LogFAQs > #979895386

19. An American Werewolf in London (1981 / 230 points)
Directed / Written by: John Landis
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Why Its Significant - It's not just a werewolf movie with one of the most memorable transformation scenes in the entire genre (one that also earned Rick Baker the first-ever Oscar for Best Makeup), but John Landis (who was previously most known for directing screwball comedy films) combined horror & comedy that directly paved the way for films like The Lost Boys, Fright Night, Scream, Shaun of the Dead, and countless others. Despite the comedy leanings though, An American Werewolf proved something The Wolf Man tried to all those decades ago - that becoming a werewolf is agonizingly painful and grotesquely physical, the psychological toll and isolation of being a monster arguably on the forefront more than even the comedy aspects. An American Werewolf in Londons success led directly to John Landis and Rick Baker being chosen by Michael Jackson to create the iconic Thriller music video, and the film received a sequel, radio adaptation, documentary film, is alluded to in John Landis Masters of Horror film Deer Woman, and an unauthorized Bollywood loose remake.

The Rankers
Evilordexdeath - 9
Snake - 11
Rockus - 12
Plasmabeam - 13
Bitto - 15
Jcgamer107 - 16
Johnbobb - 16
Inviso - 18
Lightning - 21
Karo - 23
Mythiot - 24
Seginustemple - 24
Fortybelowsummer - 28

Evilordexdeath - I watched this film in my teens for reasons other than its status as a horror film. What I remembered, before watching it again for this list, were the transformation scenes, the sex scenes which were way more explicit than I was used to at the time, the downer ending, and, for me the most representative of the movie: the sequence where the werewolf main character, after having transformed and rampaged the night before, wakes up naked in a wolf pit at the zoo and has to streak back home covering his balls with funny objects and camera angles. Sometimes when a film is labeled as a horror-comedy it comes off like Tommy Wiseau retroactively dubbing The Room a Black Comedy - that's to say the movie is just an attempt a horror so awkward and stilted it's kind of funny. This is definitely not that kind of movie. There are parts in here that are clearly supposed to be horror and a lot of parts that are obviously intended as comedy. The clearest examples of this are the aforementioned nude running sequence and a part near the end where David talks to the ghosts of his victims in a porno theater about how he should kill himself to end the werewolf curse keeping them undead, with repeated cuts to a porn parody movie where things like someone calling the lead actress with the wrong number and a man walking in on two lovers as if one of them is cheating on them, them responding that neither of them has ever seen him before, and him simply apologizing and leaving the room take place. In the end, I'd say it ends up being more of a comedy than a horror with the climactic sequence having a big silly chain car-crash caused by people panicking at seeing the werewolf ragdoll more bodies around than the beast itself actually mauls. On the horror side, the most tense scenes are the ones set in Northern England where distrustful Yorkshiremen issue vague and creepy warnings to the boys and later the doctor. They have a definite sense of social anxiety to them. While the werewolf rampages don't really chill me to the bone, the special effects in this are damned impressive, both for the TF sequence and the ghostly visits from the main character's dead friend, who becomes more and more decayed with each appearance. It's a fun, straightforward movie, but werewolves are still waiting for a truly iconic depiction to define them the way Dracula did for vampires.

Snake - An absolute gem of a werewolf movie, a genre-bending masterpiece that blends scares with side-splitting humor. Landis script is perfect, capturing the youthful energy and camaraderie of an adventure between David and Jack, making their brutal encounter with a werewolf all the more shocking. The special effects that depict David's transformations are truly groundbreaking, even by today's standards. Rick Baker's innovative techniques create a nightmarishly realistic werewolf that's both terrifying and awe-inspiring. Its my second favorite werewolf transformation EVER only second to The Howling. Landis masterfully walks the tightrope between horror and comedy, with hilarious dream sequences and witty dialogue providing laugh-out-loud moments that land every single time for me. Despite the laughs though, even more impressive for me is the films surprisingly graceful exploration of isolation, loss, and the burden of transformation illustrating just how much of a nightmare it is to become such a monstrous creature.

Rockus - After the first gruesome attack the movie leans into some psychological turmoil with a series of nightmares and visions, some of which are kind of campy to the point of Davids friend Jack showing up and being like KYS. Like a lot of monster films from the time period it features some amazing practical effects and makeup work that is mostly lost today. The transformation scene is an all-timer. Its self-awareness and sly winks over its own tropes are almost like a way of catching the viewer off guard so the movie can gut you. Great picture.

Plasmabeam - Never been a big horror-comedy guy, but this one works because the characters are relatable and fun to be around. Also, the practical effects remain jaw-dropping.

Bitto - Rating: C

Lots of small things I like, but the overall product isn't really memorable to me. I love the intro to this movie. Having played and DMed multiple TTRPGs, I'm always looking for inspiration and everything leading to the werewolf bite has a strong TTRPG feeling in it. The werewolf transformation is, of course, great. I like Jack constantly coming back to haunt David and how he progressively gets worse over time. The suicide plot being the main tension pull is pretty interesting. I just don't really like how it develops or how it ends.

Jcgamer107 - 6/10

Johnbobb - This nurse did not wait a single moment to hook up with her bizarre patient that keeps telling her to her face that he's full on crazy. The real monster here is the absolute annihilation of ethical standards. Also it was real gross when he turned into the werewolf