Werewolves Within begins in darkness, as the sounds of howling wind and menacing strings accompany a black screen. Slowly, white text fades into view, each line shivering alone for a moment before the next forms. “Listening is where the love begins,” declares the first line, followed by the second, “Listening to ourselves.” The third line appears in pieces, starting with the words, “and then,” before finally completing the sentence with, “our neighbors.” As the background cacophony builds, the words remain silent on the screen, forcing us to consider their full and dreadful weight. With a sudden musical sting, attribution to the quote appears: “Mr. Rogers.”
That’s a great joke, the first of many in the delightful film from director Josh Ruben and screenwriter Mishna Wolff. To some, the juxtaposition of Mr. Rogers’s words and scary music is ironic and laughable, rendering the kindly old minister’s life philosophy as impotent and ridiculous against the threat of monsters. While Ruben and Wolff clearly welcome the audience’s laughter, it’s also clear that the movie isn’t interested in making fun of Mr. Rogers’ ideals. Instead, Werewolves Within is a horror movie in which listening and love, of ourselves and of our neighbors, is more powerful than any evil.
The filmmakers spread that belief through the movie’s protagonist, Forest Ranger Finn Wheeler, played by the endlessly charming comedian Sam Richardson. From his very first scenes, Finn establishes himself as a nice guy, one who struggles to find the balance between being honest about his wants and being respectful to others.
At first, Finn comes off as a bit of a pushover. We meet him as he’s driving to his new post in the New England town of Beaverfield, leaving a message for his estranged girlfriend. “Give me a call,” Finn says toward the end of the message. But he quickly catches himself and amends the command to say, “or don’t, your choice.” Again, he catches himself and again amends his statement to say, “I would like to hear from you,” before proudly declaring, “this is me saying what I want.”
In his introduction, Finn seems indecisive and weak-willed, making him a poor choice to come to Beaverfield. The tiny town is being torn apart by the proposed pipeline, with some certain that the addition will destroy their idyllic abode and others desperate for the payout the company is offering.
Finn finds himself caught in the town’s division almost immediately. Upon entering the inn where he’ll be staying, Finn literally stands in between the innkeeper Jeanine Sherman (Catherine Curtin) and oil company representative Sam Parker (Wayne Duvall), as the latter pressures the former to sell her property. When Sam interprets Finn’s observation about the dangers of the pipeline as a threat, the ranger nearly trips over himself to assure the oilman that he meant no offense.
In the first few scenes, Werewolves Within establishes Finn as a nice protagonist, the latest in a long line of kind-hearted, Mr. Rogers-loving heroes in popular culture. Paddington Bear, as voiced by Ben Wishaw in the wonderful family films by Paul King, and the Jason Sudeikis character Ted Lasso, the American football coach turned English football coach in the show that bears his name, are at the forefront of this movement. One can easily see why such characters would be so popular. Beyond the sheer quality of storytelling involved in their respective features, Paddington and Ted Lasso represent a welcome corrective to the hate-filled anger of the Trump era, much of which was presaged by and continues online.
But in most cases, characters like these feel wholly fantastic. We like to believe Paddington’s maxim, “If we are kind and polite, the world will be right.” We want to share Ted Lasso’s adoption of Walt Whitman’s advice and be curious instead of judgmental. But these characters deal with relatively low-stakes threats. Sure, Ted must experience the relegation of his team and the dissolution of his marriage, and Paddington faces taxidermy and imprisonment. But these threats back away fairly quickly, leaving our heroes in peace. One could be forgiven for thinking that the kindness preached by these characters only works against such minor threats.
Werewolves Within takes this same approach and applies it to a truly monstrous story. As the citizens of Beaverfield metaphorically attack one another over the pipeline decision, a werewolf appears to literally attack them, starting with Mrs. Sherman’s husband and a yuppy couple’s dog. Supported only by letter carrier Cecily (Milana Vayntrub), Finn must convince the townspeople to put aside their differences and stay together in the inn, working together to deal with the lupine threat. As the townspeople cast blame on one another, Finn reminds them that they’re all neighbors, all part of the community.
SPOILERS FOR THE END OF THE FILM BELOW.
As the movie unfolds, the movie endorses Finn’s perspective. Sure, the werewolf still attacks some people, but most of the townspeople die by killing each other. Not only do they fail to stop the actual monster, but they kill more citizens than the werewolf.
Conversely, Finn stays alive precisely because he puts trust in others and treats them with respect. Even in the film’s climax, when he realizes that Cecily is the werewolf, Finn holds on to his principles. “This town is full of two-faced assholes, and you know it,” Cecily rants at Finn, frustrated that he won’t be mean like the others. In response, Finn’s hero speech is a defense of politeness. “Sorry! I’ve gotta tell you, it’s fucking okay to be nice,” he rants, before catching himself again; “Excuse my language; it’s f-ing okay to be nice.”
As she transforms into a wolf, Cecily dismisses the idea. “In a dog-eat-dog world, you could be nice,” she sneers before flashing a sharp-toothed smile and saying, “Or you could be me.” By the end of the scene, Finn does have to fight to save his own life, finally (almost) killing her by shoving a snowshoe through her ear. But even then, he refuses to subscribe to a dog-eat-dog philosophy. In fact, it’s his kindness that ultimately saves his life, as he’s rescued from Cecily’s attacks by Mrs. Sherman and by Emerson Flint (Glenn Fleshler), the reclusive survivalist who is convinced by Finn’s invocation of Mr. Rogers.
By showing us the power of kindness and good neighborliness, the finale of Werewolves Within clarifies the joke in its opening. Yeah, it’s funny that a Mr. Rogers quote appears juxtaposed against threatening darkness. But the darkness does not overtake the quote. Instead, those words shine through and sit above the darkness.
Werewolves Within shows us that treating others with respect and dignity isn’t suitable to silly premises in kid’s movies and sitcoms. Rather, it’s a powerful weapon to counter evil, far more effective than paranoia and attack. If we listen to ourselves, listen to our neighbors, and act out of love, then we can defeat all sorts of monsters, whether they be masquerading werewolves or aggressive neighbors – just like Mr. Rogers taught us.
Werewolves Within is now available on all VOD outlets.
