Tribeca 2021 screening – Finn (Sam Richardson) is the new forest ranger to Beaverfield at the worst possible time in director Josh Ruben’s new horror-comedy Werewolves Within. He no-sooner arrives in town when he is trapped with the locals in a sprawling bed and breakfast during a snowstorm with a werewolf on the loose and suspicions of who the shapeshifter is tearing at the unity of the dwindling survivors. Ruben infuses his trademark humor throughout with a clever script from Mishna Wolff to deliver a consistently entertaining, albeit silly, horror-comedy.

When Finn arrives in Beaverfield his first stop is the bed and breakfast for a place to stay. Run by  Jeanine (Catherine Curtin) we discover that the residents at this lodge are at the heart of Beaverfield’s intrigue. Sam Parker (Wayne Duvall) is a businessman and hunter who is splitting the townsfolk in two with his plan to run a pipeline through the bucolic berg. Meanwhile, environmental scientist Dr. Ellis (Rebecca Henderson) has set up a lab to research the proposed pipeline and its effects.

Postal worker Cecily (Milana Vayntrub) befriends Finn and offers him a glib walking tour of the small town and the residents. We meet Joachim (Harvey Guillén) and Devon (Cheyenne Jackson), a couple that runs a quaint yoga studio on the main drag. We move on to Marcus (George Basil) and his crankshaft gal as they fight it out in the street. Next, we visit Trish (Michaela Watkins) and Pete (Michael Chernus), the squabbling right-wing duo eager to set up a craft store. Finally, we catch up with the town recluse Emerson (Glenn Fleshler) who tends to greet visitors/trespassers with buckshot. With all of the players in place, and Trish’s dog attacked during a late-night potty run, a freak snowstorm hits knocking out the power forcing the entire cast of characters to hold up in Jeanine’s B&B.

The late-night hours creep in and the hijinks ensue. One by one the characters are picked off by an unseen creature in brutally comic ways. It is here that the film really begins to flex its lycanthropic muscle with a swift mix of comedy, mystery, and horror. Ruben’s style finds its proper setting as the rapid banter seems less cloying and far more at home when delivered with the proper level of tension. It also has to be mentioned that screenwriter Wolff has achieved the impossible by creating an entertaining movie based on a video game. Yes, this was a game of the same name in 2016.

Still, the film really wouldn’t work without the seamless ensemble working together. Standouts are Richardson as Finn who carries the movie with his self-doubt and charm. Vayntrub‘s Cecily is another high point with her snarky quips and cool-girl attitude. Curtin‘s Jeanine has some amazingly funny moments of utter confusion whilst tending to her guests. I would also be remiss if I didn’t tell you to look out for Watkins’ Trish as I seemed to howl at nearly every scene she dominated. If I had one note it’s that Guillén and Jackson didn’t seem like they had enough that would showcase their comedic talents. They are both great, no question. But I wanted more.

I have to say that I loved Werewolves Within. This was Agatha Christie with fangs and fur. A horror-comedy gem featuring some of the best comic actors around. Ruben’s good-guy sensibility in directing paired with Wolff’s subversive plotting and dialogue is endlessly entertaining. I want to see this team do more. Go ahead and bite into this little nugget of horror-comedy heaven.

7 out of 10