Pulling off a horror-comedy is no easy feat. The hyphenated sub-genre is comprised of two seemingly contradictory terms. But with the perfect formula, you might get a Shaun of the Dead, a Cabin in the Woods, or a What We Do in the Shadows. The success-flop ratio in the genre arguably leans heavy toward the latter, but Josh Ruben's Werewolves Within aims to help tip the scales in the other direction.
Based on the Ubisoft video game of the same name, Werewolves Within looks to be a witty whodunnit with a stacked cast and... werewolves. It's the Knives Out of monster-themed horror-comedies. If you're itching for more indie werewolf flicks to keep you up at night while you await Werewolves Within, below are five recommendations to add to your watchlist.
Dog Soldiers
Long before his big screen brush with the mainstream in 2019's Hellboy, Neil Marshall's 2002 directorial debut was a gritty, gory werewolf gem called Dog Soldiers. Starring Sean Pertwee (Gotham), Kevin McKidd (Grey's Anatomy) and Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones), the film follows a group of British soldiers on a routine training mission in the Scottish Highlands. Dog Soldiers escalates into a tense and terrifying action movie as the squad faces off against some of the most menacing and believable-looking werewolves ever put on screen.
Despite its B-movie title, Dog Soldiers is a must-see for any lover of lycanthrope cinema. The creature design alone is a draw, but the execution cements it as a shoo-in for this list.
Late Phases
Practical effects are a rarity in modern cinema, but when utilized properly, the results can be stunning. Adrián García Bogliano's 2014 indie is a perfect example of this. Late Phases has one of the best werewolf transformation scenes of all time. The entire sequence is brilliant; the score, the sound design and the panning single-take all combine with a terrifically graphic metamorphosis to make for an unforgettable entry in a long line of cinematic werewolf reveals. Bogliano has noted how complicated the scene was to create, admitting, "I don’t even think the producers knew if it was going to work until we finally finished."
Late Phases is a solid slow-burn werewolf thriller through and through, but the aforementioned moment will undoubtedly be the main talking point upon any mention of the movie.
Ginger Snaps
The cleverly-titled Ginger Snaps smartly uses lycanthropy as a metaphor for the most terrifying transformation of all time: puberty. Chock full of dark humor and teen angst, Ginger Snaps is expertly carried by its two leads -- Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle -- whose death-obsessed sibling characters go through a variety of changes.
Although Ginger Snaps has become a cult favorite since its 2000 release, it's sequel, Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed, and prequel, Ginger Snaps Back, were failures -- even with Perkins and Isabelle reprising their roles for both.
The Wolf of Snow Hollow
The Wolf of Snow Hollow is the most recently released entry on this list, and the one that most closely resembles Werewolves Within. Writer-director Jim Cummings plays the film's lead, a highly stressed sheriff's deputy who's faced with solving a series of brutal murders in his typically quiet mountain town while also struggling in his personal life. It's a beautifully shot indie darling that feels like a Coen-esque werewolf comedy; dry, occasionally graphic and confined to little everytown America and its hilariously ineffectual cast of characters.
Come for the werewolves, stay for the final film role of the late, great Robert Forster.
Trick 'r Treat
Trick 'r Treat isn't explicitly a werewolf movie, and werewolves admittedly have very little screen time in the 80-minute cult favorite, but when writer-director Michael Dougherty goes there, he really goes there. Trick 'r Treat's big werewolf reveal and transformation sequence is arguably one of the most NSFW ever created, as not only does it feature skin-ripping gore, but violence, nudity and sexuality as well.
Trick 'r Treat has a plethora of goodies for horror fans; it just happens to also have one of the more interesting werewolf moments that warrants inclusion.
Werewolves Within is directed by Josh Ruben and stars Sam Richardson, Milana Vayntrub, George Basil, Sarah Burns, Michael Chernus, Catherine Curtain, Wayne Duvall, Harvey Guillén, Rebecca Henderson, Cheyenne Jackson, Michaela Watkins and Glenn Fleshler. The film opens in theaters June 25, 2021 and On Demand July 2, 2021.
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