Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness won’t be a straight-up horror film

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will have scary elements, but it isn’t entirely a horror film.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will continue Marvel Studios’ descent into different genres by introducing horror aspects to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But Marvel head Kevin Feige has provided some further clarification on just how scary viewers can expect the film to be.

Feige recently participated in a chat with the New York Film Academy and also held a Q&A. During the discussion, he shed some light on the Doctor Strange sequel, which he doesn’t consider to be a total horror film. He views it as a movie with frightening sequences like those found in the works of Steven Spielberg:

"“I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s a horror film, but it is as Scott Derrickson, or director, pitched it; it is, it’ll be a big MCU film with scary sequences in it. The way when I was a kid in the 80s Spielberg did an amazing job, I mean there are horrifying sequences in Raiders that I would sit there as a little kid and do this when their faces melted, or Temple of Doom or course, or Gremlins, or Poltergeist.”"

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In drawing inspiration from past movies, Feige hopes to give audiences some legitimate scares as opposed to lingering nightmares, which he believes director Scott Derrickson can deliver:

"“These are the movies that invented the PG-13 rating, by the way. They were PG and then they were like we need another, but that’s fun, it’s fun to be scared in that way and not a you know horrific torturous way, but in a way that’s legitimately scary. Scott Derrickson is quite good at that, but scary in the service of an exhilarating emotion.”"

Of the MCU characters we’ve met so far, Doctor Strange is the closest to the world of the supernatural, making his franchise the most ideal for scary moments. Derrickson added some quick jump scares to the original movie. However, the filmmaker will now be able to fully embrace his horror expertise.

Although plot details are still being kept under wraps, In the Multiverse of Madness will most likely see the Sorcerer Supreme battling terrors from alternate dimensions. And Marvel could be digging deep into comic book lore to find new characters for Strange to face. Kevin Feige even says the film will include a character Marvel has wanted to use for years. Could Mephisto be a candidate for this position?

Seeing a complete horror film in the MCU would be interesting to see, but having scary moments should provide viewers with more than enough chills. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 7, 2021.