Werewolves Within
Might contain spoilers.
So funny. So much fun. The characters are exactly right for the story: there are red herrings, and then there is this movie’s ability to make every single character appear to be the werewolf, in the finest tradition of a whodunit, even making you question whether there is a werewolf. Another of its strengths is maintaining the suspense and controlled horror without losing the humour. The inn is a fantastic location for the story to take place, too. Half of its effectiveness is down to that setting. Too bad they leave it in the climax.
Sam Richardson is very good as Finn. I really did want him and Cecily to have a happy ending,
especially after the missed opportunity at the beginning and the sweet little hug she gives him
(even though it’s all fake). His thinly-disguised elation at sleeping in the same room as Cecily and
her slow down, boy
had me in splits.
I really like Milana Vayntrub as Cecily. She charmed me instantly. The way Cecily is calmly licking or nibbling on her fingers when Finn returns after realizing she’s the werewolf is a beautiful transition. Her true form is unfortunately underwhelming thanks to the sub-par VFX and the dilution of her strength so Finn can survive. The fleeting image of her in human form with werewolf eyes and blood on her face after biting off Pete’s hand is much more effective. Incidentally, I considered the possibility that she was the werewolf early on, but wrote it off because I incorrectly thought she was with Finn when Trish’s dog died.[1]
Her plan doesn’t make much sense, however: why go to so much trouble to save Finn when he’s already dying? Is it because she planned to turn him? In fact, the sheer length of time they spend talking, complete with Finn’s rant about being nice, made me think there’s more to him, and perhaps he’d be revealed to be some other sort of supernatural creature. I was taken aback to find he genuinely is an ordinary human.
Gwen unknowingly running over Marcus only to be shot by Trish, leaving Finn, Cecily, and Joaquim to gape in dull surprise, is amazing. Flint helping to eliminate Cecily and telling Finn with a smile that’s just being a good neighbour is hilarious. Cecily coming back to life only to die to Jeanine’s crossbow is ridiculous, and Finn’s moment of silence before he opens his mouth and the credits roll is precisely what was needed to underscore its absurdity.
I truly appreciate how restrained the film is when it comes to blood and gore. It’s really only suggested, save for a few crucial moments where there is no other choice.
Dr. Ellis’s behaviour is confusing. Her shock and dismay at one point made me think she recognized the werewolf’s hair as her own or something.
- And I seemed to remember a shot in the trailer of Finn’s eyes turning blue, which I thought signaled that he would become a werewolf too. I also only realized at the end that what Cecily is meant is that she had really only been staying with Jeanine for a few weeks (having killed David a month earlier and subsequently taken over for him).↩