Marvel has a plethora of heroes to bring to the small and big screen and it looks like they’ll be churning out movies and tv shows until people stop watching. With the numbers they’re pulling in, it doesn’t look like they’ll be letting up soon. With Disney Plus, the possibilities are endless. And Marvel’s Werewolf By Night is proof.
In the 1970s, comic books capitalized on the horror genre by creating a long list of scary characters. One of those characters was Jack Russell, a werewolf in the popular series Werewolf By Night. Similar to other Marvel characters, Marvel linked Jack Russell to other superheroes, having them all share the same world. Jack has had interactions with other horror-friendly superheroes like Blade, Dr. Strange, Scarlet Witch, Morbius, and many others.
Disney Plus added a Werewolf By Night one-hour special for Marvel fans who love horror. The show is about Jack Russell, played by Gael Garcia Bernal, a closet Werewolf who attends a gathering of monster hunters claiming the “Bloodstone,” which is a powerful stone that can harm any monster. I will not spoil the story, but Jack has other motives for being there. A fight for the stone ensues, and I’ll leave it at that.
The show is shot in black and white as a throwback to the days of Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, Vincent Price, and my favorite, Abbot and Costello Meet the Wolfman. Werewolf by night is over the top and campy, but not too much that the average Marvel fan won’t enjoy it. The show is however bloody and violent.
Which leads me to…
Is Werewolf By Night appropriate for kids? As I usually say in my other reviews, it’s not for me to judge what’s appropriate for your kids, because kids have different sensibilities. I watched it with my 10-year-old son, and he was fine through most of it. There were a few moments when an appendage was ripped off, and he turned his head and covered his eyes. I believe Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was much scarier, but Werewolf by Night has more blood splatter. If you have a Marvel-loving fan in your house that gets scared easily, watch Werewolf By Night first and decide for yourself.
