‘Werewolf by Night’ a Sleeper Marvel Delight

Within days, hours even, of when a new Marvel Cinematic Universe project “drops,” there are dozens of YouTube videos posted by superfans exploring what they describe as “breakdowns, spoilers, details, and easter eggs.” Most of these tidbits are details in the narrative that point to future projects and upcoming plot developments; maybe the most famous easter egg of all so far was the one that hatched into Howard the Duck making a quick cameo in “Guardians of the Galaxy 2.”“Werewolf by Night,” the latest MCU “joint,” has no shortage of these details, but there are a few that I have yet to see mentioned in any video. First, there are several appearances of old-fashioned “cue marks.” In the days before digital projection — known to some of us as the 20th century — when movies themselves were physical media, a little white circle would occasionally be seen in the upper right corner of the shot to let the projectionist know he had about eight seconds before it was time to change over to the next reel. These circles appear several times in “Werewolf,” even though this is a streaming digital file and thus there are no reels to change. Their only purpose here — much like the decision to film the whole thing in black and white — is to cue the likes of me that they are harkening to the classic horror movies of old Hollywood, especially the great Universal films of the 1930s and ’40s, in which Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, the Wolfman, and the Mummy met each other as well as Abbott and Costello.Horror heroes — including variations on all four of the above — were a staple of Marvel comics, especially in the 1970s. They were a direct manifestation of that chaotic moment when both the American government and the city of New York seemed to be caving in on themselves. More recently, Marvel’s horror heroes have been gradually emerging on screens both big and small, including Venom; Morbius, the Living Vampire; and the Ghost Rider.Yet the MCU can be a strange place. For months, we were subjected to anticipation-building trailers promoting the forthcoming “Morbius,” which was admittedly Sony rather than Marvel-Disney, and thus considered a poor relative of the MCU. We had reason to be hopeful, as other Sony-Marvel movies, including “Into the Spider-Verse” and the two “Venom” pictures, were all terrific. Yet the resultant “Morbius” was a major disappointment; trust me, you’d rather take a bite on the neck than sit through it.Where “Morbius” was over-hyped and a total bomb, “Werewolf by Night” was barely promoted at all and turns out to be a complete, admittedly grisly, delight. “Werewolf” is officially classified as a “TV Special” on Disney +, though I’m hoping it’s a pilot for something more ambitious down the road — a series even more than a theatrical film. It’s based on Marvel’s “Werewolf by Night,” a series that began in 1971 with three issues in the anthology title “Marvel Spotlight” before graduating to its own title, which ran until 1977. The character has made many appearances over the last 50 years, including a wholly different incarnation in 2020-21; you might say that he’s been doggedly persistent. Proving that Marvel always had a knack for humorous easter eggs even then, the main character, when he wasn’t out terrorizing the countryside, was named Jack Russell. The company also made a point of assigning to the series one of its most gifted writers, who happened to be named Marv Wolfman.Only about 45 minutes long (plus credits), Disney’s “Werewolf” is great fun — and much too difficult to discuss in detail without letting those dreaded spoilers out of the bag. I can tell you that there’s a kind of clunky and essentially unnecessary bit of exposition at the very beginning (explaining some backstory that could have been summed up in a line or two of dialogue), but then we launch into the story full throttle, in media res. There are also about two or three brief instances of R-rated-level gore that I wouldn’t have included, but other than that it’s perfectly fine spooky fare for those not yet old enough to drink or vote. Unlike the entirely predictable “Morbius,” “Werewolf” offers surprises galore. There are all kinds of guest monsters lurking about, including another long-running Marvel perennial whom I won’t name directly here (unless the name Ted is a tip-off), and you don’t know who’s going to turn out to be the werewolf until late in the game. “Werewolf by Night” is wonderfully written by Heather Quinn and Peter Cameron, drawing on ideas developed over the decades by Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, and, yes, Mr. Wolfman. The acting is also superb, especially that of Harriet Harris, whose role here is an even more sinister extension of the wicked stepmother she portrayed so memorably in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella.”Best of all is the monochrome cinematography, the design, and the direction, which, like Andy Serkis with “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” is by a major player in the world of contemporary film fantasy who is not known as a director: film composer Michael Giacchino, an Oscar and Grammy winner. Even as I want to see more appearances by Gael García Bernal and the Jack Russell character, his antagonist turned colleague (okay, this is one you probably saw coming) Laura Donnelly as Elsa Bloodstone, and, yes, Ted, I also hope that Mr. Giacchino will keep directing as well as composing. (The soundtrack music, also released by Disney, is as wonderful as you’d expect.) My favorite moment occurs early in the story; we see the group of “monster hunters” marching into the night, chanting, “And so it shall be.” Every four beats we hear a deep bass note resonating on a tuba, and we actually see a tuba player marching ahead of them. Every time that note sounds, the big horn (technically a Sousaphone) blasts out a stream of fire. A flaming tuba. (This theme is identified on the soundtrack album as, “There Is No Peace Without Tuba.”) Surely that’s proof that this whole spooky shebang is being helmed by a monstrous maestro. Now that’s my kind of easter egg.

‘Werewolf by Night’ a Sleeper Marvel Delight

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