“Werewolves Within” 2021 Review – Is There a Werewolf This Time?

I’m not going to ruin that question for you here. Because I want you to find out for yourself and watch this one.

When I think of a few werewolf movies I’ve seen recently, The Wolf of Snow Hollow (must watch!) and Scare Me, the approach is to throw the audience off the…hairy path. Scare Me slightly nudged that way from the previews, and The Wolf of Snow Hollow kept you guessing all the way to the end.

It’s an interesting take on the sub-genre that seems to struggle and find highly epic praise. And it can go tremendously wrong if not done correctly. I’m not saying there aren’t amazing films in the werewolf realm, it just feels like the let-downs are more often than the celebrated successes.

Audience, Meet Werewolves Within. Werewolves Within, Meet the audience.

Much like The Wolf of Snow Hollow, Werewolves Within does a great job of hiding the truth if an actual lycanthrope is present and murdering the people of a super small mountain town of Beaverfield. You’re left in the dark up until the final fifteen minutes, or so. There are a lot of red herrings here in this one to confuse and distract from that answer.

Speaking of Scare Me, it was written and directed by Josh Ruben, who also had a lead acting role in that film. I posted a review on BloodyReel.com for Scare Me, and noted that I was impressed with Josh Ruben’s work. He has returned to direct this humorous Comedy Horror. Werewolves Within is a step up to the next level for him in the Directorial chair, and I can’t wait to see more of his work in the future.

Werewolves Within starts with a tense scene to reel you in right away. Thereafter, we are introduced to Finn Wheeler (Sam Richardson) in hilarious fashion. Finn is the newest Forest Ranger employed to Beaverfield, and what timing for his arrival.

As he arrives, the town is divided by a local battle between those who want to approve to dig a pipeline through their town, thus appropriating a load of cash, and those who vehemently oppose it. At the head of the push for approval is businessman Sam Parker (Wayne Duvall). There already exists tension between the residents of Beaverfield due to this controversial decision.

All this introduction to the town setting and the movie’s characters is laid out in comedic dialogue laced underneath with amusing dry humor.

Shortly after Finn's introduction to the townsfolk, a blizzard blows in and knocks out all the power in the small town. As fuses are already short between the locals as they are hunkered in together from the power outage and snowstorm, mysterious things begin to happen. Ultimately, the situation worsens when a body is found, and the generators appear to have been deliberately destroyed. Someone is trying to keep the townspeople from leaving or getting outside help.

Finn, and the friendly mailperson (not mailman!) Cecily Moore (Milana Vayntrub), team up early to try and discover the root of their dire situation. After all, Cecily is the one that first received Finn in and introduced him to all the townspeople of Beaverfield. A type of kinship and potential interest stirs up between them from the beginning of their interactions.

As the terrifying events and bodies begin to pile up, Finn is desperate to find the culprit at the heart of their troubles. Werewolves Within reaches the climax having full investment and interest of the audience, and when the reveal happens it’s either a great “aha!” moment, or an “I guessed it!” moment. Either way, it's a fun one!

My Bloody raw thoughts:

I really enjoyed Werewolves Within from start to finish. The characters are built with depth, stand-out personalities, and enough secrets that any of the townspeople could be the assailant throughout the movie. Whether that antagonist is human or not, I leave that for you to find out. The humor is witty and dark, but it is perfect for this type of movie. It’s not really scary, but there are enough horror elements placed within to enjoy that side of the story. It’s also kind of a who-dunnit movie, as well. I had vibes of the old Clue movie from 1985. Also, the sound, camera work, and cinematography were top-notch.

So, I feel like I’ve gushed enough about this one. If you couldn’t tell, I would recommend Werewolves Within. And, yes, more Sam Richardson, please! He was fantastic.