Is ‘Morbius’ a horror flick?

The latest film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is head to theaters in mere days.

Fans don’t quite know what to expect from Morbius, Sony’s latest foray into the lesser-known corners of Marvel’s broad library of content. The film follows Jared Leto as the titular Michael Morbius, a scientist who’s attempts to cure a rare blood disease result in the accidental development of vampiric powers. Trailers for the film tease a grittier take on typical Marvel fare, much like its Venom predecessors.

While some fans signed on the moment they learned the film would venture into the Living Vampire’s storyline, many Marvel fans are still in the dark about what to expect from Morbius. Some glimpses of the film seem to indicate that Morbius will venture into horror territory, but is this Marvel flick really headed down the horror route?

Is Morbius a horror film?

The tone of Sony’s upcoming movie is hard to determine based on trailers alone. The few glimpses we’ve seen of the film are drenched in dark undertones — quite literally — and lean on several well-known horror tropes. These marketing decisions are leading many to believe that Morbius classifies as a horror flick, an idea that may not be too far off.

Moments from the latest trailer, in particular, seem to indicate that Morbius will — at the very least — inject heavy doses of horror into its runtime. While its unlikely to fall entirely into horror territory — given that, at its core, it is a superhero flick — it seems that Morbius has every intent of marrying the superhero and horror genres.

The notion of a vampire was, up until recent years, always associated with horror. Thanks to Twilight, however — and its fellow sexy-vampiric fare — the idea of vampirism has dulled somewhat in the modern day. We now think of vampires with a broad range of potential undertones, from the aforementioned sexy, sparkly variety to Skyrim‘s pallid blood suckers, obscuring the definition of what, precisely, makes a vampire.

The basics tend to remain the same, however, and — unless handled very carefully — veer toward the darker side of storytelling. They almost always require blood to survive, and typically prefer that blood to come from human flesh. Vampires are also typically violent, thanks to their well-known bloodlust and a tendency toward super strength and immortality.

A vampire’s presence as a go-to horror character likely means that Morbius will venture into genuine horror territory at least a few times over the course of the movie. Trailers indicate that Leto’s Morbius will engage in at least one or two bloodbaths through the film’s plot, and his transformation into the Living Vampire is prime horror material. Other elements of the film — like his romance with Adria Arjona’s Martine Bancroft and lifelong friendship with Matt Smith’s Milo — will probably venture into more familiar territory for Marvel viewers, but horror fans can look forward to at least one or two suitably gruesome moments.