Horror has finally come to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That’s because the Werewolf by Night special presentation is now available to stream on Disney+. Dropped just in time for the Halloween season, the new special is an hour-long, black and white standalone that introduces a brand new corner of the MCU to explore, with a few new important characters showing up as well.
The special was directed by Michael Giacchino, known best as an Oscar-winning composer. He has worked on plenty of Marvel movies, such as Doctor Strange and Thor: Love and Thunder, amongst others. But this is more or less his feature directorial debut, even though it isn’t quite as long as a full-length movie. Giacchino also composed the soundtrack for the special.
Here is the synopsis for Werewolf by Night.
“In Werewolf by Night, on a dark and somber night, a secret cabal of monster hunters emerge from the shadows and gather at the foreboding Bloodstone Temple following the death of their leader,” the synopsis reads. “In a strange and macabre memorial to the leader’s life, the attendees are thrust into a mysterious and deadly competition for a powerful relic — a hunt that will ultimately bring them face to face with a dangerous monster.”
Critics have, up to this point, largely loved the special. It currently holds a 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That could pave the way for more, similar specials in the future. Even more importantly, it could open up a path for more straight-up horror to exist in the MCU. With Blade coming down the pipeline, that may already be happening. We’ve also got Deadpool 3 going R-rated. The MCU is finally starting to explore a harder edge nearly 15 years into its existence.
The cast includes Gael García Bernal, Laura Donnelly, Harriet Sansom Harris, Al Hamacher, Eugenie Bondurant, Kirk Thatcheras Jovan, Jaycob Maya and Daniel Watts. Peter Cameron and Heather Quinn penned the script for the special, with Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige executive producing. One question that remains is whether or not any of these newly introduced characters will show up elsewhere in the MCU, or if the monsters of the Marvel universe will be relegated to their own little corner. Time will tell.
Werewolf by Night is now streaming on Disney+.
What do you think? Are you excited to watch the special? Do you hope Marvel does more straight-up horror? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter!
