Oh My Horror 2025 | 45/52 | Werewolves
Listening is where love begins
Listening to ourselves
and then our neighbors.
— Mr. Rogers
Dave Sherman stands downhill from the Beaverfield Inn, behind a couple of trees, secretly checking his flip phone and slowly removing his wedding ring. He hears a violent rustle in the woods. He calls out to see who it is, but whatever it is violently drags him out into the woods.
29.5 Days Later
Finn Wheeler, a rule follower and friendly to a fault, screams along to a self-help tape about finding his sense of authority and control over his life. He leaves a message for his girlfriend, Charlotte, as he arrives in his new forest ranger post in Beaverfield. He pulls up to the Beaverfield Inn and asks the owner, Jeanine Sherman, for a room. She asks the mail carrier, Cecily, who lives at the inn, to assist Finn in getting settled in. She gives him some mail regarding a complaint about Emerson Flint and commercial trapping. Cecily tags along to help him get to Flint’s.
While they walk, Cecily gives Finn the town gossip, like Jeanine’s husband, Dave, running off with some woman he met at the bar. They also meet the colorful cast of town residents, who will surely return throughout the plot. When they arrive at Flint’s, Finn misses the “You will be shot” sign and has a run-in with Flint, who sees his property as outside of US government jurisdiction. After that encounter, they go to a bar, where Finn realizes that he has a crush on Cecily, and Cecily helps him realize that his girlfriend actually broke up with him, and he didn’t realize it. They almost kiss, but Charlotte calls him, and he picks up.
That night, a storm comes in. The dog of one of the townspeople gets dragged away. The storm causes avalanches and downed power lines, so the townspeople gather at the Beaverfield Inn to wait out the storm. Finn goes to power up the backup generators, but finds claw marks slashed through all of them. He also finds Dave’s body. Whatever is out there, it has agency. Or is it among them?
Josh Ruben has a gift for the “hangout horror” movie, where the stakes are never too high (except when they are) and we’re mostly here to enjoy the company of the characters. Scare Me was a movie I loved when it came out. This movie has a similar vibe, but with much more going on.
The plot won’t surprise anyone. It plays with genre tropes, but not in a super meta way. So, for most horror fans, this will feel by the books when the horror things are happening.
This movie was already going to be at least a like from me, as it has so many people I love in it!
Actor Talk
- I think it’s impossible for Sam Richardson to be unfunny in something. It’s just so natural for him.
- Have I really only seen Milana Vayntrub in AT&T commercials and Other Space? I know her from UCB.
- I got such a huge smile on my face when I saw Harvey Guillén and Cheyenne Jackson! This is the most mainstream thing I’ve seen Cheyenne Jackson in since 30 Rock.
- Sarah Burns is unrecognizable! I guess I haven’t seen her since Enlightened.
- I love when Michaela Watkins gets to play goofy! She’s played the straight man in so many projects.
- Michael Chernus is always a weirdo.
Overall, this is a pretty funny, pretty engaging murder mystery. Despite my love for the cast, I can’t say I love the movie as a whole. But I am glad I watched it.
