An American Werewolf in London

Article by Douggy Eaton

Straight off the bat, this movie has the single best human to werewolf transition sequence ever committed to film! There, I said it. No green screen, no CGI, just good old fashioned practical effects by a team at the top of their game. The kind of practical effects that once graced the pages of magazines like “Fangoria”. Remember riding your BMX to the corner shop to get a Big M and thumb through magazines? I do….

But we’re not here to relive my glorious 80’s childhood, we’re here to talk about An American Werewolf in London. Released in 1981, the same year as The Evil Dead and both Halloween 2 and Friday the Thirteenth Part 2, it had some stiff competition in the horror stakes, but it more than held its own. In fact, it was one of 3 werewolf movies released that year, the other two being The Howling and Wolfen. An American Werewolf in London was by far the standout of these 3, due largely to the Oscar Winning Makeup effects of Rick Baker, but also due to the perfect mix of tense horror and tongue in cheek humour. This is a werewolf movie in the truest sense of the word. You won’t find any love triangle werewolves or basketball playing werewolves here. This cursed beast is a throat tearing, howling at the moon, hunt you down in the dark MONSTER!

Written and Directed by John Landis who had previously directed “National Lampoons Animal House” and “The Blues Brothers”, Landis was an 18 year old production assistant working on “Kelly’s Heroes” in 1969 when he came up with the idea and wrote the first draft of the script.

The Highlight of this film for me has always been the transformation scene, but there are so many great moments, from the initial attack on the moors, to the dream sequences, and who could forget the claustrophobic Underground Train Station scene!
Steadicam technology was relatively new in 1981, and Landis was a big fan of it, using it in several sequences to show the Werewolves perspective.

A few notable fans of this movie include Stanley Kubrick who cited it as one of his all-time favourite films, and Michael Jackson, who hired Landis to direct the music video for Thriller. Landis brought Rick Baker along again for the ride. Make sure you watch that after watching the movie, you will definitely see the similarities between the two.

Fun thing to do whilst watching: Count how many “Moon” related songs you hear.

Also, keep an eye out for a young Rick Mayall who pops up at one point.

Stay on the road, keep clear of the moors, and beware of the moon.

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