An American Werewolf in London (1981)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

John Landis

Writer:

John Landis (written by)

Release Date:

21 August 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

John Landis - the director of Animal House brings you a different kind of animal.

Plot:

Two American tourists in England are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists.

Plot Keywords:

Werewolf | England | Curse | Nightmare | Coma

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

David Naughton	...	David Kessler
Jenny Agutter	...	Nurse Alex Price
Griffin Dunne	...	Jack Goodman
John Woodvine	...	Dr. J. S. Hirsch
Lila Kaye	...	Barmaid
Joe Belcher	...	Truck Driver
David Schofield	...	Dart Player
Brian Glover	...	Chess Player
Rik Mayall	...	2nd Chess Player
Sean Baker	...	2nd Dart Player
Paddy Ryan	...	First Werewolf
Anne-Marie Davies	...	Nurse Susan Gallagher
Frank Oz	...	Mr. Collins / Miss Piggy
Don McKillop	...	Inspector Villiers
Paul Kember	...	Sergeant McManus

Also Known As:

The American Werewolf (Philippines: English title)

Runtime:

97 min | Sweden:92 min (heavily cut)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS (re-release) | Mono

Certification:

Singapore:R21 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | UK:X (theatrical rating) | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | USA:R (Certificate #26418) | Italy:VM18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | West Germany:16 | Peru:18 | Brazil:18 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

64 Coleherne Road, Earl's Court, London, England, UK

Company:

American Werewolf Inc.

Trivia:

John Woodvine was cast at short notice after the first two choices left the project.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When the werewolf is seen approaching the escalator in the Tottenham Court Road underground station, a foot of one of the crew pushing the werewolf along is clearly visible at the end of the shot.

Quotes:

David: [to himself] I'm going completely crazy.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Spaced: Chaos (#1.5)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

BLUE MOON

One of my favorite films

While backpacking through Europe, two friends, David Kessler (David Naughton) and Jack Goodman (Griffin Dunne), find themselves out on England's moors, despite advice to avoid them. When a wild animal attacks them, one of them dies, and the other just might be turning into a monster.

Director John Landis' "pet project"--he had to sit on the script for 10 years before he had enough clout from other films for this one to be greenlighted--is an excellent, seamless melding of comedy and horror, with a surprising amount of brutality and one of the most wonderfully dark, abrupt conclusions ever made.

John Irving once said that he loves to put comedy and tragedy in close conjunction because each can make the other more effective. That's just the effect that the combination has in An American Werewolf In London. Both the comedy and the horror in the film are fully committed to, unlike many attempts to merge the two. If "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" is ever true, this is an example. The comic bits wouldn't be nearly as delightful if they didn't supervene on the disturbing, and the horror wouldn't have near the impact if they didn't arrive in the context where you half-expect the next moment to be just as lighthearted and amusing. Both the initial "animal attack" and the apocalyptic ending are perfect examples of this.

Aside from that exquisite unusualness, An American Werewolf In London has many other superb characteristics. The cast is perfect. Naughton, who also starred in the seriously underrated Desire, The Vampire (aka I, Desire) (1982), carries the film with ease. The cinematography is excellent. The shots of the countryside (actually filmed in Wales) are actually both beautiful and very eerie at the same time. The make-up effects are awesome, and the transformation effects are unsurpassed. The music, which is primarily a number of different "moon" related pop songs, is also perfect, partially because of the bizarre contrasts in mood that the music creates, which echoes the comedy/tragedy juxtaposition. Unlike many other films, every scene in this one is a something I'd like to spend years exploring. The settings, the characters, the scenarios are all so fascinating.

This film is a 10 out of 10 even with one hand tied behind its back. If you enjoy it, and you're open minded about newer horror film styles, the "sequel", An American Werewolf in Paris, is also worth a watch.