Image of the Full Moon. Credit: Julien Maculan
To complement the 2022 Halloween season, Marvel Studios released their one-off Halloween special, “Werewolf by Night.” “Werewolf by Night” showcases a dark side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, its dialogue dramatic and well-written with shocking and gruesome action that delivers a chilling Halloween feel.
“Werewolf by Night” reaches this “feel” in various ways, mainly in its production. To separate this special from most other Marvel projects, “Werewolf by Night” is colored entirely in black and white. While this could seem like a confusing decision, it adds to the ominous Halloween vibe that they were trying to achieve from the beginning. By the time production came to a close in April 2022, it was public knowledge that “Werewolf by Night” was far different from everything else in the MCU. However, fans were still shocked by some of the more gruesome shots, depicting things like disembowelment and dismemberment, which is far beyond the normal range of violence shown in Marvel content. It’s an interesting decision to go this far for a Halloween special. The violence in this special is particularly grotesque, possibly even turning away audience members due to its violent and effective use of practical effects.
But what is “Werewolf By Night?” The appearance of the Jack Russell character debuted back in 1972, known as a well-renowned monster hunter and nighttime werewolf. In this Halloween special, Jack Russell and four other hunters worldwide are called to Bloodstone Manor for an exclusive hunt. Each hunter is tasked with not only hunting their exclusive catch, but also fending for themselves as the other hunters are searching for the same prize. The goal is to find the new wielder of the powerful Bloodstone; the hunter who remains gets the stone. Jack finds himself stuck in this situation and obliges to the hunt, not revealing his true intentions of releasing the prized game. The hunters fight, slowly dropping one by one. With only a few hunters remaining, Jack finds himself cornered with no option but to use his violent alter-ego and embrace his anger.
The special finds its popularity in its unique qualities. As a black and white Halloween special with a runtime under an hour, “Werewolf By Night” serves as Marvel’s Halloween “Hidden Gem.” It manages to tell a solid story and set itself apart from the rest of the MCU, making it accessible to those who may not keep up with the rest of Marvel’s universe. With Marvel releasing a fully-colored version on October 20, 2023, it is definitely worth the watch during the Halloween season.
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