TV Review: Werewolf by Night (2022)

Werewolf by Night (2022) directed by Michael Giacchino 

Ulysses Bloodstone, a famous monster hunter (at least, famous in the covert monster-hunting community), has died. His main weapon is the Bloodstone, an artifact of incredible power that would normally have passed on to his daughter Elsa (Laura Donnelly). She left the family long ago and only comes back to the funeral to claim what's hers by birthright. Ulysses had other plans--he organized a hunt with the greatest monster hunters from across the Earth. They gather at the funeral and are ready to do whatever it takes (including fighting each other) to win the Bloodstone. All they have to do is defeat a monster who has the Bloodstone attached to him.

While inspired by the classic Universal horror films of the 1930s and 1940s, the movie wobbles between serious and silly at the beginning. The set-up scene for the hunt unfortunately invokes Young Frankenstein rather than Frankenstein, making the proceedings hard to take seriously. The 54-minute running time does not give enough space to set up tension and horror, only a few gory moments and maybe two thrilling scenes. This show looks like it's just another Marvel action show, albeit shot in black-and-white. The labyrinthine garden where the hunt takes place is not used to any great effect, a lost opportunity. The show does have one interesting twist, some character revelation, and one menacing scene with the titular monster. But overall, it doesn't satisfy.

Barely recommended, this is more like cheap Halloween scares.

Currently (October 2022) only streaming on Disney+.