Hyperbole is part and parcel of the industry, especially when it comes to a franchise as beloved and omnipotent as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but we’re more than inclined to believe everyone involved with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness when they repeatedly talk up the movie’s horror elements.
It might be a PG-13 superhero fantasy designed to generate the maximum amount of cash at the box office, but the detailed description as to why it earned that rating promised that Sam Raimi’s reality-bending extravaganza isn’t going to shy away from the tropes and trappings of the genre that first brought him to mainstream prominence over 40 years ago.
Speaking to Esquire Middle East, leading man Benedict Cumberbatch once again doubled down on pushing the frights to the forefront of the conversation when hyping his first solo sequel.
“I think almost definitely it is the most frightening Marvel film of all time. But I know that doesn’t necessarily put it in the same league as The Shining or of The Exorcism of Emily Rose. I would say in [the] compound sense of what little I know is it’s definitely darker in tone, and in terms of advice for taking kids of a certain age, it’s going to be prohibitive for certain people of a certain age because it is scary.”
Cumberbatch is right in saying that the MCU will likely never push the boat out into full-blown horror territory, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness doesn’t exactly have much competition in that regard, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be left feeling terrified.