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For the past few years, Marvel Studios has been trying to incorporate more horror elements into its storytelling. Although there are scenes in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” that are thrilling and a little unsettling for the audience, the film is still a superhero story, leaving little room for any true horror.

That changed on Oct. 7 with the release of “Werewolf by Night” on Disney+. Directed by acclaimed composer Michael Giacchino, this 55-minute special presentation is a tremendous ode to classic horror and a refreshing break from Marvel’s typical superhero formula.

“Werewolf by Night” opens with a vague exposition of the story’s setting on the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline, with help from a narration voice with a strong resemblance to the legendary Vincent Price. From the unique intro to the black-and-white aesthetic of the film, Marvel fans can tell that Giacchino is about to take on a narrative journey they have never experienced before.

The story centers around a mysterious monster hunter, Jack Russell, who is brilliantly portrayed by Gael García Bernal. Russell, along with other monster hunters, has been called to the home of the late Ulysses Bloodstone to compete for an ancient relic — the Bloodstone — which gives the owner tremendous control over all of the monsters in the world.

The game is quite simple — a powerful, dangerous monster has been released into a maze in the back of the house, and whoever brings down the monster wins the Bloodstone.

The hunt takes up a majority of the action, and is an amazing showcase of Giacchino’s ability as a director and composer. The film is filled with suspense and mystery, bringing the audience into the maze with the characters. The music is also perfectly written, building the sense of dread and fear of a true classic horror score. And when there are confrontations between the hunters, there are images of violence and blood that are largely new to Marvel.

We eventually learn that Russell is not there to fight for the Bloodstone, but rather he intends to save the monster they are hunting — the comic feature “Man-Thing,” known in short as Ted. Jack, along with help from Ulysses’s disgraced daughter, Elsa Bloodstone, eventually defeats several other hunters and frees Ted.

For this, Jack and Elsa are punished and thrown in a cage. His capturers then use the Bloodstone to force Jack to transform into the titular Werewolf.

Jack’s transformation sequence is a masterful showcase of horror storytelling. The transformation from man to werewolf is shown, not through the body of Jack, but through those who watch Jack’s horrifying transformation. Elsa’s face is a portrait of fear, conveying to the audience that Jack has morphed into a monster and the result is terrifying.

The werewolf embarks on a violent rampage, seeking vengeance on those who put him in the cage. This scene is well-executed, offering a sense of realism that adds to the overall fear and tension that the characters and audience are experiencing.

Although the werewolf is committing vicious acts towards his enemies, there is a human element in the makeup and costume that lets the audience know that Jack is still in there. The fight and the film eventually end with Jack and Elsa escaping and moving on to the next part of their respective journeys in the MCU.

The end of the short is intentionally ambiguous and does not feature any sort of a post-credit scene, which has become a staple in Marvel content. Although we are unsure when we will see Jack, Ted or Elsa again, there are several different horror-centered stories that the characters would neatly fit into.

What truly makes “Werewolf by Night” special is that it pays homage to the classic horror movies of George Romero, while still being an original story and bringing a new type of storytelling to the MCU. From the incredible imagery to the brutal fight scenes, there was a darkness to this story that Marvel should not shy away from in the future.

Published on October 10, 2022 at 10:37 pm