Boy, do I have a treat for you today as we look at the 1981 classic, An American Werewolf in London. Brought to us by comedy legend, John Landis (National Lampoon’s Animal House, The Blues Brothers, Coming to America, Beverly Hills Cop III) not many movies can blend graphic horror with laugh out loud comedy as well as this one does. Even though, this movie is over 40 years old, it is just as much fun today as it was the first time I saw it all the way back in the early 90s.
How to Download An American Werewolf in London
An American Werewolf in London was released on August 21, 1981. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Movie Review
Special Effects That Made History
Before we get to the movie, we have to talk about the amazing special effect work by Rick Baker. This was the very first movie to get an Oscar for Best Makeup so it is actually a historical movie in that regard. The werewolf transformation scene to this day is one of the greatest of all time.
The Plot: American Students on a Terrifying Journey
The plot of the movie is that we have these two American grad students who are backpacking through London. They end up in a rural part of England and are warned in a classic English pub to stick to the roads and stay off the moors! I am from the UK and nothing good ever happens on the hazy moors, you are just asking for some kind of supernatural trouble by messing around on them. Fog and a full moon always equal a bad time.
Well, these two ignore the pub folk, head out onto the moors and end up attacked by a werewolf. The werewolf kills Jack and badly injures David, but it is killed by those same English gents from the pub. Before David passes out due to his injuries, he sees that the beast that attacked him has now been replaced by a man!
David’s Haunting Awakening
When David awakens in the hospital, a nurse called Alex looks after him. However, the ghost of Jack shows up and tells David that it was a werewolf who killed him and now David is a werewolf too! I freaking love Jack, the way that he gets more decayed each time he shows up to offer advice to David is so well done.
A Grim Warning from Beyond
Jack informs David that his future is not good. For one, Jack cannot have his spirit laid to rest until the werewolf that killed him dies, also, David is now super dangerous and will be responsible for a lot more deaths! Jack tries to convince David that killing himself is the only way to stop him from hurting others.
The Werewolf Rampage Through London
As you would expect, David does not take this well and cannot jill himself. We then get a werewolf rampage through London that is every bit as hilarious as it is bloody and gory! The way that this movie has some super gruesome and downright epic jump scares is so much fun. You could argue that any other director would have made this a straight-up horror movie and to be fair, this could have been a great standard werewolf horror movie.
Why It Stands Out in the Werewolf Genre
Yet, it is the comedic elements that make this so memorable and make it stand apart from all the other werewolf horror movies out there. The comedy here is great and will make you laugh. The tonal shifts on paper sound so weird and like it would never work in a million years. Perhaps under another director, this would be a mess, but John Landis knew exactly what he was doing here.
Final Thoughts and Fun Extras
There are a couple of things I want to mention before I wrap this up. I am not sure if I will ever get around to reviewing An American Werewolf in Paris, but I just wanted to say that while nowhere near as good, it is still a fun werewolf movie and not as bad as people make out. Also, the 4K release of An American Werewolf in London is amazing, with this being shot on film, the 4K transfer is truly amazing and the movie not only looks incredible, it sounds amazing too! Oh, one more thing, Neca do a set of truly amazing action figures based on this movie that I highly recommend getting if you are a fan of the movie.
An All-Time Horror-Comedy Classic
I would have to say that An American Werewolf in London is up there as some of the best work the legendary John Landis has done. The blending of comedy and horror has arguably never been done better than it has here. This is an all time classic and a movie that I have seen many, many times and I have never gotten bored of it!
