E's Reviews RETRO The 80's: An American Werewolf In London (1981) **MINOR SPOILERS**



AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON was written and directed by legendary master of horror John Landis and stars David Naughton, Griffin Dunne, and Jenny Agutter and is about two American college students who are backpacking through Britain and are attacked by a werewolf. One is killed, the other is mauled. The werewolf is killed but reverts to its human form, and the local townspeople are unwilling to acknowledge its existence. The surviving student begins to have nightmares of hunting on four feet at first but then finds that his friend and other recent victims appear to him, demanding that he commit suicide to release them from their curse, being trapped between worlds because of their unnatural deaths. Soon, the surviving student begins to transform, the curse of the werewolf being passed on to him...

I first saw this film back in the early 90's on VHS, my aunt being a huge horror film fan, and she kind of forced me to watch it with her. Of course, me being the curious type, it was less being forced and more me begging to watch it. What I experienced then was a film that gave me nightmares as a child. I watched it again recently (having bought the steel book Blu-Ray disc version) and it still chills me to this day. Let's dive into, in my opinion, the greatest werewolf movie ever made...

David Naughton's performance as David Kessler is SUPERB. He's likable, he's tragic at times, he's attractive on screen, he's really funny, and his transformation into the beast is one of the most incredible feats I've ever seen in a horror film. The special effects are just out of this world awesome in this film. Griffin Dunne as his cursed friend, Jack Goodman, is also amazing. Their back and forth before and after the attack, especially when Jack is already an undead, is hilarious to watch. They really had some fantastic chemistry together on screen and I truly did love seeing their friendship. The cinematography is pretty well done (especially the kills in the streets of London), John Landis' script and his direction are way up there with the master class of film making. I really enjoyed the music in this movie and the score was great. The montage where David is bored in the apartment is particularly enjoyable to watch.

As for anything wrong with it, I think it could've been a tad bit longer to develop the relationship between David and nurse Alex. They had really good chemistry on screen and I wish I had seen their relationship kind of grow more before David went all homicidal. This is just me nitpicking because I really do love the screenplay for this film.

In the end, this is, in my opinion, the greatest werewolf movie that will ever exist in cinema. The acting is fun, it's got all the blood, guts, and scares you would want from a horror film about a giant wolf monster, it has amazing visual effects and puppetry, it has a very cool soundtrack and a lovable cast. If you've never seen this movie, check it out immediately, it's a classic!

Final Score: 10/10

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