An American Werewolf in London

A Film maker's film that's an homage and a refreshing take on the werewolf legend. It's scary; rich in dialogue; practical... (in a horror movie???) AND Funny!

Especially in DTS sound... It's Scary!!!

Specifically...for anyone who enjoys the old 'Universal Studios' classic renditions of the "Wolf Man" saga, this modern 'fairy tale horror' doesn't violate any traditions. If you haven't seen the old classics, not to worry;...this flick stands on its own.

The story unfolds!...And the tension begins!...slowly!

Actors Naughton and Dunne are perfectly cast as your typical college students, backpacking their way thru Europe for...well...for what ELSE!!?!! Their back & forth banter is priceless!! Their 'on screen' chemistry is, unfortunately, too short (that's kinda redeemed in the DVD commentary by both actors). And their trek across the fog laden moor ranks as one of the most frightening scenes in movie history.

But the real star of the film is director John Landis!

Along with the Cast!

And make-up artist Rick Baker.

Not since "Bud Abbott & Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein" has Comedy/Horror worked so well. The difference is: unlike "A&C Meet Frankenstein", this film is a horror story laced with a sharp and clever 'comic relief'. And Landis captures that fine line balance between horror/humor that is unprecedented.

A near definitive werewolf movie that's bloody! scary! funny! satirical! funny! intelligent! sexy! charming!...and ultimately sad!!!...(did I say funny twice?). HEY...if you ever take time to see only one werewolf movie; then...

Well...everyone's got their opinion.

But this film ranks way up their in horror. A Classic!!

With a soundtrack that's perfectly placed! And composer Elmer Bernstein perfectly placing the music.

Grab the popcorn! And Hang On!

While it isn't high art, "An American Werewolf in London" is easily among the most entertaining films that I have ever seen. It mixes humor and horror in a way that, while tonally inconsistent, it provides so many scares and laughs that I didn't care what its flaws were.

The film's sense of humor is definitely because the film's director and writer, John Landis, has directed so many great comedies. If you gave the same premise to a much more serious filmmaker, they probably would have made a straight horror film, subtracting all of the brilliant laughs that Landis gives us. Of course, part of what makes "An American Werewolf in London" so special and so entertaining is how hilarious it is. It's almost unbelievable that a movie with so many horrific and gory moments can also be laugh out loud funny throughout.

Another important part of "An American Werewolf in London" is the use of the acclaimed, award winning special effects, that earned Rick Baker a well deserved Oscar win. The werewolf transformation scene definitely lives up to the high expectations anyone viewing the film for the first time may have. It's legitimately disturbing, and amazingly well done!

John Landis has one of his most memorable films, as it challenges him as a director of comedy and horror, and he's rarely done better in the latter. While many of his best films are among the comedies that he directed for SNL alumni Belushi and Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy, An American Werewolf in London stands apart from those by casting David Naughton, Jenny Aguter, and Griffin Dunne in the parts- all practically unknowns then- and giving them some of the best kinds of genre roles imaginable. The two friends played by Naughton and Dunne are out on vacation, sort of, and they stumble upon a town loaded with superstition about wolves and other things. When Dunne gets killed and something, uh, peculiar happens to Naughton, it changes both of them- principally because Naughton keeps seeing Dunne, deteriorating throughout the rest of the film, even as he both turns into the werewolf ("Beware the moon, David, beware the moon") and falls for a kind nurse played by Aguter. All three roles are realized well, though it might be prudent to put a lot of good will on the male leads, as they both go under Rick Baker's still show-stopping make-up jobs.

This is the kind of production that could go in a few different directions, and for someone like Landis's skills it could've gone in those directions, either one, considering his background. It could have been a send-up much like his Kentucky Fried Movie. It could have been just dumb, pure camp like one of his lesser comedies of the 90s. But here he's really sticking to his guns to make it really believably scary, but also with a sly, coarse, and crude sense of humor about it. It's almost in tune to what would come a few years later with Ghostbusters, only without the mega-wit and overall mainstream appeal. It's a cult item that probably isn't seen by many as Landis's other films, yet I still remember things very well from the film years later, indelible things like the use of songs (obvious, sure, by 'moon' being all over the place, but everything from Van Morrison to CCR to the main Blue Moon theme used during the crossover are really dead-perfect for what's needed). Aside from the obvious make-up scenes, I remember being both freaked and delighted by the undead exchanges with David, especially when it finally reaches its purest absurdity in the movie theater scene.

And even the ending, unlike other Landis films, is with a tinge of tragedy and sadness. This is not the ending a typical comedy director would bring, as by now we've really gotten on the side of David, the scorned protagonist turned bloody villain by way of a curse. Some of the scenes that end up cutting back to the old rural village, as I also remember it, were not my favorite scenes as they brought more of the superstitious stuff that is not necessarily needed. It's the bits with Naughton, with Dunne, and even with the lady of the film that make it worthwhile. It's fun but not too goofy or bad B-movie-like, and it's scary without being cheap. It's basically the finest synthesis yet from the filmmaker to combine his gory theatrics with his firm, cool sense of humor. It's also one of my favorite films of 1981.

Here's a film that never fails to entertain, year after year. It's almost a quarter of a century old but hasn't become dated and the special effects, which were astounding in its day, are still good. Director John Landis is so good at making entertaining movies. This is one of his best.

The appeal to this film is the combination of horror, suspense, action and humor. The latter actually is the key ingredient because this can become a downright scary movie. The levity here and there is welcome relief. There is just the right amount of contrast between horror and comedy.

For parents wanting to know, there also is a fair amount of rough language and there two sex scenes, one as part of the story and one "on screen" in a porn- movie theater where the two male leads meet late in the story.

Jenny Agutter is the love interest in here, a very pretty woman whom Americans audiences aren't that familiar with. It isn't just her: neither of the two leading (American) male actors in this popular movie ever became stars, either.

An entertaining but silly sequel came out almost two decades later, "An American Werewolf in Paris." I own both movies but much prefer this one.

Violent, gory yet somewhat bittersweet tale of an American tourist who has the misfortune of being bitten by a werewolf. David Naughton is young and bewildered, Jenny Agutter cute, innocent and sexy and Griffin Dunne hilarious as a rapidly decomposing poltergeist. The score is great and the special effects outstanding. This movie gives new meaning to the term Ugly American. Don't watch this on commercial TV. It can only be appreciated in its original, unedited form.