After an overly friendly ranger is stationed in the small town of Beaverfield, he finds himself investigating the attacks of a wolf-like creature on the town’s residents. When a snowstorm hits, the townsfolk barricade themselves into lodging and realize that one of them is responsible for the attacks. The explanation: A werewolf is within.
The film is unintentionally a distant cousin to Jim Cummings’ hilariously off-beat 2020 thriller The Wolf of Snow Hollow. The werewolves I grew up watching (and only a few) were distinctly horror films. Even watching Sirius Black morph into a grotesque, long-limbed canine scared the crap out of me. But in Werewolves Within, the comedy and horror intertwine to generate a tone that feels as distinctive as it is muddled. The conceit feels refreshing, but there isn’t enough momentum built to fully engage with the film.
All the same, everyone on board is having a riot of a time. Admittedly, the script by Mishna Wolf might’ve taken more advantage of the situation and elevated the second half of the film into a crescendo of horror and humor. Still, the actors carry the movie along with their gameness, and director Josh Ruben lets the cast play out their characters for all they’re worth.
While not much is surprising here, it’s a micro-budgeted horror-comedy that lends itself to easy viewing. It’s a spoof movie wrapped in a whodunnit.
You’ll figure it out eventually.
