An American Werewolf In London
| release date | August 21 1981 |
| studio | Universal |
| director | John Landis |
| writer | John Landis |
| starring | Joe Belcher, David Naughton |
| rating | R |
| tagline | From the director of Animal House -- a different kind of animal |
| site | americanwerewolf.com |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
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One of my all time favorite films and I got to see it in the theaters, twice.
Fantastic visual effects-very impressive throughout the whole film,sad at the end but a definate classic.
Definately one of my all time faves. Visual effects are stunning considering the year it was made. A must see
Definitely a classic. This is the movie to which all other werewolf films should aspire. Scary, funny and ultimately tragic. I love it.
great
Probably one of if not the best werewolf film to date. I love this movie and I’m not a Werewolf movie fan. I give it 10 full moons out of 10 full moons
This is one of my favorite films…Especially the transformation scene…
i love this film.it scares the socks of me every time and the transformation scene is just great.
Fun horror comedy, definatly a classic, one of the few real good werewolf movies made.
A werewolf classic, but not very funny.
This is the best werewolf movie made . The acting was great and the werewolf was top notch. Dog Soldiers comes in right behind it.
I don’t see what’s so great about this movie. It’s not funny, nor is it very long. It has some amazing special effects, but I was expecting something more from a film with this reputation. Still probably the second best werewolf movie out there, since Ginger Snaps kicks this movie’s ass in almost every way.
One of the best werewolf movies EVER MADE!
I know werewolf movies are not every ones cup of tea, but how can you not like this. fantastic storyline, great acting, catchy soundtrack, wry humour and brilliant special effects. this is the movie that got Rick baker nominated for a oscar for the special effects and to think it was made back in `81. One of my favourite movies, (now remember, stick to the road, d`ont go on to the moors)!!!!
This is one is a instant classic , easy to watch over and over … but still spooks you when you do …..
defenitely the second best werewolf movie of all time.
In my opinion, the best werewolf movie ever made. Granted, that is a short list, but a great film nonetheless.
Horror fans always rave about An American Werewolf In London as if it were the only film of its godly kind, alike, and, likewise, matched by nothing other movie. But don’t they pretty much say that about every other movie that’s even slightly better than average? It would take five pages to sit here and list every movie horror fans say is a “masterpiece”, then I watch only to find it’s downright average at best. That’s the same sad story with An American Werewolf In London.
After you’ve seen a certain about of movies–genre makes no difference–it’s impossible to look over they fact that they’re all the same, with maybe a handful that really stand apart. I’ve personally seen hundreds, if not thousands, of films, and by this point most of them blur together because they’re all, basically, the same. Characters all blur together because most of them lack any distinguishing personality whatsoever. That’s why I give most of the movies I see low scores. It takes a lot for movies to stand out of the blur, and An American Werewolf In London certainly isn’t one of them.
From open to close, An American Werewolf In London follows the same predictable plot as every other monster film. “I’m a werewolf, oh no! I have to kill myself, oh no! An angry mob is after me, oh no!” Though it’s arguable that this movie did have a very large impact on the werewolf films to come, and it certainly did, I just don’t care. I don’t write reviews on cinematic importance; that’s for the pretentious clones who wouldn’t have their own opinion of a movie if they were forced to. It was typical at best. Ginger Snaps, Dog Solders, and even Underworld all put this to shame and I didn’t even really like any of them.
Also, the effects are absolutely horrible, even for the 80s. The werewolves all look like they’re made out of plastic with fur taped to their backs. I’ve literally seen cheap Halloween masks that are more effective and realistic than those worn by the dead in this movie. Whenever I started to get into a cool scene, these effects really killed it.
With that said, I didn’t give An American Werewolf In London an even lower score because it tried. Some of the moments were actually funny. The directing/writing was slightly better than average. A few of the plot points were reviled in a way that was slightly original for the genre.
But none of that can save it from being just a typical monster movie and nothing more. It’s forgettable. Is it worth a watch? Eh. It doesn’t matter either way. Just don’t believe the hype this is perfection in the horror-comedy genre, because there are much better horror-comedies out there.
Best werewolf movie ever made. Great special effects for as old as it is. Must see!
One of my favorites. This movie has a great story, acting, special effects (i.e. the werewolf transition), and soundtrack. Amusing, sad, entertaining, and scary. The final werewolf was a bit cheesy though and looked more like a dog. Overall great movie and always fun to watch.
**SPOILERS**
This is one of the best werewolf (80′s horror) movies ever made, alongside The Howling and Silver Bullet. AAWIL is definitely more ‘horror comedy’ than straight horror but it works brilliantly ,holds up after all these years and for once in a hybrid film the comedy is outstanding and balances perfectly with the horror. The scenes with Jack returning from the grave in different stages of decomposition, the ‘victims’ in the theatre telling David how to kill himself are laugh out loud and WTF moments. Even the outstanding soundtrack features only songs with the word ‘moon’ in the titles. Very , very clever. The cast do a great job especially David Naughton, Griffin Dunne and Jenny Auteger as the sexy Nurse Price. But the cherry on top of this deliciously original and fun movie is the werewolf transformation sequence. We only get one scene but it still holds up well after all these years and is a true testament to the talent of Rick Baker. His creation using hydraulics and good old fashioned makeup beats the crap out of any CGI created beast anyday. He even won an oscar for his outstanding work. Another true classic horror from the golden age.
One of the greatest horror films of all time and definitely the best werewolf movie ever made. John Landis unexpectedly transcends genres with his gross-out humor and affinity for boobies. The werewolf transformation is still the best on film and will probably never be topped. The sequel to this is a joke… and I’m just nervously watching the clock for when some dickhead studio announces they’re remaking this.
My favorite werewolf flick. The creepy countryside, atmosphere, & overall look of the film was terrific. The scenes at the Slaughtered Lamb/ Jack’s death, were especially good. After they leave the pub & we hear the beast howl in the distance. Who wouldn’t feel sorry for those two guys. When the bartender says “You can’t let them go”. That’s when the tension starts it’s slow build up. That howl is still to this day, the best werewolf sound effect I’ve ever heard in a horror film. There’s a funny cameo by Frank Oz as well. Great fright flick!!!
a great classic werewolf movie with good acting and some awsome jump scares…a must see!
Still one of the best werewolf movies out there. Best transformation scene and great effects with the dead best friend.
best werewold horror out there still makes me cringe and jump, along with dog soldiers and silver bullet
OK this film is a very very VERY bad horror, the werewolf part only comes in the last 15minutes making the first 1hr and 15mins very boring and slow I sat there waiting for something to happen to see what the heck is so good with this “masterpiece” of horror. The first scene is quite good when the werewolf comes and bites the man and after that….*yawn* the rest of the film is basically about him trying to get in the nurses knickers! Then he turns into the werewolf for the last 15minutes, we don’t even really see the werewolf in full detail just a few quick flashes of its face, the end is also very sudden making it all seem ridiculous! The only good bit is when he turns into the werewolf. To be honest I think that scene is the only reason people like this film.
*
Out Of
*****
a naked american man stole my ballons
One of my favorites in the Horror franchise! I loved a lot of scenes in the film including the transformation scene from human to werewolf. I’d love to watch this film again when I get the chance to.
I flat out loved this movie, everything about it was great. Not a perfect movie but such a great movie and really funny too at times. Everyone should see this movie, it mixes comedy and horror perfectly to give you what is arguably the great werewolf movie to this day.
Some say this was the birth of comedy horror, i believe, and it works. This movie was, is, and will always be a classic, especially with the transformation scene that was mind blowing at its time of release.
Watch this movie, and enjoy its greatness. An easy 9/10!!!!!
Maybe the best horror film of the 80s.
The best werewolf movie ever!Rick Baker’s special effects still hold up to CGI any day.John Landis brilliant directing made this one of my alltime favorites.This movie had it all great acting,dialogue,makeup effects,gore,humor,and scares as well.I hope this never gets remade.Or do I have to remind you of the abortion that Paris was.This movie is for grown ups.
What can be said about American Werewolf that hasn’t been said. Nothing really, all I can say is that in my opinion it’s the single best werewolf film ever made. Great story, fantastic performances all around, some of the best fx ever captured on film, an awesome soundtrack. It will make you laugh, scream, maybe even cry a little, doesn’t get much better than this!
i must have been 12 the first time i saw this movie and i believe the reason why is because i was a fan of landon’s work on “thriller” and kept on being impressed with animal house, he is a very dynamic director, anyways…flick was funny…great effects by rick baker *tips the hat, and my first horror movie babe crush….the lovely jenny agutter
An American Werewolf in London- 1981
Good Parts- great movie, great gore effects, well paced and entertaining, great acting, creepy atmosphere, amazing transformation scene!
Bad Parts- none really, may be a little cheesy?
Overall an amazing horror film, a true landmark of the werewolf sub genre, the transformation scene of the main character is amazing considering early 80s technology, a GREAT WATCH worth buying!
10/10
Greatest werewolf movie of all time (except maybe the original Wolfman) it’s pretty much perfect in every way.
Favourite scenes: the beginning on the Moors, the transformation and the subway scene.
Great black comedy too, just everything about this movie is inventive and genius.
And that British nurse is so gorgeous, damn what a woman.
I just watched this movie for the first time and it was awesome. so many cool things. Those dream sequences were so damn cool, especially those nazi werewolfs or something like that. And his friend keeps coming back to warn him and each time he’s more decayed. And that soundtrack was terrific, except when Bad Moon Rising came on. Dont get me wrong’ I love CCR and thats one of there best but it just kinda seemeed trown in there.But really i cant complain. Great locations too, the bar is creepy. God Damn i hope they dont remake this!
Honestly this is Not a great movie but not bad either. Some great moments but mostly slow and boring.
The Howling is way better to me. Overated.
Best werewolf movie ever!
One of the best films in the werewolf genre. A great Hor-Com.
An American Werewolf in London
1/6/2010
Arguably the best werewolf movie ever made! In the early 1980′s director John Landis was most known for his comedies like “Animal House” and “The Blues Brothers” when he decided to make a horror movie, or is it? One of the major criticisms about the movie is that it doesn’t know whether it wants to be a comedy or a horror movie. While it deals with werewolves and is quite gory, there are also many scenes of pure comedy. This movie has inspired several young filmmakers since its release. Many horror comedies like 2004′s “Shaun of the Dead” have homage’s within them.
This is the story of two American college students backpacking through Europe. Jack played by Griffin Dunne and David played by David Naughton. While walking through the English countryside they seek refuge from the rain at a pub called “The Slaughtered Lamb” The locals go silent upon their arrival, and the two are looked upon as if from another planet. This seems so typical of Americans who travel abroad, we do tend to stick out. Jack and David are a great match and totally believable as best friends in their dialogue and actions, another credit to John Landis who also wrote the script. Upon leaving the pub they are warned to stay on the road and “beware the moon”. In the full moon lit night sky, they start to hear noises, as if being stalked by a wild animal. They’ve wandered off the road. Jack is then attacked and mauled to death by a werewolf, while David is merely wounded. The towns people come too their rescue and shoot the wolf, who then turns back into a human.
David wakes up in a hospital to see Dr. Hirsch and Nurse Price. They tell him that the police report says they were attacked by an escaped lunatic, while David tries to convince them otherwise. David also keeps having nightmares, one in which he hunts and kills a deer with his bare hands. Believe me this scene is incredibly funny. He also dreams of a group of Nazi like creatures with Uzi’s invading his house and killing his family. It gets weirder; while fully awake he is visited by the mauled body of Jack. He asks him if he can have his toast. Jack has appeared to warn him that on the next full moon he will turn into a werewolf. The only way to sever the bloodline is for David to commit suicide. Jack utters the best line in the movie when he says to David “Have you ever talked to a corpse? It’s boring” It’s all about how he delivers the line that makes it so funny. The film is packed with one-liners like these. Each time Jack appears, he is in a further state of decomposition. Jack visits him in the bathroom and once again urges David to kill himself. David replies “I will not be threatened by a walking meatloaf”. Even though Jack is dead they still argue and carry on as they always have.
The most famous and memorable scene is David’s transformation into the werewolf. Rick Baker’s effects have yet to be topped, even in the age of CGI. Baker won the Academy Award for Best Make-Up effects. The scene still holds up as one of the best ever filmed. After David’s transformation we seem him go on a killing spree that he has no recollection of when he wakes up the next morning in the zoo. Since being released from the hospital he has been staying with Nurse Price. They have started quite the relationship; little does she know the dark secret that he holds.
After a final conversation with Jack and his victims from the night before in a darkened porno theatre, David can’t be convinced to end his life and eventually turns back into the wolf. In the final scenes the wolf causes all kinds of mischief and mayhem in London’s Piccadilly Circus. Several corpses and wrecked cars later, he is cornered. Faced with guns and Nurse Price professing her love for him, he is gunned down by the cops. He then transforms back into his human self.
The werewolf genre is something that Hollywood has very rarely gotten right. Littered with such bombs as Cursed, Wolf, and Skin Walkers just to name a few. The British flick “Dog Soldiers” by director Neil Marshall is one the better films to come out in the last ten years. American Werewolf in London did spawn a crappy sequel in 1997 called “An American Werewolf in Paris” Often imitated and never topped “London” is hands down the best werewolf movie ever made!
Great….!
Greatest Werewolf Film ever made.
Perfect mix of humor anf Horror, with likeable characters that you care about.
I HAVE SEEN THIS MOVIE SO MANY TIMES ITS REALLY HARD TO THINK OF ANYTHING BAD ABOUT THIS MOVIE. IT REALLY IS WHAT I WOULD CALL A PERFECT MOVIE. PERFECTLY PACED WITH STUNNING EFFECTS, STORY, ACTING , DIRECTION, SOUNDTRACK YOU NAME IT THIS MOVIE HAS IT. I HAD THE FOURTUNATE OPPORTUNITY OF GOING TO A MIDNIGHT SCREENING OF THIS LAST HALLOWEEN FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THE BIG SCREEN AND IT REALLY BLEW ME AWAY. IF YOU EVER GET THE CHANCE I CANT RECOMEND IT ENOUGH IT JUST IS TRULY FANTASTIC
Let’s take another trip down memory lane and begin our review with two American students backpacking across the gloomy, storm drenched plains of East Proctor, England. In this visceral, black comedy, our two estranged Long Islanders–David Kessler and Jack Goodman (David Naughton and Griffin Dunne, respectfully) — stumble on to a pub in the middle of nowhere called The Slaughtered Lamb. Awesome. The two are greeted with stares from the clearly agitated, strange local crowd. The unhelpful bunch begins to lighten up after learning the boys are American and the jokes begin to fly. The room goes ice cold when Jack makes light of the blood painted, upside-down pentagram on the far wall. Quickly wearing out their welcome, the two take back to road. When making their exit, a semi-concerned voice from the back of the bar tells the two to stay on the road and stay out of the marsh. It doesn’t take a genius to see where this is heading.
Writer-director John Landis received the creative nod after scoring big with such hits as Animal House (1978) and The Blues Brothers (1980). The biggest achievement in the film is the “coming out party” for the special effects Godfather, Rick Baker. Everything from the transformation scenes to the ghostly revisits David has from his departed and rapidly decaying best bud, the make-up and effects are light years ahead off it’s time–earning Baker the well deserved Oscar.
Many critics did not review Werewolf at the time, due to it’s graphic nature and some even lobbied for it to be rated X. Well, shame on them! What they missed, my little fright fiends, was the birth of the true horror-comedy. These type of films are now “a dime a dozen” delivering watered-down returns. You see, what made Landis’ blood splattered masterpiece so special in the early eighties was it’s extremely rare, yet perfect mix of gore and giggles. Every aspect, down to the kick-ass soundtrack was carefully planned and executed. Sam Cook’s version of the classic song Blue Moon will invoke a different feeling inside after viewing this film, guaranteed.
What little the film lacks (direction at times) is vastly overshadowed by perfectly pitched jokes mended into grizzly, head turning scenes (remember this during the movie theater sequence). Landis wrote the first draft at 19 years of age (amazing) and kept material light in nature. The script’s success was the coveted director not taking himself too seriously even after mass notoriety .He achieved this by sticking to the basics: the story of a modern man who is left to battle an ancient curse.
What drew John Landis back to the story time after time, draft after draft, is what draws us all in: the superstition of the werewolf. Sorry Lon Chaney, An American Werewolf in London is the benchmark of all Lycan flicks.
This is one of the best horror movies ever made. My favorite movie of all time.
WHY IS THERE NO BD REVIEW??? THIS MOVIE IS AMAZING AND DESERVES ONE!!!
Love this film.
Excellent combination of special effects, pure horror, and humor mixed together! The transformation scene was by far the best werewolf scene I have ever witnessed in film. It was incredibly painful and realistic! The humor was extremely twisted yet enjoyable at the same time (I hope that doesn’t make me sound crazy. lol) The music was also very fitting as well. I loved the usage of Blue Moon at the beginning and end. Not only that but the film is clearly smartly made. It starts off rather quickly and flows very smoothly! It’s definitely a movie I would recommend to be added to anyone’s movie collection!
Best werewolf movie ever made! (Though the original Wolf Man may be tied)
The special effects, though a little outdated at this point, were shocking for the time and highly innovative. What makes this movie also stand out, is the cast and writing. The movie’s dark humor helps make it an instant classic. If you’ve never seen An American Werewolf in London, do yourself a favor and see it ASAP. It’s a definite genre classic.
an instant classic would highly recomend
Great classic horror movie.
A timeless werewolf classic!
Awsome movie the scene when he become a Wolf was the best Transformation sequence ever!!
I honestly watch this movie almost every night lately. It is my favorite film of all time with Night of the Living Dead in second place. I love it.
Horror films that stand the test of time usually come with some sort of groundbreaking accomplishment, and that is exactly why An American Werewolf in London has achieved such status. The special effects in this watch are a true testament to how live action FX are always a good choice in horror, and thanks to these groundbreaking effects this remains one of the few horror films to win an Academy Award(Best Makeup). Director John Landis deserves all of the respect he has received for this film and his choice to take the plunge and invest in live action effects, which is one element that kept this film from production for nearly 8 years. In fact, this film comes with possibly the greatest werewolf transformation scene of all time.
The rest of Landis’ direction is top notch, and his wide scenic shots come complimented with an awesome musical score, which makes for an enjoyable watch. His camerawork is excellent, especially during the chaotic scenes involving the transformed David rampaging through downtown London. While Landis gave us a real treat with his life action werewolf FX, we get a great amount of gore and sweet kills thrown in as well. In fact, Landis himself mentioned being amazed at how graphic this film is after approving a mid-2000s high definition release of this awesome film.
Story-wise this film is cool and quite simple. Most werewolf films share common elements, such as not heeding warnings and eventually being bitten by the beast, and then the rest of the film focuses on the emotional turmoil the protagonist goes through as the transformation begins to take effect. Well this flick gives us all of that, but also comes with some original elements regarding David’s emotional conflict he suffers before his true transformation takes place. Because this story comes written by Landis himself, you can expect a fair amount of comedic elements thrown into the film as well. I was glad to see that the comedy was not over the top, but tastefully silly, even during the awesome gore scenes towards the film’s climax. There was one distasteful scene that I felt had absolutely nothing to do with the story and was merely John Landis making an unnecessary social statement that did not go with the film. It is obvious the film is not aimed at making social remarks like Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, so I must knock this film for distastefully losing its focus for that.
Overall, this is an awesome horror film thanks to its groundbreaking elements that have etched it forever in horror lore. We get great direction/execution, awesome special FX, a fun story, and many other classic feel-good elements that come naturally with a John Landis film.
entertaining, althought vastly overrated
this is a really great movie! it has everything that a great horror movie needs. good/funny dialogue. great effx. probably the best werewolf movie ever made.
loveee
This is my all time favorite Werewolf movie, with Dog soldiers and Silver bullet a close second and third. This movie had the best monster transformation scene, great story and great humor. I would recomend this movie to anyone of this generation who would love to see a great classic movie.
Great movie
The best werewolf movie of all time. Perfect and not to be missed.
I’ll always have love for this film.
a genius film! gave werewolves the recognition they needed!!
awesome transformation scene which i guess wont be equalled let alone overcome. slightly abrupt ending. but a very good horror movie with some humor.
all performances are pretty good.
jenny agutter is hot as hell in this one and it helps that she CAN act.
Best werewolf film ever.
An entertaining comedy, which gets a big bonus for the awesome effects by Rick Baker.
When I first heard of this movie, I thought that it would be stupid, but when I watched it it was actually really good. I liked everything about it.
Fantastic movie. Easily my favorite werewolf movie. The opening is great and really has a nice vibe to it. The transformation scene is fucking incredible and the makeup is amazing. I was able to meet David Naughton, who plays the main character/werewolf, at a horror convention and I got to take a picture with him, he’s a really nice guy! If you haven’t seen this classic movie you’re missing out, so go buy the DVD. Now. Go. What are you still doing here? Go get it.