Next week, Marvel Studios debuts its first ever holiday special in the form of Werewolf by Night. Directed and scored by composer Michael Giacchino, the special aims to officially take the MCU into the world of horror monsters in the supernatural by way of monster hunters Jack Russell (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly). But it’s not just any horror, it’s that old school, original Universal Monsters-esque black-and-white horror of the 1930s and 40s!
While the MCU has dabbled in horror recently by way of Moon Knight and the Doctor Strange films, those are geared towards the horror of more recent years. In a new featurette, Giacchino stated that his primary goal was to evoke the old retro horror that 2022 audiences may not be used to. “[It’s] a giant mashup love letter to all of these old movies I lived on growing up,” said Giacchino. The composer admitted to being a fan of monster movies due to their allegorical stories about feeling different, along with being often terrified by “just the shadows of things.” It’s partially why thus far, we’ve only seen glimpses of Jack’s werewolf form rather than the whole thing.
The special sees Jack, Elsa, and other monster hunters compete to kill a mythical creature, and that setup allows for Giacchino to explore “entirely new characters and entirely new sides of the MCU,” explained Kevin Feige. Garcia and Donnelly both acknowledged how risky (but exciting!) it was to introduce their characters in this way, but Giacchino views the special as a great way to introduce some tonal diversity to the franchise. As for Feige? He’s excited to bring in a world “that will ultimately become quite important to the MCU.”
Werewolf by Night will premiere this Friday, October 7 on Disney+.
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