Superhero fatigue is a very real phenomenon in modern pop culture. Seemingly infinite phases and sequels and prequels and trilogies and quadrilogies and reboots provide a dizzying, and for some exhausting, smorgasbord of unending content of varying quality. After a point it all sort of blends together, with very little innovation to write home about.

It is therefore a true joy to know that hopes and wishes have now been answered, with a secret screening at Fantastic Fest 2022 revealing the newest addition to the Disney/Marvel lineup: an adaptation of WEREWOLF BY NIGHT.

Shot almost entirely in black and white with a booming soundtrack that would fit perfectly into any classic Universal monster movie, this imagining of the comics, originally created by Roy Thomas, Jean Thomas, Gerry Conway, and Mike Ploog, is the Halloween treat we’ve all been waiting for. With stellar performances by Gael García Bernal, Laura Donnelly, and Harriet Sansom Harris, WEREWOLF BY NIGHT effortlessly brings monsters into the MCU without draining them of their humanity and personality. García Bernal in particular injects so much empathy and vulnerability into his turn as the Werewolf by Night, Jack Russell, that it evokes performances like Ron Perlman’s HELLBOY and Doug Jones’ creature in THE SHAPE OF WATER. At all times he advocates for his own humanity and that of other monsters like him, no matter how tentacular they may be, making the hunters of the Bloodstone family as despicable as they are campy. 

It’s hard to discuss the machinations at hand in WEREWOLF BY NIGHT without spoiling some of what gives it its charm and wonderfully grindhouse gritty narrative, but suffice it to say that if Disney/Marvel can match the level of this special release in the future, we’re in for a bloody treat when the Marvel monsters get their full time to shine in the moonlight on the silver screen both large and small.

WEREWOLF BY NIGHT premieres on Disney+ on October 7, 2022

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Samantha Schorsch

Sam Schorsch is a freelance writer and editor and lifelong resident of Chicago. She graduated with an MFA in writing and publishing from DePaul University in 2017. She is also firmly on the Jason side of the eternal Freddy vs. Jason argument, when applicable.

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Tags: disney, Doug Jones, Fantastic Fest 2022, Film Festivals, Gael Garcia Bernal, Gerry Conway, halloween, Harriet Sansom Harris, Hellboy, Jean Thomas, Laura Donnelly, marvel, Mike Ploog, Ron Perlman, Roy Thomas, Shape of Water, The Shape of Water, Universal Monsters, Werewolf By Night