WEREWOLVES WITHIN

Werewolves Within both indulges in genre tropes and plays with the audience's expectations to end up a pleasant surprise.

I did not expect much from Werewolves Within. After all, the movie takes its cue from a videogame and as we all know, those adaptations seldom turn out good.

So it's a pleasant surprise that the film proves to be a pleasing mix between horror and comedy that actually does right by both genres, offering gags that make you laugh and suspense that keeps you close enough to the edge of your seat.

The foundation is laid by a solid script which takes a familiar premise - a bunch of people stranded in an isolated location have to figure out who of them might secretly be a werewolf ... or not - and makes it fun by both indulging in genre tropes and playing with the audience's expectations. Another essential piece of the puzzle is the game cast, filled with people you vaguely recognise from other projects but cannot quite pinpoint, allowing you to fully invest in the character, not the actor.

Solidly directed and with a brisk runtime to boot, Werewolves Within doesn't try to re-invent the wheel, but in truth, it doesn't have to, because the entertainment value alone makes for an hour and a half well-spent on a comfy couch.

release: 2021

director: Josh Ruben

starring: Sam Richardson, Milana Vayntrub, George Basil, Sarah Burns