting their television special. Ivy Sparks, having been fired from her talk show, is now "Out There’s" co-host and pretty much does her schtick to a bunch of annoyed brainwashed cult members.

The real gem with this sequel is obviously the commercials throughout the mega tape, which capture those memorable ads you watched on television during the 1990s. All of them are really funny and I was impressed with the research and time put into each and every one of them. Definitely recommended.

SORORITY SLAUGHTER (1994)

Directed By: Gary Whitson

Starring: Tina Krause, Dave Castiglione, Debbie D, Deana Enoches, Laura Giglio

Genre: Horror/Slasher

Running Time: 87 Minutes

Score: 0.5 Howls Outta 4 (2 out of 10)

Plot: Three sorority girls play a prank on their creepy neighbor, Hugo. He is accidentally shot and killed, but returns to life in order to kill them as human sacrifices in order to grant himself immortality.

Review: The only thing that’ll be slaughtered is your time, as SORORITY SLAUGHTER is the longest 87 minutes of your life. Shot on video, this film contains some of the longest scenes of nothing you’ll ever see. Ever wanted to experience a strangle sequence that lasts about 10 minutes? Have you ever wanted to watch characters wash a car for 15 minutes? You ever wished you could have human sacrifices mixed with random T-shirt contests? What about sex scenes where none of the actors seem into it at all? Then this film is for you! Hell, was there even a sorority in this movie?? There’s even an extended cut and a sequel to this! I usually like Tina Krause but this film is just pure torture. Probably the worst thing I’ve seen all week.

10.09.2022

Werewolf By Night (2022)

DIRECTED BY

Michael Giacchino

STARRING

Gael Garcia Bernal - Jack Russell

Laura Donnelly - Elsa Bloodstone

Harriet Sansom Harris - Verussa Bloodstone

Kirk R. Thatcher - Jovan

Carey Jones - Ted/Man-Thing

Genre: Horror/Action/Fantasy/Monsters/Creature Feature/Werewolves

Running Time: 55 Minutes

PLOT

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.

REVIEW

Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a mixed bag with only a few highpoints compared to the previous three Phases. Thankfully it may be ending on a strong note this year, starting with the Disney+ special, WEREWOLF BY NIGHT - based on a 1972 comic that brought in horror elements to the Marvel Universe.

Composer Michael Giacchino proves that he’s also skilled as a horror director, as he puts the Jack Russell character in a setting that resembles a classic Universal flick from the 1930s and 1940s, complete with black & white filter and film grain that gives an illusion of age. With a narrative that resembles The Most Dangerous Game that deals with monster hunters trying to kill each other for a magical Bloodstone that can hurt monsters, it allows the audience to get to know the small cast of characters for a short period of time. Most of the supporting characters unfortunately get less screen time than others, but I enjoyed their different approaches to hunting. Thankfully, Jack and Elsa Bloodline are strongly written characters who share some nice chemistry throughout, strengthening the narrative.

Probably the biggest takeaway from WEREWOLF BY NIGHT is Marvel’s allowing more violence and gore in their projects. While I think May’s DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS was probably more brutal, WEREWOLF BY NIGHT has its share of gore in terms of dismembered limbs, ears being bitten and pulled like Mike Tyson to Evander Holyfield and weapons impaling people. We also have Ted, a.k.a. Man-Thing, disintegrating a scared someone with just a single touch.

Giacchino’s direction is confident and great, as the film feels like a classic horror film in its approach. The fight choreography is awesome and the pacing is perfect for a special like this. I love that the only color we see for a long time is the red from the Bloodstone, while the mix of CGI and practical effects works really well - especially when it comes to an awesome looking Man-Thing [or “Ted”] and a cool looking Werewolf By Night. The werewolf isn’t the greatest looking werewolf, but I liked the mix of the Lon Chaney look with a mix of a modern edge. Plus, Giacchino’s musical score is pretty awesome too.

The actors are all solid. Gael Garcia Bernal is definitely a get for any studio and he’s wonderful as Jack Russell, bringing a likability and quiet charisma to his lead role. I definitely want to see more of him and his character going forward. Laura Donnelly was also solid as Elsa Bloodline, bringing a toughness and sassiness to her role. I also enjoyed Harriet Sansom Harris’ snooty and power-hungry role as Verussa Bloodline, Elsa’s stepmother and the leader of this hunt. And special mention to Carey Jones as “Ted”, a.k.a. Man-Thing. I really enjoyed his motion capture work that showed how lovable and innocent this supposed monster really is. He could be the next Groot if done right.

THE FINAL HOWL

One of the highlights of the mixed bag known as the MCU’s Phase Four, director/composer Michael Giacchino’s WEREWOLF BY NIGHT is a great throwback to the classic horror of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s mixed with modern technology to really stand out in the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe library. The use of black and white [with red being the only color used for much of this television special] with added film grain is a nice touch, while using the common narrative structure of The Most Dangerous Game with an added creature element allows some bit of depth and a simple character arc that’s more than digestible. The action is well shot, as well as some of the more horror elements that’s gory enough to satisfy genre fans. Due to a great mix of CGI and practical effects, both Werewolf by Night and, in particular, Man-Thing look pretty damn cool. The cast, especially Gael Garcia Bernal and Laura Donnelly, are likable and bring an earnestness to their roles. WEREWOLF BY NIGHT is a nice surprise this Halloween season and I look forward to more of this character in a live-action setting, as well as more horror themed Marvel characters getting their time to shine.

SCORE

3.5 Howls Outta 4

(9 out of 10)

1.18.2025

Wolf Man (2025) *Might contain spoilers*

1.08.2025

The Wolf Man (1941)

10.30.2023

Howls of the Week (10/22/23 - 10/28/23)

10.09.2022

Werewolf By Night (2022)

Wolf Man (2025) Might contain spoilers