Studio: IFC Films
Director: Josh Ruben
Writer: Mishna Wolff
Producer: Jason Altman, Margaret Boykin, Andrew Lieberman, Natalie Metzger, Matt Miller, Benjamin Wiessner
Stars: Sam Richardson, Milana Vayntrub, George Basil, Sarah Burns, Michael Chernus, Catherine Curtin, Wayne Duvall, Harvey Guillen, Rebecca Henderson, Cheyenne Jackson, Michaela Watkins, Glenn Fleshler
Review Score:
Summary:
A forest ranger ends up in the center of a bizarre murder mystery while snowbound with the quirky residents of a small New England town.
Review:
“Everyone is a little questionable,” chirps mail carrier Cecily as she welcomes new forest ranger Finn to Beaverfield. She’s understating how much quirk comes with the kooks in this small town. Between abrasive mechanic Gwen and her redneck beau Marcus hurling insults as a form of foreplay, and Trish and Pete Anderton who definitely believe those QAnon theories about that D.C. pizzeria, there’s more than enough nuttiness to spread on ten PB&J sandwiches. Cecily hits it a little squarer on the head when Finn’s introductory tour concludes with, “Welcome to Beaverfield, it’s a freak show.”
Chilly New England weather covers Beaverfield in snow, but accusatory animosity runs hot among residents. A Big Oil billionaire’s pipeline project has everyone divided between those who can’t wait to cash out and those who are environmentally minded. Finn has barely been there an hour and he’s already pitted in the middle of back-and-forth bickering that causes him to question why he came to Beaverfield in the first place. Then his hands become fully overloaded when the town takes on another newcomer who poses a far bigger threat than a controversial gas line.
Cecily failed to mention one freak in particular because no one knows about it quite yet. Jeanine, who runs the local inn, thinks her missing husband Dave ran off with some floozy. Dave was actually mauled by what looks to be an elusive werewolf, and the creature’s slaughter spree seems to be just getting started. As if Beaverfield wasn’t weird enough, now they’ve got a murder mystery to deal with that might get them all killed.
Loosely based on the premise of an off-the-radar Ubisoft game that doesn’t involve Tom Clancy or a hooded assassin, “Werewolves Within” would pair well with “The Wolf of Snow Hollow” (review here) thanks to a similar setting, story, and tongue-in-cheek style. Its Goldilocks blend of low-cal porridge that’s not too wild or too mild serves easygoing snickers with a light line of lycanthropic cinnamon sprinkled on top. Although there is plenty of amusing charm to go around, be aware that the horror-humor seesaw has a bag of cement in its latter seat. If you’re looking for a major monster kicking up copious carnage, you’ll find “Werewolves Within” isn’t that kind of movie.
It is the kind of movie that makes the majority of its mood out of brisk banter. Dialogue comes out almost in singsong patterns where people speak in one pitch, then drop to a volume barely under their breath to deliver follow-up quips no one but the audience notices. Everyone emulates the rhythm of Hawkeye and Honeycutt as they regularly sling snark while observing oddness with only slightly alarmed expressions.
Characters can get cringe-worthy either through gags that fizzle fast or traits hitting heavily on tropes. Fortunately, sags in the movie’s sarcastic streaks get lifts from likable actors quite clearly having fun vamping it up without tipping over the top. For instance, a same-sex couple’s formulaic flamboyance seems built from ‘The Big Book of Gay Stereotypes.’ But the comic experience of Cheyenne Jackson and Harvey Guillen of “What We Do in the Shadows” brings buoyancy to roles written to be a touch too rote. Even when their alter egos leave laughter in the lurch, the great cast more than makes up for missing mirth.
Even though it hums with a constant buzz, “Werewolves Within’s” grounded approach to quietly witty comedy deliberately resists big breakouts of truly manic mayhem. Then when the whodunit angle opens all the way up to swallow the film’s focus, a number of redundant finger-pointing antics slow the speed with some sequences that aren’t as pepped-up as the rest of the pace.
Nevertheless, director Josh Ruben’s background with “Scare Me” makes him an ideal choice for bounding around a snowbound cabin more nimbly than one location should allow. Anna Drubich’s music is always mindful about accentuating little actions. There’s no shortage of whip pans and quick cuts providing visual punchlines too. That group effort on the post-production side of things stays steadily staged for snappiness even during a back nine that shrinks into a tightly contained chamber play.
Because of the way everything shakes out, “Werewolves Within” ends up under-populated with survivors whose relationships have the most emotional, or even comical, impact. Horror-humor hybrids are always “your mileage may vary” movies, but the bottom line here says that snags in plotting and pacing stop the ball from going over the wall. Regardless of where it lands in your own preference park though, “Werewolves Within” zeroes in on a tone that takes an entertaining jaunt around the bases, provided your meter stays set for peculiar goofs, not for powerhouse werewolf terror.
Review Score: 75
Terry Gionoffrio’s ordeal simply seems like a trial run for what Rosemary Woodhouse experiences in a scarier, sleeker, superior movie.