LONDON: Even as the now familiar Marvel opening credits roll, it is very clear that “Werewolf by Night” — the first Marvel Studios Special Presentation — is an altogether different beast. Not only is the iconic score given a Hammer Horror overhaul, but the opening sequence also features a suitably melodramatic voiceover from superhero stalwart Rick D. Wasserman. This stylishly shot, black-and-white monster caper is very far from the Marvel Cinematic Universe fans have grown used to.

And it is great to see Marvel flexing its creative muscles a little, taking a chance on an out-there concept, helmed by relative newcomer Michael Giacchino. “Werewolf by Night” sees a cabal of monster hunters come together for the funeral of their leader, only to be informed that they are entered in a monster hunt to determine who will take over the group and inherit a powerful gemstone. Among the assembled hunters is veteran Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal) and Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly), both of whom have predictably complicated reasons for being there.

At a little over 50 minutes, there is not much time to get into the backstory of any of the hunters, nor the titular Lycan, when it finally appears — after some heavy-handed foreshadowing. Instead, “Werewolf by Night” plays out more like an episode of “The Twilight Zone” or “The Outer Limits.” And it works, for the most part. Sure, it is hard to get too invested in these new characters (or to fathom how they might appear in the wider MCU), and the monster and magic tropes are a little hokey, but “Werewolf by Night” is still a riot.

There is some surprisingly gruesome gore — and some ever-so-slightly-ropey CGI — but Marvel deserves credit for sidestepping the temptation to just keep pumping out the same, tried-and-tested content. As the soon-to-finish first season of “She-Hulk” has proved, there’s plenty of scope to try new things — and this superhero-monster-movie mashup is all the better for it.