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Werewolf by Night, 2022
After the death of famed monster hunter Ulysses Bloodstone, Jack Russell (Gael Garcia Bernal) is one of several hunters summoned to the Bloodstone estate to compete to become the next holder of the family bloodstone. Showing up unannounced is Bloodstone’s estranged daughter Elsa (Laura Donnelly), who hits things off with Russell. But as the hunt heats up, who will survive the night?
This is a fun fantasy-adventure, with a solid central performance from Bernal.
This short horror film got some great buzz when it was first released, and I do appreciate that it would be a great flick for a younger person wanting to get into horror. Just the right amount of scares, laughs, imagery, and action that keeps your interest without ever going too dark.
The black-and-white of the film evokes horror classics, while incorporating some pretty nice looking special effects. I think that the lack of color actually has the effect of making the digital creature work look more elegant. It’s also true that the cast themselves are a mix of facial shapes and skin tones that give the large group of characters an added hit of distinction. Bernal’s character--with his glowing white facial marks and dark circles under his eyes--looks particularly striking.
While it’s not exactly a new theme, the way that the film explores the idea of what it means to be a monster is done well. The first shot of the study belonging to Ulysses, decorated with the stuffed heads of his hunting trophies, evokes more fear than admiration. It’s obvious from the get-go that Russell is not a typical monster hunter, but the story does a good job in how it paces out our understanding of his character.
Bernal is, and always has been, a very compelling and charismatic presence on screen. In terms of this particular film, I think that quality sort of cuts two ways. On the one hand, yes, it’s a lot of fun watching him just be on screen, and he has that gift of great chemistry with whoever he’s paired with. But there are times that it feels as if the movie is just coasting on his charisma. It feels like there are some missed opportunities to deepen the characters---especially Russell and Elsa--and instead it just defaults to watching Bernal smolder meaningfully. Would it have been more robust or too thin as a feature film? I’m not sure.
While the film doesn’t leverage its assets as well as it could have, it’s still a fun horror flick with fun performances and a satisfying story arc.
Werewolf by Night, 2022
After the death of famed monster hunter Ulysses Bloodstone, Jack Russell (Gael Garcia Bernal) is one of several hunters summoned to the Bloodstone estate to compete to become the next holder of the family bloodstone. Showing up unannounced is Bloodstone’s estranged daughter Elsa (Laura Donnelly), who hits things off with Russell. But as the hunt heats up, who will survive the night?
This is a fun fantasy-adventure, with a solid central performance from Bernal.
This short horror film got some great buzz when it was first released, and I do appreciate that it would be a great flick for a younger person wanting to get into horror. Just the right amount of scares, laughs, imagery, and action that keeps your interest without ever going too dark.
The black-and-white of the film evokes horror classics, while incorporating some pretty nice looking special effects. I think that the lack of color actually has the effect of making the digital creature work look more elegant. It’s also true that the cast themselves are a mix of facial shapes and skin tones that give the large group of characters an added hit of distinction. Bernal’s character--with his glowing white facial marks and dark circles under his eyes--looks particularly striking.
While it’s not exactly a new theme, the way that the film explores the idea of what it means to be a monster is done well. The first shot of the study belonging to Ulysses, decorated with the stuffed heads of his hunting trophies, evokes more fear than admiration. It’s obvious from the get-go that Russell is not a typical monster hunter, but the story does a good job in how it paces out our understanding of his character.
Bernal is, and always has been, a very compelling and charismatic presence on screen. In terms of this particular film, I think that quality sort of cuts two ways. On the one hand, yes, it’s a lot of fun watching him just be on screen, and he has that gift of great chemistry with whoever he’s paired with. But there are times that it feels as if the movie is just coasting on his charisma. It feels like there are some missed opportunities to deepen the characters---especially Russell and Elsa--and instead it just defaults to watching Bernal smolder meaningfully. Would it have been more robust or too thin as a feature film? I’m not sure.
While the film doesn’t leverage its assets as well as it could have, it’s still a fun horror flick with fun performances and a satisfying story arc.