Written By Mikey Sutton • Editor-in-Chief • Owner
Man-Thing apparently steals the show in Disney Plus’ violent Werewolf by Night. Critics and the media gained access to the Halloween special. As they posted unanimous praise on Twitter, Man-Thing began to trend.
Werewolf by Night‘s black-and-white teaser trailer stunned the audience at D23. It promised the old-fashioned scares of ’30s and ’40s horror films. Specifically, many saw the influence of Universal Pictures’ classic monster movies.
Man-Thing Highlights Disney Plus’ Violent Werewolf By Night
Image: Disney Plus
In one interview director Michael Giacchino revealed those are his roots:
Michael Giacchino said that he was inspired by these types of movies and often spent his Saturdays watching Creature Double Feature, a television segment that played from 1973-83, showing exclusively monster movies. He had a fondness for this type of cinema since he was a kid, and it deeply influenced his style. He also said that he wanted to make an experience that would genuinely scare his viewers to the point that they would remember it forever.
However, for veteran comic-book fans, Werewolf by Night seemed like a live-action version of Marvel Comics’ ’70s magazines.
Marvel Comics sought the adult marketplace. Warren Publishing dominated 7-11’s with comics magazines such as Creepy and Eerie. They, too, wanted in. Comic books such as Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns grab the most credit as among the first R-rated superhero fare. On the contrary, Marvel Comics’ magazines beat them to it by over a decade.
Among them was Savage Tales, which debuted in 1971. In fact, the cover of Savage Tales No. 1 displayed Conan the Barbarian holding a decapitated head. Without a doubt, it wasn’t aimed for kids. But Savage Tales No. 1 featured the first appearance of Man-Thing.
Man-Thing Highlights Disney Plus’ Violent Werewolf By Night
Image: Disney Plus
Co-created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, and artist Gray Morrow, Man-Thing became a cult favorite for decades. Although many believe Werewolf by Night is his live-action debut, that’s not accurate. The credit actually goes to the little-seen Sci-Fi channel flick, Man-Thing, in 2005.
Its executive producer was none other than a young Kevin Feige.
This was prior to Feige becoming president of Marvel Studios.
Despite the promising footage, some expressed concern that Disney Plus would water down Werewolf by Night, especially Man-Thing. On the contrary, the reactions ease those anxieties. They praise the show for its twisted humor and brutality.
Werewolf by Night claws its way onto Disney Plus on October 7.