Werewolves Within (2021)
Directed by Josh Ruben
When a proposed pipeline creates hostilities between residents of a small town, a newly-arrived forest ranger must keep the peace after a snowstorm confines the townspeople to an old lodge. But when a mysterious creature begins terrorizing the group, their worst tendencies and prejudices rise to the surface, and it is up to the ranger to keep the residents alive, both from each other and the monster which plagues them.
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But what this quaint little “Hot Fuzz” homage lacks in scale, it nearly makes up for with a stacked cast of delightful comic actors who all deliver the goods.
The films of Edgar Wright ("Hot Fuzz" in particular) are clearly an influence here, and Ruben uses some of Wright's sharpest tools for instant, economical world-building: playful soundtrack choices (like the soda pop ditties that introduce us to Beaverton, juxtaposed with Anna Drubich's straight-up horror strings); whooshes in the sound design that ramp up one scene to a sudden cut; characters that suddenly pop into the camera's frame for comedic effect.
There’s the foul-mouthed mechanics (George Basil and Sarah Burns) and the wealthy gay couple (Cheyenne Jackson and What We Do In The Shadows’ Harvey Guillén).
A strong ensemble, that includes Michael Chernus (Inez & Doug & Kira), Harvey Guillén (FX’s What We Do in the Shadows series), Cheyenne Jackson (Netflix’s Julie and the Phantoms) and Michaela Watkins (Sword of Trust), among others, delivers excellent support, throughout.
It’s a hairy version of “What We Do in the Shadows” as Ruben amps up the comedy.
With an ensemble cast that boasts credits from “SNL,” “Orange Is the New Black,” FX’s “What We Do in the Shadows” and even ubiquitous AT&T commercials, there’s quirky and offbeat characters galore.
Amongst those gathered are Pete (Michael Chernus), the handsy maple syrup tycoon, and his vitriolic Karen of a wife Trish (Michaela Watkins); Emerson Flint (Glenn Fleshler), a gasman come to town to install a controversial pipeline; Jeanine (Catherine Curtin), the kindly innkeeper; the sole LGBTQ members of the community in Devon (Cheyenne Jackson) and Joachim (What We Do in the Shadows’ Harvey Guillén), noted holdouts against the incoming pipeline; and townie hooligans Marcus (George Basil) and Gwen (Sarah Burns).
He’s no sooner checked in with innkeeper Jeanine Sherman (Catherine Curtin, TV’s ‘Stranger Things’) than he’s given his first case in the form of a complaint letter from inn resident Dr. Judy Ellis (Rebecca Henderson, TV’s ‘Russian Doll’) regarding the illicit hunting practices of Emerson Flint (Glenn Fleshler, “Joker”).
But Ruben, who previously wrote and directed the novel, if somewhat underwhelming Scare Me, brings the funny in a whodunnit that has more in common with Knives Out than The Wolfman.
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But know that it’s a risk well worth taking, especially if Rian Johnson’s delectable caper “Knives Out” has recently scratched your itch for cozily inviting, steadily funny murder mysteries where the identity of the killer is anyone’s guess until the end.