Video game film adaptations like Werewolves Within aren't known for opening with Fred Rogers quotes about the values of listening to ourselves and our neighbors as foreboding music plays in the background. Then again, director Josh Ruben's horror/comedy is no ordinary video game adaptation. Named after Red Storm Entertainment's medieval fantasy-themed social deduction VR title, the film follows the game's narrative; but, its themes and style share more in common with the quippy works of Edgar Wright and the Coen Brothers.
Ruben, the writer/director/star of the acclaimed 2020 horror/comedy Scare Me, admitted the debt he owes to those filmmakers in his director's statement for Werewolves Within. He also cited Arachnophobia and Jaws as movies that shaped his greater understanding of horror, which informs this quirky film's surprisingly profound core. However, as much as Werewolves Within is reminiscent of the movies it homages, it succeeds in creating its own unique identity with a stellar ensemble cast and mystery.
Werewolves Within takes place in Beaverfield -- the kind of sparsely-populated town where everybody knows about everyone else's business and, just as importantly, their secrets. It's also the new work spot for forest ranger Finn (Sam Richardson), a relentlessly kind fellow who gets a quick tour of the area from Cecily (Milana Vayntrub), your average Thoreau-reading, ax-chucking, pronoun-respecting mail person.
Among those who call Beaverfield home are Trisha (Michaela Watkins), an outspoken crafts expert, whose partner Pete (Michael Chernus) goes out of his way to ignore personal boundaries whenever he's around Cecily. Other residents include the affluent queer couple Devon (Cheyenne Jackson) and Joaquim (Harvey Guillén), along with the course-mouthed mechanics Marcus (George Basil) and Gwen (Sarah Burns).
Before long, a snowstorm and a series of suspicious events trap these characters in The Beaverfield Inn, a cozy lodging run by Jeanine (Catherine Curtin). Others staying at the inn include Dr. Ellis (Rebecca Henderson), an oddly reclusive environmental scientist, and Sam Parker (Wayne Duvall), a shrewd capitalist who needs the entire town's approval to build a lucrative gas pipeline through the nearby woods. From there, the film unfolds as a whodunnit in the tradition of Clue and Knives Out, as Beaverfield's eccentric occupants gradually realize there may be an actual werewolf hiding among their ranks.
Screenwriter Mishna Wolff succeeds in giving everyone in Beaverfield -- including Emerson Flint (Glenn Fleshler), a gun-toting survivalist who refuses to leave his cabin during the storm -- a distinct personality and motive, which makes it hard to readily identify the real villain. Moreover, Werewolves Within has a lot going on beneath its surface. Like Jaws, it examines how capitalism fuels avarice and can complicate a small-town's efforts to band together in the face of a crisis. Its wintery setting and idiosyncratic characters similarly bring Fargo to mind for how the Coens' classic explores the ways greed awakens the figuratively monstrous side of otherwise decent people.
Credit goes to Ruben and cinematographer Matthew Wise for further enlivening the rapid-fire banter in Wolff's script with their ingenious staging and blocking, which adds some visual flair to the interactions between the people of Beaverfield. Ruben also employs comically dramatic camera shots and scenic transitions to spice up the film's action, much in the same way Wright does in his movies -- particularly Hot Fuzz. He even shares Wright's love of a good needle drop, playfully weaving in pop songs from the 1990s to offset Anna Drubich's ominous score.
As with any ensemble movie, Werewolves Within only works as well as it does thanks to its cast. Richardson brings the same mix of charm and insecurity as he did voicing the hopelessly optimistic henchman Gary on Hulu's M.O.D.O.K. series, making Flynn the kind of loveable, hapless protagonist who's easy to root for. Vayntrub matches his energy as the bubbly and considerate Cecily -- a frustrating reminder for Marvel audiences who didn't get to see her play the live-action Squirrel Girl on Marvel's never-aired New Warriors TV pilot. With so many characters competing for screen time, there's simply not enough time for the film to flesh out the other residents of Beaverfield beyond archetypes. Luckily, they're bought to life by a crew of charismatic actors who make the most of the material they've got, with Jackson and Guillén having a blast as the only liberals in their not exactly progressive town.
Altogether, Werewolves Within makes for a delightfully offbeat horror/comedy and easily one of the best video game film adaptations of all time. Most memorably, the movie builds on its Mister Rogers' quote by acknowledging a difficult truth: Loving and getting along with your neighbor is easier said than done when your neighbor doesn't hold the same core values you do. That's an insightful message for any movie to state, much less a werewolf murder mystery.
Werewolves Within is directed by Josh Ruben and stars Sam Richardson, Milana Vayntrub, George Basil, Sarah Burns, Michael Chernus, Catherine Curtain, Wayne Duvall, Harvey Guillén, Rebecca Henderson, Cheyenne Jackson, Michaela Watkins and Glenn Fleshler. It arrives in theaters June 25 and on demand July 2.