An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Director:

John Landis

Writer:

John Landis (written by)

Release Date:

21 August 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | 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:

Taxicab | Backpacking | Suicidal | Rainstorm | Alley

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

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS (re-release) | Mono

Certification:

UK:X (theatrical rating) | Singapore:R21 | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | 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:

The wolves used in the London Zoo scene were kept privately by Roger Palmer in the UK and appeared in several TV programmes and in adverts. Roger went on to found the UK Wolf Conservation Trust which keeps wolves to this day.

Goofs:

Continuity: Likewise, despite it being implied by the TV ad for the Sunday paper that the killings take place Saturday night/Sunday morning, the small boy in the zoo is in his school uniform, supposedly on a Sunday. This is assuming anyone would really be cruel enough to make their child wear school uniform on a day out to the zoo.

Quotes:

Dart Player: You made me miss.
Jack: Sorry.
Dart Player: I've never missed that board before.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Masters of Horror: Deer Woman (#1.7)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

BAD MOON RISING

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.