Werewolves Within is what Knives Out could’ve been if it had a healthy dose of horror to the mix. Seriously, whodunnit’s are hard to pull off, especially when there are so many pieces to deal with. And you need a strong back bone of a movie to support you and keep the viewer entertained in the meanwhile. That’s why I feel like Knives Out faltered while Werewolves Within gained traction, kept me entertained, and invested in what was going on and who the big bad werewolf is.
Now, I’m not here to spoil who the werewolf is. You need to watch the movie first to get all the answers you may need. What I can say is that I did not expect it. At all. I was so concerned about the characters and had invested in who they were as people that when the moment came my jaw was on the floor; especially because the person in question made me fall in like with them and I was invested in them not being eaten up by the werewolf. Color me surprised when they were the one that everyone should look out for.
I can say that Sam Richardson, the lead character Finn, did an amazing job at balancing out the horror/comedy/and elements of the whodunnit. And his character did that while being honest with himself. A lot of times when you watch movies like this the lead goes through this transformation that makes them a different person. Werewolves Within isn’t about that. It’s about accepting the kind of person that you are and not feeling ashamed of it, no matter who tries to push your buttons to act a specific way.
The cast of characters, that Finn was protecting from the creature out to get them, were pretty different. Some I could not stand. Others I would die for them. And finally, some of them were so capable that I thought there was no way that they could be taken down by a werewolf or….someone in the group; which is always something that pops up in a movie like this when a character takes advantage of the situation they seem to find themselves in to get what they want on a personal matter.
The scares of the movie and the werewolf, when it was finally revealed in Werewolves Within, were spooky AF. Yes, I was laughing at moments due to the ridiculous nature of it all. But I was also scared at what would pop up around the corner or what that heavy thumping was after the bedroom door opened on the couple that were minding their business and sleeping. This led me to not look away from this movie, not even for a second, because all the details were important and needed to be cataloged to figure out who the werewolf was within this group of survivors.
Ultimately, Werewolves Within was funny, entertaining, spooky, and surprisingly enough gave me an OTP (one true pairing) that I cheered for from beginning to end. It’s a movie I’d recommend to anyone who enjoyed Knives Out or wish it had a little bit more of a supernatural edge to things because that always makes things better in my book. It’s also the kind of movie that I wouldn’t mind watching again to see what I catch the second time around. And that, is the sign of a great movie worth watching.
Werewolves Within is available on June 25th, 2021 in select theaters and on demand.
