The Horror of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

The horror of the multiverse is unleashed with the legendary Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and it pleases me to inform you that this movie can be considered an actual bonafide horror movie.

Warning: Mild spoilers ahead; nothing plot-related, but there are specific horror elements that are going to be mentioned.

Given that the MCU is a franchise that is often accused of playing it safe, many of us couldn’t help but wonder: just how scary could this movie be?

These thoughts ended up getting even worse when notable horror director Scott Derrickson (Sinister, The Black Phone) was let go, even though he had directed the first Doctor Strange. Thankfully, the MCU brought in one of the masters of the horror genre, Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Army of Darkness), which started to settle the minds of everyone again.

With the release of the trailers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it was starting to look like Marvel and Raimi were really going for the horror. In fact, these trailers don’t quite sell just how much horror is in this movie.

While this is by no means the scariest movie ever made, Marvel did go for it by bringing in things like a haunting soundtrack, which even includes a creepy music box motif. There are brutal kills that are actually bloody and gory. There are genuine jump scares throughout the movie. There is an actual horror movie chase scene, not to mention a scene involving someone contorting their body that is bone-chillingly terrifying. By no means are these scar you for life moments, but they definitely allow this movie the classification of a “Beginner’s” or “Entry-Level” horror movie, which certainly has its place in the horror community.

Something else that is noticeable is that it seems Raimi got a lot more comfortable including the horror as the movie progresses. The first twenty to twenty-five minutes of the movie feel pretty par for the course when it comes to MCU movies. Then all of a sudden you are hit by horror elements later in the movie, such as zombies and spirits called the Souls of the Damned, which feel t so much more along the lines of Raimi’s work. It’s truly a sight to behold and is fantastic that Marvel and Disney allowed its director this level of control.

There is a ton of death in this movie, and these deaths can get to be over the top and gruesome, but that’s a lot of what makes these types of horror movies fun. Combining the multiverse and the supernatural aspects of the comic book genre allows for the horror to come out in full force. After being constantly critiqued for having a “sameness” to it, the latest addition to the MCU goes in the other direction, allowing its famous director to really make it into his own.

Also, there is a nice cameo of another horror icon, Bruce Campbell, who horror fans should immediately recognize as he is Ash from The Evil Dead franchise.

While Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is in no way a perfect movie, it should be commended for not shying away from horror for fear of not appealing to the masses. After the flop that was the last superhero horror movie, The New Mutants, it’s great to see that this didn’t scare away the studio and that they were still willing to go through with their plan. Hopefully, this movie will lead to more superhero-horror movies in the future, but only time will tell as there are seemingly no plans at the moment.

Did you like that the MCU brought in the horror genre? Do you hope to see more superhero-horror movies? Let us know why or why not in the comments section!