An American Werewolf In London (1981)

Monster movies - including those involving werewolves - are not one of the more highly respected genres in cinema. They are generally associated with low budgets, amateurish acting, mediocre directing and generally ludicrous plots. In most cases this poor reputation is fully deserved but there exceptions to the rule and John Landis’ 1981 werewolf film is one of the better examples of the genre.

The plot starts with two Americans David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) touring Europe, beginning with hiking through a remote part of Yorkshire. After finding a frosty reception in a local pub they end up walking over the moors in the middle of the night. Considering the title of the movie it shouldn’t be difficult to work out what they encounter on the moors and the next scene has David waking up in a London hospital and learning that Jack has been killed by a mysterious attacker.

Taking sympathy on him, one of the local nurses Alex (Jenny Agutter) lets her stay in his house while he recovers, but soon he starts to have visions of his dead friend and come the full moon he begins to undergo a horrific transformation.

The werewolf transformation scene is probably the most famous of it’s kind in cinema and even though it’s over 20 years old and from an age before CGI it still looks as good as anything that has been produced. Unfortunately while the monsters may still be impressive the rest of the film is beginning to show it’s age and although it’s probably an accurate reflection of 1981 London, its portrayal of Britain looks terribly dated.

As a horror movie this is reasonably effective, although it has to be said that the werewolf doesn’t get very much screen time and most of the film isn't really very scary. Where this film shines is in the excellent script filled with amusingly witty dialogue which establishes the characters well and manages to be very entertaining at the same time. The acting is perfectly decent as well, David’s confusion and growing horror at the strange visions he is starting to see is very well portrayed and the supporting actors give solid performances. Direction is good and the musical score is excellent.

One small criticism is that the film perhaps is a bit too fond of stereotypes. All American tourists are clueless, all rural villagers are secretive yokels and all doctors and policeman are conservative middle-aged men. Despite this, the characterisation is still miles ahead of most other horror/monster films.

In summary, a highly entertaining movie with a great script that despite looking slightly dated is still well worth watching. One of the gems of the monster movie genre, the biggest problem in the inferior sequel.

Rating : 8 / 10

Click here to buy the DVD at Amazon.co.uk

Click here to buy the DVD of the sequel, "An American Werewolf in Paris" (although you probably don't want to, really).

All content ©2003 William Marnoch.

Comments? Agree/Disagree with the Reviews? Suggestions? Random Ramblings? Whatever you might want to say, feel free to e-mail me at william@wmarnoch.freeserve.co.uk .