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An American Werewolf in London

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An American Werewolf in London (1981)

August. 21,1981
|
7.5
|
R
| Horror Comedy
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American tourists David and Jack are savaged by an unidentified vicious animal whilst hiking on the Yorkshire Moors. Retiring to the home of a beautiful nurse to recuperate, David soon experiences disturbing changes to his mind and body.

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Reviews

VividSimon
1981/08/21

Simply Perfect

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FuzzyTagz
1981/08/22

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

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Hayden Kane
1981/08/23

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

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Zlatica
1981/08/24

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

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The Movie Diorama
1981/08/25

The blurb says, and I quote: "One of the most gripping horror films of all time...with a touch of humour". The only thing gripping about this was the porn film that was shown near the end...I wanted to know what happened next!! Anyway, this 'classic' is about two American guys travelling around the North of England where they get attacked by a creature. One of them then slowly becomes an American werewolf...in London. I wasn't engaged at all. Sorry, but there was nothing compelling here. We went from a horror flick, to an investigative crime story, to a dark comedy and then back round again. None of it mixed well in my opinion, they all contrasted each other too much for me to be invested in the story. Any scares that were built up were diminished by our main character running around naked asking a boy to approach a bush...it was a different time back then ladies and gentlemen. Then these humorous scenes were instantly forgotten as soon as the narrative started to become frightening again. Maybe I just didn't get it, or just call me old fashioned. What I can appreciate though are the technical aspects. The make-up and prosthetic work was outstanding, particularly the famous transformation scene which blew my mind (and this is a first time watch). Ground-breaking back in 1981. I liked John Landis' camera techniques, particularly the werewolf point of view chase scenes. It felt fresh and genuinely created some tension. David Naughton gave an incredibly charismatic performance, although the romance between him and Jenny Agutter was horrendously forced. Oh, and the ending was completely abrupt which, unfortunately for the film, cemented by thoughts perfectly. I will admit, I was entertained and could probably see myself watching it again but the constant tonal shifts did not work for me.

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laurieredpenfields
1981/08/26

The doctor says that David has been asleep (comatose, in my opinion) for three weeks. My question is: where are his parents? I'm a Mom and if an embassy official told me my kid was in the hospital overseas, I'd be on the first plane out of the country. Other than that, still as good and scary as when it was first released.

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skybrick736
1981/08/27

American Werewolf in London, undeniably the most highly praised werewolf film but is it really all that the film is cracked up to be? The film starts off really rough with atrocious dialogue between the two lead actors. It's a painful beginning ten minutes as the writing eventually gets better as more characters are introduced. David Naughton overacts a bit too much but otherwise he did a solid job in his lead role and has a good look for it. Jenny Agutter was the real star of the film, having great screen presence and bringing an authenticity to her role. Other attributes that the film did rather well was great dream sequences that were actually frightening. There are a lot of horror films that try to pull of scary dream sequences but American Werewolf definitely did it right. Also, of course, the transformation scene is top notch with perfect background music and interesting filming techniques on Naughton's arms, legs and exterminates. The werewolf's completed state is pretty believable too. There is a great ending too, albeit a tad ridiculous but there is no shown remorse to the Londoners and the city landscape was shot really well. John Landis's American Werewolf in London starts off really poor but quickly redeems itself into being a great horror film.

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NateWatchesCoolMovies
1981/08/28

John Landis's An American Werewolf In London has what is the most impressive human to wolf transformation sequence I've ever seen. You can dump your wallets out and buy all the CGI effects at hand, and none of them will ever match the tactile weight that practical effects have, the combination of hair, putty and latex that assures you there is *something real* on screen, and not the hollow timbre of computer driven wizardry. Everything in the film builds up to this shock and awe moment, and up until then it's a fairly low key, atmospheric affair in which you never quite see the beast that kicks off the inciting incident. Griffin Dunne and David Naughton play the two American backpackers who find themselves wandering the moors of northern England, positive there is some kind of creature hunting them. The crusty locals avidly deny any such presence, but aren't convincing and furtively shift their gaze, clearly not being honest. Sure enough, Naughton is attacked and bit one night, and he begins to exhibit those good old symptoms. The change happens all at once and is quite startling; this isn't a sleek, aesthetic werewolf either, it's a lumbering behemoth, all fur fangs and fury, storming about the cobbled streets of London like a coked out grizzly bear out running zookeepers. We only get to see him in London for a brief and chaotic end scene, but it's worth it, taking the slow, misty nocturnal buildup and switching to broad daylight, revealing what was unseen before and bringing it jarringly down to earth. I can't speak for the sequel, as I've never seen it, but this one remains one of the most well crafted, fun werewolf films you can find, and my personal favorite.

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