150 Word Review: “Werewolves Within” (2021)

It’s a dog-eat-dog mystery

Photo: IFC Films

I love werewolf movies, serious or tongue-in-cheek. The new low-budget horror-comedy Werewolves Within is the latter, a nasty little whodunit set in a tiny Vermont town populated by a handful of quirky misanthropes. There’s a little bit of Agatha Christie thrown in as the townsfolk gather at the inn during a snowstorm to solve a simple mystery: who’s taking bites out of the locals?

Is it the mountain man? The environmentalist? The new Park Ranger played by Sam Richardson? Under Josh Ruden’s direction, Werewolves Within is smart and slick, balancing deadpan one-liners with a few genuine scares and brief moments of gore. But it’s ultimately Richardson’s movie, a hilarious comedic character actor who gets to lead an equally talented cast, including Milana Vayntrub as a perky mailperson and Harvey Guillén, one half of a rich power couple from the big city. When the fangs finally come out, the fur flies.