Werewolves Within (2021) July 5th, 2021

Werewolves Within is the first film, excluding private showings, I’ve seen in theaters since the pandemic began and it was exactly what I wanted. A well-written clever comedy-horror whodunnit. It’s like Shaun of the Dead meets Knives Out.

Werewolves Within’s connection to Simon Pegg’s classic zomcom is only strengthened by it’s filmmaker’s deliberately imitating Edgar Wright’s quick whip-pan editing style and terrifying comedic misdirections. I usually find the mystery genre insipid and whodunnits tedious. I find little thrill in the passive investigative fantasy as an audience member unable to unpack clues and must sit patiently for the mystery to solve itself. Perhaps I’d feel different if I ever successfully identified a murderer. All that self-important criticism aside, I’m a huge fan of the authors who can successfully weave the complex tapestry of a compelling whodunnit. Murder on the Orient Express, Knives Out, and Scream.

The Werewolves Within cast is great. Lead by producer Sam Richardson as the stalwart forest ranger Finn Wheeler whose just started at his new position in Beaverfield, Vermont. Wheeler’s our surrogate as we’re introduced to the town’s residents; the crude mechanic and her boyfriend, the hotel hostess whose husband’s gone missing, the gun-toting conservative couple and their inverse counterparts the rich gay couple, the lone wolf trapper living off grid in his cabin, the isolated environmental scientist, the friendly postal worker and finally the pipeline mogul who needs everyone in town to sign off on his construction proposal. And as expected, everyone’s a suspect when the murders start. This isn’t a once in a generation comedy like Shaun of the Dead but it’s smart and funny.

So if you’re looking for a mysterious horror comedy with a great cast and a fun premise Werewolves Within is absolutely for you!