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Review: ‘Werewolves Within’ is a Golden-Hearted Monster Mystery Horror-Comedy

Published

5 years ago

July 2, 2021

With a background in comedy, Josh Ruben is now taking the genre journey, and he’s absolutely crushing it so far. His first feature was the one-location storytelling extravaganza Scare Me (now on Shudder), but with Werewolves Within, Ruben has proved that he ain’t no one-trick pony. Werewolves Within is an utterly charming murder-slash-monster mystery; it’s a crocheted canvas of quirky horror, and a whimsical whodunit with a warm heart.

Written by humorist Mishna Wolff and based on the Ubisoft multiplayer VR game of the same name, Werewolves Within follows a park ranger, Finn Wheeler (the perpetually delightful Sam Richardson, Veep), as he arrives at his new post in the small rural town of Beaverfield. There, he meets postal worker Cecily Moore (Milana Vayntrub, This Is Us) and the rest of the townsfolk, who all have mixed opinions about a pipeline that’s proposed for development, raising the tension between neighbors. Soon, the town suffers a mysterious attack; a blizzard hits, a body count begins, and suspicions are cast all around.

Werewolves Within takes the VR game’s premise of trying to suss out the village werewolf and tosses in some solid characters (powered by an impeccable ensemble cast) and an updated locale. It’s really the cast that shines in this film, and every performance is hitting heavyweight. The cast includes Sarah Burns (American Vandal), George Basil (Crashing), Michael Chernus (Orange is the New Black), Harvey Guillén (FX’s What We Do in the Shadows), Cheyenne Jackson (30 Rock), Michaela Watkins (Casual), and Glenn Fleshler (Barry), each fully embodying their colorful character.

As a team, they all have the chance to play with expressive line delivery and micro-reactions to each other’s dialogue. For every line delivered, you can watch anyone in the background; they’re all actively listening and reciprocating in character. Even the throwaway lines of dialogue add extra layers of context to each character, giving a bit more insight into their personality and personal history.

The supporting characters are all a recognizable “type”; clear-cut caricatures that reflect modern American stereotypes. As a Canadian, I found it added an extra layer to that external lens; we often get a specific tailored view of these types of personalities, so to see them taken to such extremes for the sake of comedy, it worked pretty dang well.

But above the stereotypes, the character of Finn adds a warm, beating heart to the film. He’s a hero for goodwill and humanity, with a sense of neighborly morality we should all aspire to. His unifying speeches are a rally against cynicism, a call to arms for the good in us all, to band together to treat each other better. To be kind, thoughtful, mindful people who recognize that despite all our differences, we’re all in this together. Richardson is absolutely perfect in the role — his earnest, honest delivery just seems so sincere. Watching the film, as a self-admitted cynic and occasional social hermit, my heart grew three sizes that day.

While Finn’s heartwarming monologues give emotional heft to the film, the script is peppered with quick wit dialogue that pings back-and-forth like a tennis match. Cecily, in particular, is a strong player here, and greatly enforced by Vayntrub’s performance — she’s just so gosh darn likable with a “cool girl” quirk that would make Amy Dunne jealous.

Throughout the film, everyone’s line delivery is perfection, though some lines perhaps sound like they may have been added in post-production to fill out a scene. I’m not sure if this is indeed the case, but either way, the lines all work and the scenes still click. There’s just something about the comedy of the film that spoke to me on a deep level — every inflection was the right note, the right time, the right pace. It all works together thanks to the seasoned performers and Ruben’s experience in the comedy realm.

It’s a clever, funny film that wraps up the third act in a really satisfying way, but that’s not all. The technical elements deliver: the lighting and cinematography are excellent, the music is perfectly chosen, the editing is crisp, and it has a quick pace that flows forward. I was nothing but impressed with the whole package.

Werewolves Within

Aside from being one of — if not the — best video game horror movie adaptations, Werewolves Within is like a charming, homespun mix of Clue and The Thing. It’s like Fargo meets Arachnophobia. It’s like Mister Rogers with guns. Because at the end of it all — comedy and horror and technicals aside — Werewolves Within teaches us a lesson. To be helpful. To be kind. To be a good neighbor. To not let the monsters win.

So if you’re at all interested in the film, I encourage you to check it out. If you like it, share it with someone. It’s the neighborly thing to do.

You can watch it yourself during its limited theatrical release, or catch it on Digital and VOD starting July 5.

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Related Topics:Josh Ruben Sam Richardson Werewolves Within

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[Exclusive Clip] ‘From the Beyond: High Strangeness in the Bennington Triangle’

Published

23 hours ago

April 26, 2026

Ryan T. Cusick

Audiences are invited to explore one of Vermont’s most mysterious regions in From the Beyond: High Strangeness in the Bennington Triangle, arriving later this month on streaming platforms and DVD.

The documentary will debut on April 28, 2026, on platforms including Apple TV, Prime Video, and Google Play. DVD editions will be available exclusively through the Small Town Monsters online shop.

Directed by Seth Breedlove, the film continues the company’s exploration of folklore, cryptids, and unexplained phenomena. Breedlove’s previous work includes The Mothman of Point Pleasant, On the Trail of Bigfoot, American Werewolves, and more than two dozen feature-length productions. In total, Small Town Monsters has released more than thirty films, along with investigative programs, web series, books, podcasts, and exclusive membership content.

From the Beyond: High Strangeness in the Bennington Triangle was made possible through the support of backers from the company’s 2025 Kickstarter campaign.

Set in rural Vermont, the documentary examines the legend of the Bennington Triangle, an area associated with reports of UFOs, ghosts, phantom lights, mysterious creatures, and a series of unexplained disappearances. At the center of the mystery is Glastenbury Mountain, where decades of unanswered questions continue to inspire speculation.

Going beyond folklore and campfire tales, the film asks a chilling question: Why is Glastenbury Mountain so inexplicable, and what happened to those who went missing?

Check out our exclusive clip below.

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This Week in Horror: DC Goes Full Body Horror, A24 Has Its Chainsaw Man, and The Bone Temple Is Finally Yours

Published

2 days ago

April 24, 2026

Luna Gray

Good week. The Clayface trailer dropped and made DC relevant to this website for the first time in a while, A24 put a director on the Texas Chainsaw Massacre reimagining, and we got some interviews worth reading. Here is all of it.

Clayface Has a Trailer, and It Is Exactly What You Want

The Clayface trailer landed Wednesday, and it is DC’s first real horror film. Not horror adjacent. Not dark. Horror. Tom Rhys Harries plays Matt Hagen, an actor whose face gets disfigured by a gangster. He turns to a scientist, played by Naomi Ackie, who transforms his body into clay. Then the body horror starts.

James Watkins directed, which is the right choice. He made Speak No Evil and before that The Woman in Black, and he understands how to make dread feel physical. The screenplay is by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini. That combination should tell you everything about the tone they are going for.

A24 Has a Director for Texas Chainsaw Massacre and His Last Film Cost Under a Million Dollars

Deadline confirmed that Curry Barker is writing and directing A24’s reimagining of the 1974 original. Barker made Obsession for under a million dollars. Focus Features paid north of fifteen million to distribute it. It sits at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. A24 hired him before it even opens, which opens May 15.

Kim Henkel, who co-created the original with Tobe Hooper, is executive producing his own creation’s reimagining. That is either a blessing or a haunting. Probably both.

Astrolatry Is Going to Cannes and We Talked to the Actor Who Faced the Creature

Astrolatry is heading to the Frontières Buyers Showcase on May 16-17. The film has a sentient severed penis that grows into a ten-foot practical creature with spiky teeth. We interviewed star Ethan Daniel Corbett about what it was actually like to act against it. Short answer: genuinely terrifying. Long answer is on the site.

The Bone Temple Is Home

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple hit 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on Tuesday. If you held out from the digital release in February, now is the time. The 4K presentation is supposed to be great. Extras include audio commentary and a deleted scene. If your gonna watch The Bone Temple, why not watch it where the snacks are better.

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Astrolatry Built a Ten-Foot Practical Penis Scorpion

Published

3 days ago

April 24, 2026

Luna Gray

A sentient severed penis grows into a ten-foot creature with spiky teeth. Genre cinema is doing fine.

Astrolatry follows Elliot, played by Ethan Daniel Corbett, who is every ingredient for quiet catastrophe assembled in one man. Socially isolated. Physically isolated. Craving dopamine and finding it in the wrong places. The romance guru pipeline, followed to its logical conclusion. Elliot does not just spiral. He loses a piece of himself, literally, and that piece does not cooperate.

Corbett described it as “a horror satire, a trippy mind-fuck roller coaster” and “a modern retelling of Maniac,” both of which are accurate and neither of which adequately prepares you. Director David Gordon is making his feature debut after shooting 14 films as a cinematographer and he is swinging for the fences.

The Creature

The effects company behind the creature has festival circuit work Corbett had already seen before signing on. He knew what they could do but he was not ready. “When I saw it in person it was kind of mind-blowing,” he said. “Everything that you see in this movie is practical. Very, very little else. It was genuinely terrifying to have a ten-foot creature coming at you with a big mouth and spiky teeth.”

A CG creature asks an actor to imagine something. A ten-foot physical creature on a set asks nothing. It just arrives. The fear on Corbett’s face in those scenes is not a performance. It is the normal reaction to a scorpion dick with sharp teeth.

Elliot

Corbett went into the character through the body. “I mainly focus on the physicality of it. Who this character is and who he is wholly. I strive in those kinds of moments as an actor.”

Gordon was explicit about the concept, the “nice guy” archetype and the overtly toxic one are the same problem, both aimed at the same object. That reading lands because Corbett does not play it as a reading. Elliot is not a symbol. He is a person.

Where It Is Going

Astrolatry is heading to the Frontières Buyers Showcase at Cannes on May 16-17. “To be able to get into that kind of room on David’s first feature is incredible,” Corbett said. “To be in front of buyers and to showcase the film and potentially get distribution through that.” Frontières is the correct room. It is full of people who understand that the most extreme premise, executed with precision, is not a punchline. It is an argument.