This is it. This is the one. The one film that is guaranteed to get me every time, and the single most important film I saw in my adolescence. As a child, the Star Wars trilogy got me interested in film, as a teenager it was American Werewolf that cemented that interest and turned it into a passion.
And there is so much here to enjoy. Landis very, very carefully tells an affecting, amusing and at times terrifying story of an American abroad, backpacking across Europe with his best friend, who gets bitten by an English werewolf. In the aftermath of this, he finds tragedy, love, and then sprouts hair and fangs and eats people. It's beautifully written, expertly performed, and features some of the best effects-work ever put on film.
Nothing about American Werewolf is wrong, or misjudged. The story unravels at exactly the right pace, and along the way it becomes the most quotable horror movie ever made. It's also one of the best, and certainly my favourite.
As an adult, I have yet to see another film that gives me as much pleasure- continually- as this. Unforgettable.
Steev
And there is so much here to enjoy. Landis very, very carefully tells an affecting, amusing and at times terrifying story of an American abroad, backpacking across Europe with his best friend, who gets bitten by an English werewolf. In the aftermath of this, he finds tragedy, love, and then sprouts hair and fangs and eats people. It's beautifully written, expertly performed, and features some of the best effects-work ever put on film.
Nothing about American Werewolf is wrong, or misjudged. The story unravels at exactly the right pace, and along the way it becomes the most quotable horror movie ever made. It's also one of the best, and certainly my favourite.
As an adult, I have yet to see another film that gives me as much pleasure- continually- as this. Unforgettable.
Steev