Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi discussed how the promised horror elements in the upcoming Marvel film carried over from the previous director.
In March, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige declared that fans of Raimi's Evil Dead II will love Doctor Strange 2, which has long been promoted as bringing more horror movie flair to the MCU. Raimi was asked by Fandango about this quote, and after confirming that no one in the film will get a chainsaw for an arm, he detailed how the spookier aspects Feige and original director Scott Derrickson were planning stayed alive once he took over as director.
"I think what [Kevin] meant, from my point of view, is that this film has a flavor of horror to it," Raimi said. "I think when the original director, Scott Derrickson, and Kevin promoted the coming of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, they said that it was going to be the first Marvel superhero film that had an element of horror to it. I hope I'm not misquoting them. But even after Scott left the picture due to creative differences, that was still the mandate -- to make the first Marvel film that had an element of horror. So, I kept true to their original statements."
After the success of the 2016 film, Derrickson was all set to return for the sequel. But in January 2020, Derrickson left Doctor Strange 2 over creative differences, as Raimi mentions, and instead began work on adapting Joe Hill's The Black Phone. Fans worried that the tone of the film might shift were relieved when Raimi was brought on, given his dual experience with horror movies and superhero films.
Raimi went on to explain why Doctor Strange as a character is well-suited for a horror film, and how the conceit of the multiverse marries with the intention of making things scarier in the MCU.
"It is spooky at some times and scary at others. It's unknown what you'll find in the multiverse. It's within that unknown that suspense and darkness exist. A tool to titillate the audience's fear," Raimi said. "Plus, Doctor Strange in the comics has always dealt in universes and dimensions that were quite spooky, so we tried to bring some of that into this film."
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters May 6.
Source: Fandango