By: John Duarte
A full moon was upon us at my screening of IFC Film’s new horror-comedy
WEREWOLVES WITHIN at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. WEREWOLVES WITHIN is actually based on a video game of the same name by Ubisoft.
This big-screen adaptation is directed by Josh Ruben, who scared us last year with his Sundance and Shudder release of Scare Me.
A proposed pipeline creates divisions within the small town of
Beaverfield, and a snowstorm traps its residents together inside the local
inn. Enter new forest ranger Finn (Veep's Sam Richardson) and postal worker Cecily (Milana Vayntrub, who you may know from the AT&T commercials ), who must try to keep the peace and uncover the truth behind a mysterious creature that has begun terrorizing the community.
I’ve seen plenty of horror-comedies that fall flat on their face, but
WEREWOLVES WITHIN delivers on everything. From the whipsmart script, to the
hilarious cast, that includes Michaela Watkins, Harvey Guillén, and Rebecca
Henderson - just to name a few - it packs in the funny, some gore, and even a few fun jump scares. A lot of crazy things happen, and the town folk all suspect that a werewolf might be among them.
I love the mystery aspect of this film, mainly because it reminds me of the 1985 murder mystery/comedy Clue. Ruben really knows how to mix horror and comedy together in a way that keeps everyone satisfied. There's no weak link in WEREWOLVES WITHIN. Everyone is fantastic in their own way, though my favorite character would have to be Cecily. Can't blame anyone for wanting to hang with her, even if it did involve hunting and killing werewolves along the way.
I'd don't want to say much more, and risk spoiling any of the jokes or fun moments, but I'll just say this - it's best watched in a theater, where you can see just how well it plays with the audience. WEREWOLVES WITHIN is just a really fun, and scary good time at the movies.
WEREWOLVES WITHIN opens in theaters on June 25, and digitally July 2!