Werewolf by Night

 As opposed to Werewolf in the Afternoon with George?

I shouldn't waste a lot of words with Werewolf by Night. It's only 53 minutes, making it the shortest film I'll get to cover so far. In it, Marvel spotlights one of its most obscure superheroes. It's on Disney + now, and with Halloween tomorrow, the clock is ticking.

Ulysses Bloodstone, champion monster hunter, is dead. His widow Verussa (Harriet Sansom Harris) summons five of the best monster hunters for a competition. Their goal is to claim the family's eponymous MacGuffin and slay the dreaded Man-Thing that holds it, thereby becoming the new top monster hunter. Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly) is the event's unofficial competitor. Official Competitor Jack Russell (Gael Garcia Bernal) is actually the Werewolf by Night. He has to keep it secret, or the others will hunt him too.

Michael Giacchino's lush score, Maya Shimoguchi's production design and Zoe White's black-and-white cinematography make it an appealing homage to Universal's Monster films. They're so committed to the aesthetic they even have cigarette burns for reel changes. There's plenty of violent mayhem obscured by the monochrome, especially when Jack goes Werewolf at the end. The Bloodstone's glow stands out as the only bit of color for most of the film. 

Giacchino also gets to direct here. He visualizes a tight story by Heather Quinn and Peter Cameron. You'll get the gist of this TV Special in no time. Jack and Elsa are fairly likable protagonists, but most of their competition (save for Kirk Thatcher as the Scottish Jovan) are unremarkable. Verussa is at her creepiest at the climax. The best character is the Man-Thing, aka Ted, a sympathetic plant monster who just wants to live in peace. Ted is portrayed with some impressive motion capture by Carey Jones, while editor Jeffrey Ford voices him.

Marvel's Werewolf by Night is an impressive monster film unbound by its heroic predecessors. There's no end credits scene you have to stay tuned for. It makes for quick and easy Halloween viewing. At least, it's easier than the other film I decided to watch today. It had such sights to show me. Meanwhile, see this film if you want to know how much mayhem Marvel can muster on TV.