Spotlight On Werewolf By Night!

I saved watching Marvel's Werewolf by Night until Halloween. It is a delightful entertainment with many a familiar touchstone for longtime fans. I'll admit that I have little understanding of the modern Marvel monster universe, so I cannot say how close or far this film lands, but I can say it's a far cry from the original. Aside from a sympathetic man named "Jack" who becomes a ferocious werewolf, there seemed little left of the original Gerry Conway and Mike Ploog horror yarn. But that doesn't mean it wasn't entertaining. 

But first some good old-fashioned SPOILERS. (Be warned!)

SPOILERS BEGINNETTH!

The little movie is mostly in black and white, and I love that. Black and white gets too little credit for the amazing effects it can have. That classic look hearkens back to the vintage Universal days of monster yore.  We meet Jack, one of several distinctive looking men who arrive at the estate of Ulysses Bloodstone to contest for possession of the "Bloodstone". They are joined by Elsa Bloodstone, the estranged daughter of Ulysses. A monster is unleashed into a maze and the hunters set about hunting it and each other. The winner will claim the Bloodstone and lead the society of monster hunters. But Jack has a secret, he's not monster hunter but of course a monster and he's there to save the object of the hunt which is the greatest treat for me of the entire show. Man-Thing is the creature in question and while not quite the Man-Thing I remember, he certainly looks fantastic. Eventually of course Jack is forced to revert to his savage bloodthirsty nature, but that's the rest of the story. 

SPOILERS ENDETH!

I cannot recommend this entertainment enough. It was not what I expected but nonetheless I found it gripping and involving right up to the colorful ending. 

Happy Halloween! 

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