It's refreshing to see the werewolf make a comeback after so many years of being the dominant horror movie character. The Wolf of Snow Hollow, a sleeper film by independent filmmakers, was last year's clever, witty take. It incorporated elements from Fargo, Scooby-Doo and the less-known 1981 film Wolfen. Werewolves Within is a horror comedy that loosely references the Ubisoft multiplayer VR video game. The film is a worthy successor of the 1981 classic An American Werewolf in London, which was the GOAT for the genre.(Spoilers are below, but there are no major revelations.Josh Ruben's second feature film is his first. He started out making viral videos for College Humor. Last year's charming Scare Me was Ruben's first feature. It featured two writers who were locked up in a Catskills cabin and competed to tell the scariest stories. Ruben, an actor and writer, co-starred in the film with Aya Cash (whose portrayal as Stormfront was a highlight on The Boys S2). Scare Me received positive reviews due to its clever script and creative camerawork, as well as other strengths. Ruben was the obvious choice when Ubisoft sought a director to adapt Werewolves Within.Mishna Wolff had already written a draft script. Ruben was instantly struck by the tone of it, which he described as a mix between Fargo and Hot Fuzz. I would add Clue as well as the 1990s TV series Northern Exposure. He knew that he would be able edit and refine the script to his liking. Because of the limited shooting time and the lack of reshoots options, the cast and crew had no choice but to take every shot possible. Screenrant was told by Ruben that he couldn’t afford trailers. The trailer embedded above is courtesy IFC Films.AdvertisementRuben strikes a cheeky, irreverent tone from the start, playing a deep cut of 1959's "The Phantom Strikes Again" as Finn Wheeler (Sam Richardson and Veep), arrives in Beaverfield to accept his new position as local park ranger. Jeanine Sherman, the innkeeper, is interrupted by Sam Parker, Midland Gas tycoon (Wayne Duvall), to show him his room. Cecily Moore, a mail carrier (Milana Valyntrub in This Is Us), quickly meets him and introduces him to the rest of his residents.Glee's gay tech-bros Devon and Joaquim (Harvey Guillen), What We Do In the Shadows) Wolfson, Gwen (Sarah Burns), and Marcus (George Basil), who own the local garage. There is also Pete (Michael Chernus), Manhattan, Trisha (Michaela Wanderlust, Casual) Anderton and their dog, Cha-Chi. Finally, there's Emerson Flint (Glenn Fleshler), who chases away with his shotgun) and who is an environmentalist who supports Sam Parker's new Midland Gas pipeline in Beaverfield.YouTube/IFC FilmsYouTube/IFC FilmsYouTube/IFC FilmsYouTube/IFC FilmsYouTube/IFC FilmsYouTube/IFC FilmsYouTube/IFC FilmsYouTube/IFC FilmsYouTube/IFC FilmsYouTube/IFC FilmsYouTube/IFC FilmsYouTube/IFC FilmsYouTube/IFC FilmsIFC FilmsIFC FilmsYouTube/IFC FilmsIFC FilmsIFC FilmsBecause the proposed pipeline is controversial, tensions are high among residents. The decision must be unanimous. Jeanine, Joaquim and Devon are the only remaining holdouts. The small-town bickering is mostly minor. Pete complained that the "Brooklyn hipsters", or "antifa" had taken down his pro-pipeline signs again. Then a blizzard blocks the only route into town, cuts off power and someone (or some one) destroys the backup generators. Finn finds Jeanine's husband Dave (Patrick M. Walsh Lapsis), badly mutilated under the porch of the inn. It's obvious that there is a vicious predator. Those tensions escalate into paranoia, and even suspicion.AdvertisementThe VR game is basically a social deduction game. Players take on cartoon avatars and sit in virtual circles to try to figure out which one of their neighbors is the werewolf that terrorizes a medieval village. Werewolves Within updated the setting to a modern Hudson Valley mountain town (like Scare Me), but it still has the same premise. Beaverfield residents must figure out which of their eccentric neighbors is a murdering, lying werewolf.There are many suspects. Joaquim and Devon's last names are "Wolfson." Emerson is a trapper and hunter who wears the pelts from all the animals that he's killed, including wolves. Dr. Ellis is a very concerned person who tends to stay in her room and doesn't care much about the full moon. Joaquim says that Cecily is the youngest child of seven children. According to Argentinian folklore the seventh child was often killed at birth in order to become a werewolf. Pete is a compulsive predator of sexual partners. Gwen is aggressively unstable and prone to violence. Marcus is also prone. Jeanine revealed to everyone that Dave had fled to Belize with his girlfriend. Can we really count Finn out, the newcomer? Despite his charming, nice-guy facade, "I am yessir Amurrica!" Finn prefers to use his bear spray, however.It would be a spoiler to say more. Werewolves Within is a comedy that succeeds in its core. The cast has the talent and chemistry to bring the script to life. Although the characters may not be as deep as you would find in sketch comedy, it suits the film's warmly satirical tone. Mister Rogers, Finn, and the film's morale are courtesy of Mister Rogers, his role model. Everyone is at their best when everyone remembers their common humanity.Werewolves Within was premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last month and received a limited theatrical release. You can stream it on demand. Rogen stated to Vanity Fair that he plans to make a third film in Hudson Valley and create a trilogy similar in spirit to Edgar Wright's Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy. I'm excited to see what Rogen comes up with.Listing image by IFC Films
