An American Werewolf in London 

In An American Werewolf in London  Review, two American travelers get attacked by a Werewolf.

Director John Landis

Writer John Landis

Cast

• David Naughton, David Kessler
• Jenny Agutter, Nurse Alex Price
• Lila Kaye, Barmaid
• Frank Oz, Mr. Collins
• Griffin Dunne, Jack Goodman
• John Woodvine, Dr. J.S. Hirsch

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Running time 97 minutes.

A werewolf attacks two American friends traveling through the English countryside. One of the friends is killed, and the other is badly hurt. 

While in the hospital, the surviving friend begins to see the ghost of his recently deceased friend. 

His dead friend explains that a werewolf who killed him is now cursed and forced to walk the earth as a rotting ghost. 

He explains that the only way to lift the curse is to end the werewolf bloodline.

An American Werewolf in London has undoubtedly my all-time favorite werewolf picture and one of the finest films of the 1980s, in my view. 

It has a straightforward story but is well told with good charismatic actors, especially David Naughton and David Kessler. He is mainly responsible for making this movie stand above many others.

There are some fantastic memorable scenes, like when David Kessler wakes up in the zoo wolf enclosure utterly naked in broad daylight, which is a hilarious scene. 

There is a perfect sense of humor and some good banter throughout. My favorite moment is the very intense transformation scene, and it still looks good to this day. 

It also includes a good soundtrack which adds a great deal to the experience, and the music is well-paced throughout the film.

Some of the effects are looking a bit dated now. For example, there are a couple of scenes when the wolf attacks, which are not looking very realistic these days. 

However, these dated effects do lower the tension and fear factor.

Overall a very entertaining and funny movie which is probably the best werewolf movie ever made. 

Review:

The tale of a werewolf from America living in London has remained popular. Finally, a new generation may enjoy a revitalized presentation of an old classic now that it has been digitally repaired and brought back better than before. 

 An American Werewolf in London is, without a doubt, one of our generation's most well-known werewolf movies. It's also a huge accomplishment for directors John Landis and Rick Baker, who worked on the visual effects. 

At the same time, we've progressed to a time when werewolf films are more easily handled with slick CGI and camera editing tricks. 

An American Werewolf in London has the old-school practical effect that genuinely introduced a new reality. When computers were just an idea, ideas were left to imitate life and transform it on screen using natural materials.

The narrative of An American Werewolf in London is well-known. Still, it's always good to recap it for new generations who haven't seen it. 

They set out to produce a horror picture, a dark comedy, and even a love interest drama in 1981.

Werewolves, at the time, required fresh energy to bring them out of the dark ages and into the 1980s.

This time, Rick Baker appears with more time and money to pull the rabbit out of the hat.

Our two main characters, David Naughton (David Kessler) and his companion Griffin Dunne (Jack Goodman), return to the plot. 

We're on a cross-country vacation through the European countries. They're backpacking across East Proctor when they come across "The Slaughtered Lamb," a now-famous tiny roadside tavern.

When they arrive at a town that is hostile to strangers, they have a few beers before venturing out into the night, despite the inhabitants' reservations. 

"Stick to the roads, stay clear of the moors," David, in his now-iconic red puffy coat, and Jack do what they were advised not to do. 

They travel over the moors, curious by the strange animal howling noises in the distance. Soon after, they are attacked by an animal, which scratches David and kills Jack. 

This wolf, on the other hand, isn't your typical wolf. Luckily for them, the villagers arrived to save David from certain death.

As he awakens in a hospital bed, David begins to question his sanity and develops a friendship with his nurse Alex Price (Jenny Agutter). 

However, the cops interrogate him and mistrust his mind in the situation. To make matters worse, David is regularly visited by his deceased friend Jack, who decomposes more each time he sees him. Finally, he is cautioned and told to commit himself before the full moon.

The hallucinations continue in An American Werewolf in London with a strangely placed nightmare in which nazi werewolves arrive to destroy his family. 

Moving by his plight, Alex offers him a place to stay at her home. The werewolf shenanigans, the hunt for a killer, and new interest from David's psychiatrist, J. S. Hirsch (John Woodvine), intensify as the film goes. However, everything goes swiftly as the plot builds to an obvious conclusion.

The now-famous transformation sequence David initially transforms into a wolf is a highlight. Each shot is trimmed and preserved to demonstrate detail and improvement in David's condition. 

Hair grows through his follicles as his fingers and feet stretch. As a result, his back muscles ripple, his face features protrude, and his hair grows through his follicles. 

An award-winning moment that cemented the film's reputation, The film's director, John Landis, creates a film that is both creepy and warm, making it ideal for moviegoers. 

Hope you enjoyed my review of An American Werewolf in London.