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Two American college students on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists.

Director:

John Landis

Writer:

John Landis
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Popularity
1,040 ( 368)
Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

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

Two American college students are on a walking tour of Britain and are attacked by a werewolf. One is killed, the other is mauled. The werewolf is killed but reverts to its human form, and the local townspeople are unwilling to acknowledge its existence. The surviving student begins to have nightmares of hunting on four feet at first but then finds that his friend and other recent victims appear to him, demanding that he commit suicide to release them from their curse, being trapped between worlds because of their unnatural deaths. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

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

Genres:

Comedy | Horror

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The wolves used in the London Zoo scene were kept privately by Roger Palmer in the UK, and appeared in several television shows and in advertisements. Roger went on to found the UK Wolf Conservation Trust, which keeps wolves to this day. See more »

Goofs

Amount of Guinness in Dr. Hirsch's cup at the pub. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Truck Driver: That way is Proctor, and over here is the moors. I go this way.
Jack: Thanks for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep.
Truck Driver: Boys, keep off the moors, stick to the roads. The best to ya...
David: Thanks again.
[then to the sheep]
David: We'll miss you.
David: Bye girls...
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Crazy Credits

All characters and events in this film are fictitious. Any similarity to actual events or persons, living, dead, or undead, is purely coincidental. See more »

Alternate Versions

Universal Studios re-mixed the film's monaural soundtrack to Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS for the 20th anniversary "Collector's Edition" DVD, replacing the older sound effects and adding some new ones (see also Jaws).
  • Extra thunderclap sound effects were added in the scene when David and Jack are walking in the moors and it starts to rain.
  • The first werewolf can now be heard growling in the rear channels as it circles David and Jack. A louder growl has been added to the rear-left channel after Jack says "It's circling us" to make the audience jump.
  • All the gunshots and car crash sound effects have been replaced.
  • The train in the "London tube" scene can now be heard moving from one channel to another
  • Despite already being bad enough, the entire mix is inexplicably pitched down a half-pitch and sounds very different from the original mix.
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Connections

Referenced in De Kijk van Koolhoven: Eurohorror (2018) See more »

Soundtracks

Rebel
(uncredited)
Music by Francis Monkman
Bruton Music Ltd
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User Reviews

 
Still Funny & Frightening After All These Years
9 November 2005 | by ccthemovieman-1See all my reviews

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.


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 August 1981 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

An American Werewolf in London See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,786,512, 23 August 1981

Gross USA:

$30,565,292

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$30,669,378
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (heavily cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS (re-release)| Mono | Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »

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