Based on the video-game of the same name, Werewolves Within sees a group of village residents holed up in a hotel trying to figure out which one of them is the werewolf hunting them one by one. The game plays out in Medieval times, but the movie version is set in our very modern era. The film opens under a full moon with a brutal attack, before skipping ahead twenty-nine days. The passage of days gives just enough time for the lunar cycle to come around full circle and it is here we join new Beaverfield resident Finn (Sam Richardson). Finn is to be the new ranger, but finds his job far more complicated than expected when he finds himself caught in the middle of a rising body count, and a werewolf hunt.
Late last year, writer and director Josh Ruben’s Scare Me arrived on Shudder. If you haven’t watched it yet, I highly recommend seeking it out as it’s a very different type of genre film. In it Ruben proved himself to be a master at crafting compelling dialogue, the whole film being built around two characters telling each other scary stories. With little visual references to horror it relies heavily on Ruben’s words and he perfectly sets the mood and tone of the piece. Werewolves Within also relies on Ruben’s talent as a wordsmith and the dialogue is super smart and zippy.
Our ensemble cast has been beautifully put together, each actor managing to make their character interesting and relevant. Sam Richardson is the star of the film as our hero Finn who follows the Mr Rogers mantra of life, but there’s also great support from Milana Vayntrub as Cecily, Finn’s guide to all things Beaverfield. In terms of the wider cast, it is the interracial couple pairing of What We Do in the Shadows’ Harvey Guillén and American Horror Stoy’s Cheyenne Jackson that shine. The duo work brilliantly together and are responsible for some of the biggest laughs of the film.
The film itself plays out as The Thing crossed with Knives Out; Ruben creates just the right tone for his iteration of a horror comedy. Mixing comedy and horror together is always a tricky prospect. Some films push too far into one side, whilst others concentrate so hard on balancing them that the themes end up cancelling one another out, and we’re left with a film that is neither horror nor comedy. Werewolves Within leans further into comedy than it does horror, but still maintains enough gore and viciousness to keep the viewer entertained. In some ways it follows the blueprint laid out by Michael Dougherty’s Krampus, allowing some silliness to slip in, but never enough to overwhelm the piece.
Werewolves Within is wild and wacky, combining Agatha Christie and Neil Marshall with hilarious results. A very modern and well-written “who-is-it” that would pair well with Rian Johnson’s Knives Out, Werewolves Within is gratifyingly gory and refreshingly playful jaunt through lycanthropy lore.
Signature Entertainment presents Werewolves Within on Digital Platforms and DVD from 19th July.
Werewolves Within
Summary
After the delight that was Scare Me, with Werewolves Within Josh Ruben continues to prove himself to be an entertaining new voice in the genre circuit.
