Review #352: 'An American Werewolf in London' (1981)

Two American students, David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne), are on a backpacking trip in Northern England. Following an awkward experience in the local pub, The Slaughtered Lamb, the two set out again and stray from the road, going against the locals warnings. They are attacked by a vicious monster that kills Jack and wounds David, who wakes up days later in a London hospital. After being discharged, he moves in with nurse Alex (Jenny Agutter) but is plagued by nightmares and visits from his slowly rotting friend Jack, who claims he is stuck on Earth as an undead. He also warns David that the beast that attacked him was a werewolf, and come the next full moon, David will transform and kill.

This film had somehow evaded me for too long, so I decided to finally sit down to see what all the fuss was about. I hadn't heard much about it apart from the fact that it included a legendary transformation sequence that changed the face of horror effects forever. After viewing the film, and that sequence, I can safely say that the hype is completely justified. David's transformation, which depicts his limbs elongating, his nails sharpening, and his face becoming that of a giant wolf, is truly exceptional, even by today's standards. In a world full of lazy CGI substituting for arguably more realistic prosthetics and make-up, it was delightful witnessing a work of true genius by the Oscar-winning Rick Baker. The make-up used on Jack on his frequent visits are also truly exceptional, as he turns from torn and bloody, to grey and rotting, and finally to nothing more than a moving skull with eyeballs.

Director John Landis had made plenty of money with his comedies The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), Animal House (1978) and The Blues Brothers (1980) before making a foray into horror, and it feels like a natural move, as the film works just as well as a horror film as it does a comedy. At time it feels like a heartfelt homage to the old Universal horrors of the 30's and 40's (the likes of The Wolf Man (1941) being an obvious inspiration) and the Hammer horrors of the 60's (the rural setting), but it rises above being a mere love-letter and is a great film in its own right. I'm aware of the sequel, An American Werewolf in Paris (1997), but the absence of Landis and the cast suggests its a mere cash-in that relies on the original's reputation, so I'll probably give that one a miss.


Directed by: John Landis
Starring: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, John Woodvine
Country: UK/USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie