The Highest-Rated Video Game Movie Lands a New Streaming Home

Horror comedy Werewolves Within has found a home on a new streaming service, and there’s no better time than just before spooky season to revisit the 2021 film. It’s landing on Hulu, alongside other horror titles such as Jennifer’s Body, Trap, World War Z, and Color Out of Space, and will be available on the platform starting September 10 as part of the streamer’s latest monthly update.

Directed by Josh Ruben, also known for Scare Me and Heart Eyes, Werewolves Within showcases a filmmaker at the top of his horror comedy game. It’s a lot harder than it looks to blend genres effectively, yet Ruben, despite a brief career, has already proven his skill. Werewolves Within may not be his most important film, but it feels like his most clever one. It’s certainly a movie that subverts the conventions of its genres.

Werewolves Within follows Finn Wheeler, a forest ranger who arrives in the town of Beaverfield and encounters a town in disarray. Everyone’s conflicted about the construction of a gas pipeline, but there’s another major issue at hand: A recent series of violent murders has heightened tensions between the townsfolk, who start suspecting the killer may be hiding among them. When a blizzard strikes, some of the survivors take refuge in a lodge, and suspicions and accusations quickly spread. Wheeler stands at the center of the conflict, and realizes he may have come to the wrong town. Per the Rotten Tomatoes synopsis:

After a proposed pipeline creates divisions within the small town of Beaverfield, and a snowstorm traps its residents together inside the local inn, newly arrived forest ranger Finn (Sam Richardson) and postal worker Cecily (Milana Vayntrub) must try to keep the peace and uncover the truth behind a mysterious creature that has begun terrorizing the community.

Although it wasn’t a box office hit (it didn’t even gross $1 million), the film remains the highest-rated feature based on a video game on Rotten Tomatoes. At the time of writing, it holds a Certified Fresh label and an 86% critics’ rating, while the audience score sits at 80%.

‘Werewolves Within’ Is the Best Video Game Movie According to Critics, and They May Be Right

Sam Richardson and Milana Vayntrub in Werewolves Within

IFC Films

Although at first it looks like Werewolves Within will be a regular werewolf movie, most of the plot takes place inside the cottage where everyone is hiding from the blizzard. This allows Ruben and writer Mishna Wolff to narrow the story into a whodunit structure. That’s when the film becomes more engaging — not that the werewolf subplot isn’t important, but those seeking a full-blown creature feature should look elsewhere.

The ensemble cast is one of the film’s selling points. Sam Richardson as Finn Wheeler is joined by Milana Vayntrub, Michael Chernus, Cheyenne Jackson, Michaela Watkins, and Harvey Guillén, among others. They’re all responsible for bringing to life the set of colorful characters that keep the film fresh with clever comedy. The horror element is there, of course, but Werewolves Within is more comedic than frightening.