Signature Entertainment presents Werewolves Within on Digital Platforms and DVD now.
Synopsis
A small town finds themselves trapped in a snowstorm and under threat as a mysterious beast begins to pick them off one by one. As the bodies begin to pile up, it soon becomes clear that the killer is closer than first thought.
As the blame begins to shift from person to person, tensions rise and this trigger-happy community will do anything to ensure they are the last ones standing.
Review
Horror-comedies have always been hit or miss for me. Some have perfectly balanced the terror you expect from a horror flick while having comedic elements that tonally work. One of my favourites in this sub-genre is Shaun of the Dead. Edgar Wright’s first film in the cornetto trilogy had the dread of zombies plaguing the streets of London yet also had the great chemistry between Simon Pegg and Nick Frost which made the film such a hilarious and tense experience from beginning to end. However, so many studios have tried to replicate what made that film work and ended up missing the mark completely. Werewolves Within doesn’t do that. It perfectly blends what made Knives Out so much fun with werewolves which creates a highly entertaining watch from beginning to end.
Werewolves Within is a feature adaptation of the video game and the film follows a group of people living in the small town of Beaverfield . When a snowstorm traps its residents together inside the local inn, newly arrived forest ranger Finn (Sam Richardson – The Tomorrow War) and postal worker Cecily (Milana Vayntrub – This is Us) must try and keep the peace and uncover the truth behind a mysterious creature that has begun to terrorize the community.
Typically, video game adaptations usually suck. Sure, there have been some exceptions but nine times out of ten they range from being painfully average to bad. However, Werewolves Within finds the perfect balance between being incredibly over-the-top and becoming a parody. The comedy always worked and evoked a laugh-out-loud reaction from me. The witty script, the cast (who are mostly character actors) and ludicrous premise all help to create a final product filled with surprising twists and turns as well as some great laughs.
The cast are all great too. Yes, they’re all character actors who are basically just playing themselves but that helps bring out some of the comedy. Sam Richardson is the standout, playing the lead protagonist who has some great character moments as well as being the one who is investigating these mysterious crimes. He is such a charming lead and Richardson has so much charisma with his peers making the bond between this community truly work.
Director Josh Ruben also knows how to build mystery. From the opening scene, Ruben paints a general image of what is going on and then builds on that by giving the viewer clues and reveals which all link to create something that is truly genius.
Verdict
Werewolves Within is quite possibly the best videogame movie to date. It’s filled with clues that keep you guessing and by the time the credits start to roll, you don’t want the film to end! Sam Richardson and Milana Vayntrub are both having the time of their lives here while the rest of the cast are clearly having a lot of fun while delivering amusing performances. The witty comedy all worked for me and on many occasions, I was laughing-out-loud. Josh Ruben’s direction is stellar which all makes this one of the most entertaining movies of the year.
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