Werewolf By Night

At the beginning of October, Marvel Studios' first Halloween special, Werewolf by Night, was released onto Disney+. Werewolf by Night follows a secret group of monster hunters in the modern-day MCU. When the leader of the monster group dies, the remaining member must compete for a powerful relic while going up against a dangerous monster.

This special was a nice change of pace for content in the MCU. It pays tribute to classic 1940s monster movies both through the black-and-white aesthetic and with the overall tone and story structure. The movie also dives deep into the horror aspect, far deeper than Multiverse of Madness did. It feels exactly like a classic universal monster film set in the MCU. It also balances the horror aspect very well. It is scary enough that it is definitely a horror film but not so scary that it is a turnoff to casual MCU fans. It was just really refreshing to have something so new and different be put out in the MCU. The story itself is also pretty straightforward. It doesn't get too bogged down by subplots as it just doesn't have the time to cover them. It can address its story very easily and keeps a very narrow focus. The pacing is also really well done. The movie moves fast enough that it doesn't drag or overstay its welcome, but not so fast that it feels rushed and doesn't allow any growth to the characters. Finally, the characters introduced in the film are a lot of fun. Both Jack and Elsa, as well as the monster, are all very interesting and well-written characters and I hope to see further stories with them.

The only issue I had with the special is that I wish it would've been longer. That is nothing against the film itself, nothing feels rushed or ends abruptly. I just enjoyed this so much that I wish we could've spent more time with these characters and in this horror-focused world in the MCU.

Overall, this film was a nice change of pace within the MCU, and I hope to see more of these characters either through more holiday specials or in a full film.

Score:8/10 Grade: A- Recommendation: Check it out.