adminCan you take an obscure video game and make it into an enjoyable movie? Well, you know, the track record of video game adaptations, it's just not that great. So how does the new indie horror-comedy Werewolves Within fare? It's coming to theaters and then on demand very soon.
So is it worth checking out? After a proposed pipeline creates divisions within the small town of Beaverfield and a snowstorm traps its residents together inside the local in the newly arrived forest, Ranger Finn and postal worker Cecily must try to keep the peace and uncover the truth behind a mysterious creature that has begun terrorizing the community.
Now, I've got a new movies to tell you about, so if you're interested, stick around to the very end. I've never played the video game Werewolves Within, but from what I've seen, it looks to be a lot like other social deduction games where you have one villain and then the rest of the players have to guess who the bad guy is.
It also looks to be similar to games like One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Bang, or maybe even The Resistance. The movie certainly has an indie feel to it. Some of the quirkiness also reminds me of the other werewolf-themed indie movie that came out last year called The Wolf of Snow Hollow.
Both are a little cheesy with over-the-top characters. Werewolves Within knows what it is, and it has fun with it. It's quirky and odd, but that's maximized because the actors play right into that and they turn up their performances to 11.
And just like the social deduction game, each character has a dominant trait that is used to define them and can be used to throw others off the trail or can also be exploited as a strength or weakness.
Sam Richardson stars as Finn, the new forest ranger to the town. He's wildly nice and he's overly kind. He feels like he could be the first one to go in an attack because he appears meek. Milana
Vayntrub plays Cecily, the postal worker who acts as sort of Finn's guide when he first arrives. She helps to introduce us also to the town and the players. The other characters bring many different interesting personality facets to the table.
We have the introverted veterinarian, the in-your-face neighbor, and her husband. The unusually crass mechanic and her perpetually stoned and moronic boyfriend. Then we have the business mogul trying to put in the oil pipeline who's more interested in profit than people.
The B&B owner, who everyone seems to walk all over. There's the power couple who are the richest in the town. And finally, there's the crusty hermit that doesn't trust anybody. And he lives off the grid to avoid any governmental interference.
This motley crew works really well together as each personality comes forward to the extreme during the conflict just to cause some really good laughs. So while this is a lot of fun and it made me laugh and chuckle out loud throughout the movie itself, it is pretty obvious.
I venture to say that you'll guess who's responsible by the halfway mark. Now, for me, this didn't take away from the fun that I was having. The dialog is witty and it's really helped along by the wonderful performances of the actors.
Even though this has horror elements, it's not scary. Sure, there are some gory moments to it and some scenes play up the suspense, but this is decidedly a comedy first with horror elements rather than the reverse.
The whole thing is campy, but in a good way. The reactions of the characters are overblown and overexaggerated, but this falls right in line with the feel of the movie. Each scene and interaction takes on a larger than life feel, and it keeps a silly momentum going.
And this isn't one of those “so bad it's good” movies or even, you know, “they know it's bad” and take advantage of it. This is done well and acted appropriately.
It's just that the movie knows it's not an epic tale of majesty and opulence, and it's totally OK with that.
The special effects work to varying degrees, but luckily it's mostly practical effects so they do get bonus points for that. There are moments where snow is supposedly falling, and at those times it's easy to tell that the effect is computer generated. Sometimes the action is a bit cramped for me. I prefer to have a bit more visible reference for some of what's going on in a scene.
But that being said, there are also some really great shots that work to create an ominous atmosphere that complements the story really well. I enjoyed the pace of the movie. It didn't take us down.
Unnecessary rabbit holes in an effort to create added mystery. The storytelling is efficient and it moves us along the narrative in a way that takes enough time to build out the characters and establish the story.
But it doesn't belabor points or linger on uninteresting ideas. We're introduced to characters, pulled into the story, and then given action and conflict to create engagement. Then the story gives us the payoff, and we're good to go.
It's only ninety-seven minutes, and I never felt the time, but I also never felt rushed. At the end, I wasn't hoping that there would have been more exposition. And I also didn't feel like some scenes should be cut to speed it up.
I'm not sure I'd be happy paying to take my family to see this in the theater, even though we had a great time watching it. But watching it when it comes to video on demand, that's a no brainer for me.
This was snarky, quirky, cheesy, and most importantly, it was fun. The characters are balanced well, and there are times where you can feel how the story came out of a video game, which I don't count that as a negative at all.
The sequences fall right in line with a social deduction game, and the character's timing with the dialog works to create tension without losing the snark. And this means they've captured the source well and then made it something enjoyable and engaging.
So before we get to my rating, I want to tell you about this munchie I found, and thanks to Evans for the suggestion that I search for some sort of keto snack. Now, honestly, I have no idea what keto is, but as long as it tastes good, that's enough for me.
Now, these are enlightened keto cookie dough bites, and they're the chocolate chip variety and they're supposed to be eaten cold. You're supposed to keep them frozen. They have a different taste and texture to me.
And I think I taste more brown sugar than anything, which is kind of interesting since there isn't any brown sugar in them. Personally, I could also use more chocolate chips in each bite. Now, these bites are pretty tiny, so it's not like there can be a handful of chocolate chips in each one.
And the texture is somewhere between a gluten free cookie that's pretty gritty and a Toll House chocolate chip cookie dough where they're really creamy. This isn't gritty, but it's not smooth and creamy either.
Now we've got these at sprouts, so I'm not sure how accessible they are to buy for everybody. But if you're doing the keto thing and you're looking for a sweeter snack, these might be a good choice for me, though. I'm going to stick with the Toll House cookie dough. OK, so back to my rating. There's no sex or nudity, a ton of profanity, and a lot of violence.
I give Werewolves Within four out of five couches. So what's a good horror-comedy you've seen? Let me know your recommendation in the comments below. If you enjoyed this review, please share it.
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Lanre