Werewolves Within

• Directed by Josh Ruben
• June 16, 2021 (Tribeca) / June 25, 2021 (US)
• Based on the video game of the same name from Red Storm Entertainment

A group of people in a small Vermont town get trapped by a snowstorm only to suspect one of them is a werewolf.

Werewolves Within is a quirky murder mystery set in an isolated town. And it’s an actual murder mystery! That for me was unique as I expected a film more with a big question that would be answered in the finale that something that would get solved. This is a mystery film with strong horror elements, but it is not necessarily a horror film. There are some shocking moments but no genuine scares. This is a whodunit with plenty of twists and turns and intriguing characters. Much like the best mystery stories it’s as much about the characters as it is about the motives and what’s going on.

I know nothing about the perky AT&T girl Milana Vayntrub beyond being the perky AT&T girl. I was expecting a serviceable performance in her role here as postal employee Cecily Moore where she played up on her better-known public image. And she does just that through much of the film with her villainous turn at the end being not only a surprise but genuinely good.

She went from sweet and perky to condescending and dark in a flash but was so good at both points. She was genuinely disturbing and rather evil in the part. Vayntrub was rather surprising in the part.

Through the film Cecily is paired with newly arrived forest ranger Finn Wheeler (Sam Richardson) who is there in part because of a proposed pipeline coming through the area that is dividing the town. He is an unbelievably nice individual who just sees the best in people. He is not necessarily portrayed as fake but rather the nice disposition is who he truly is.

As is needed for a story like this we get a cast of quirky characters that are all plausible suspects at one point or another. We have Trisha Anderson and her unfaithful husband Pete, local couple Devon and Joaquim Wolfson, blue collar Gwen and Marcus, isolationist Emerson Flint, lodge owner by Jeanine Sherman and even briefly environmentalist Dr. Jane Ellis who opposes the pipeline. These are all odd characters. It’s the kind of odd that you would find in a small town where people have fled to escape the rush and general pressures of the big city.

They do a good job of making everyone a suspect at one point or another. You could see how suspicion could fall on them and that’s what makes this movie work. This definitely leans on the comedy side but what makes it effective is that it maintains a sense of believability even in this silly fictional world. This story sets up its elements and then they start dropping clues that you don’t quite pick up first right away. And that’s what all good murder mysteries do.

The direction is great and the performances are just fantastic. Each performer knows just what to give for their character without making it feel heavy-handed. Director Josh Ruben and writer Mishna Wolff created something quirky and fun and engaging.

Werewolves Within is a fantastic werewolf movie that takes a fresh spin and unique look at the horror sub-genre. While not necessarily scary it is very entertaining, I strongly recommend this one!