Werewolves Within (Movie Review)

The recent box office successes of Kenneth Branagh’s 2017 Murder on the Orient Express and Rian Johnson’s Knives Out seemed to indicate a rising trend of whodunnits for modern audiences. In Josh Ruben’s Werewolves Within, the filmmaker capably threads these mystery elements into a crowd pleasing video game adaptation. Now, this reviewer has absolutely no experience with Ubisoft’s video game source material, but having merit as a solid movie in its own right should be a badge of honor on the long maligned list of video game adaptions. Werewolves Within employs a fun and unique set of characters within a stark cinematic setting for a rowsing, laugh-heavy whodunnit.

Werewolves Within quickly introduces you to a collection of quirky characters to fill out the roster of suspects. The film is set in the sleepy, snowy town of Beaverfield where a juicy central conflict fuels the fires of consternation between the residents. A proposed gas pipeline has residents divided into two camps: those hoping to line their pockets and those who want to keep the integrity of the small town intact. Finn (Sam Richardson) is a forest ranger sent to keep a gas executive in check for the duration of the project and the resident’s impending vote on the pipeline. However, a vicious snowstorm and the discovery of a dead body force the residents to gather at a local inn to get to the bottom of the mystery and uncover if one of them is, in fact, a werewolf.

Werewolves Within is the perfect follow-up for filmmaker Josh Ruben. In Scare Me, Ruben’s feature directorial debut, the filmmaker utilized a unique style of storytelling to craft a narrative that was humorous and eerie without all the bells and whistles to appease a visually cued audience—exclusively featuring people just telling stories, but accententing performances with clever and spooky sound design. Ruben’s sophomore feature keeps a lot of that low-budget momentum in the first two acts before managing to reach a bit further into the special effects bag for the finale. Still, Werewolves Within is at its best when it’s at its most minimal.

The elevator pitch for this is nothing more than, "Clue but with werewolves." Though thin, Ruben’s direction and Mishna’s Wolff’s incredibly sharp script aim, for comedy first and scares second. The horror of it all bleeds into the comedy to create a unique tone that is all at once funny, yet bizarrely spooky. It may sound cliche, but this definitely is not your grandfather’s werewolf flick and for many, that will be what makes Werewolves Within memorable. Wolff’s script highlights a plethora of characters at odds who run the gamut of ultra conservative to far left and everything in-between. These character-focused conflicts help propel the mystery forward, even if the final reveal isn’t exactly a barn burner.

With all the caricatures on display, Sam Richardson and Milana Vayntrub stand out. Vayntrub steps in as the local postal worker, Cecily, who teams up with Finn (Richardson) to show him around and keep the peace when the residents are all locked in together. The duo's romantic sparks and comedic chemistry provide for a charismatic couple that's easy to root for, and Wolff’s script combined with Ruben’s direction makes sure to favor the comedy over anything too overly sweet or sour.

Werewolves Within is delightful. Ruben’s style extends to a natural if decidedly quirky sophomore effort that bites with its timely social commentaries. This is a can't miss, snowy excursion complete with an abundance of clever laughs, punctuated with bloody confidence.