An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Directors C

  
  A werewolf movie turned into a comedy. It's a very original idea that cinema had never been seen before. Werewolf in London couldn't have done it better. It had the feeling of a classic black and white horror movie and the make up is absolutely outstanding. As it's… More
  A werewolf movie turned into a comedy. It's a very original idea that cinema had never been seen before. Werewolf in London couldn't have done it better. It had the feeling of a classic black and white horror movie and the make up is absolutely outstanding. As it's among the best ever crafted. Not so much a scary film by modern standards but with a mix of black humour, light hearted comedy and likable characters it deserves its ultimate cult status.

• Phil H

  
  This is classic stuff here, its faultless, effects are awesome, note the legendary transformation scene in Agutter's flat completely done without cgi using REAL skills and craftsmanship. The whole thing is macabre, spooky and funny, its also pretty scary here and there, the Nazi… More
  This is classic stuff here, its faultless, effects are awesome, note the legendary transformation scene in Agutter's flat completely done without cgi using REAL skills and craftsmanship. The whole thing is macabre, spooky and funny, its also pretty scary here and there, the Nazi demon dream sequences make you jump haha whilst the ending is a gore fest, love it, an adult 'Beetlejuice'. Bluuuue Moooon

• familiar s

  
  Having watched numerous werewolf movies and knowing that this movie had nothing new to offer, I was too hesitant to go for it. But it wasn't quite as boring as I'd expected.

• Lucas M

  
  An American Werewolf in London, is good exemple of horror and dark comedy.

• Jacob E

  
  This is a bizarre film to say the least. It constantly criss-crosses the line between terrifying and gut-bursting hilarity.The special effects for the transformations are the reason that this film has lived in the film goer memory for so long (also, the effects for the undead that… More
  This is a bizarre film to say the least. It constantly criss-crosses the line between terrifying and gut-bursting hilarity.The special effects for the transformations are the reason that this film has lived in the film goer memory for so long (also, the effects for the undead that show up in the film look pretty good too). But, let me be perfectly honest here, the actually wolf itself does NOT look that good. It really doesn't. Some people might find this film slow at times, but I personally found the humor to be absolutely top-notch and enough to carry the film at it's slower moments. Kind of recommended, if only for a film lesson on special effects.

• Unknown H

  
  This movie has stood the test of time and why not? It has everything you would want from a good film. A decent set of characters played by actors with enough charm to like them and enough talent to watch them, generally good special effects make up and techniques, some killer on… More
  This movie has stood the test of time and why not? It has everything you would want from a good film. A decent set of characters played by actors with enough charm to like them and enough talent to watch them, generally good special effects make up and techniques, some killer on liners and of course a soundtrack that features CCR. It makes you laugh yes, but more importantly this movie makes me smile.

• AJ V

  
  I saw this one a long time ago when I was a kid and the special effects were so real, I was really scared, but I didn't understand the story very well. I'm not a big werewolf fan, and I didn't care for this movie.

• danny d

  
  a great blend of humor and horror in this campy addition to the wolf-man sub genre. the film contains some classically written scenes and expressive visuals that give the film its effect. often a bit too silly to be truly terrifying, but a fun movie.

• Shauna R

  
  Landis' film set the benchmark for horror/comedy. It's a magnificently simple premise: unsuspecting man becomes werewolf, yet it is done so masterfully and amusingly against the backdrop of Yorkshire and London. It's the perfect blend of grisly horror and dark humour.… More
  Landis' film set the benchmark for horror/comedy. It's a magnificently simple premise: unsuspecting man becomes werewolf, yet it is done so masterfully and amusingly against the backdrop of Yorkshire and London. It's the perfect blend of grisly horror and dark humour. Brilliantly acted and surprisingly the effects still stand up today, its timeless fun. I liked the satisying placement of Creedence Clearwater Revival's 'Bad Moon Rising. It's got that magnetic eighties feel that you know people will still be revelling in this decades down the line. My only fault is its depiction of Yorkshire people, we're not all unfriendly, stony-faced, pub-dwelling grumps! See this!

• Summer W

  
  I can't speak highly enough about this movie. John Landis really gets my brand of humor, and I his. It's essentially a modern retelling of Lon Chaney's "The Wolfman," but with a vein of Landis' snarky Animal House-esque goofiness. Keep in mind that the… More
  I can't speak highly enough about this movie. John Landis really gets my brand of humor, and I his. It's essentially a modern retelling of Lon Chaney's "The Wolfman," but with a vein of Landis' snarky Animal House-esque goofiness. Keep in mind that the goofiness is subtle... so subtle that the casual observer may not even notice, which makes it that much more brilliant. Every time I watch this movie I wonder why it had taken me so long since the last time, and every viewing leaves me fizzing with mirth.

• Curtis L

  
  Upon second viewing I've decided that this is one of my favorite movies. It fits is so well to the best effects movies of the 80's, and it's actually pretty funny too. It's near perfect, all the way down to the ridiculous porno in the theater.

• Spencer S

  
  One of those films you could glimpse quickly and want to watch the whole thing.

• EightThirty .

  
  05/07/2010 (DVD) A classic horror flick. This was done in the 80's so when I saw the transformation bit, it was pretty impressive. There is quite a bit of humor in this film and sometimes I wondered, "is this a comedy?" but then someone gets ripped into shreds and… More
  05/07/2010 (DVD) A classic horror flick. This was done in the 80's so when I saw the transformation bit, it was pretty impressive. There is quite a bit of humor in this film and sometimes I wondered, "is this a comedy?" but then someone gets ripped into shreds and I'm like, "I guess not then".

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"A naked American man stole my balloons."</i> Two American tourists in England are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists. <center><font size=+2 face="Century… More
  <i>"A naked American man stole my balloons."</i> Two American tourists in England are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> An almost impossible genre, the horror comedy is a sometimes dead genre. One of the best, An American Werewolf in London is a comical title that lives up to being a comedy and a horror movie. The special effects by Rick Baker alone, make this movie a hit. The off edge comedy and the almost slap stick style acting welcomes the horror. Many surprises throughout the movie, An American Werewolf in London has a little bit of everything. There are moments of laughter, hate, love, drama, and horror, the movie pushes the envelope in being an original work, even though it is a remake! Keep your ear open for the movie's soundtrack. Several songs with the word "moon". Like the soundtrack, the movie is full of interesting tid-bits. All in all, a great movie, a near classic.

• Jeff "

  
  An American Werewolf In London is one of the greatest werewolf films in cinematic history. The film is one of the best in horror, and director John Landis directs this blazing Horror film with a knowledge of what makes a horror film truly memorable. His directing is superb, his script… More
  An American Werewolf In London is one of the greatest werewolf films in cinematic history. The film is one of the best in horror, and director John Landis directs this blazing Horror film with a knowledge of what makes a horror film truly memorable. His directing is superb, his script is terrific and his cast is amazing. The film has some terrific special effects and at the time was a landmark film in special effects design. An American Werewolf In London is a superbly crafted horror film with a truly terrifying moments as the werewolf stalks the streets of London. This film is definitely a true classic and is a fine example of one of the greatest horror films ever made. John Landis who also directed the Michael Jackson video Thriller is a terrific director and he makes this film soar and the story he conveys on screen is absolutely terrifying and superb.

• Tim S

  
  I love this movie so much. This is hands down the best werewolf movie out there, and possibly the best thing John Landis ever made.

• xGary X

  
  When two American students are attacked on the Yorkshire moors, one is killed but the other survives to be haunted by horrifying dreams and fears he may be turning into a werewolf. American Werewolf enjoys the reputation as one of the great horror comedies, but anyone expecting a slew… More
  When two American students are attacked on the Yorkshire moors, one is killed but the other survives to be haunted by horrifying dreams and fears he may be turning into a werewolf. American Werewolf enjoys the reputation as one of the great horror comedies, but anyone expecting a slew of cheap gags in the vein of Scary Movie will get a little more than they bargained for. When Kubrick made Dr Strangelove he basically made a cold war thriller but with a subtle shift in emphasis he created a comedy legend; the same is true of this film. Take away the soundtrack and the scenes involving David's cheerfully rotting victims and you could easily mistake it for a straight horror film; the Yorkshire locations, isolated villagers and gentleman doctor's lone investigation are all very Hammer studios. But given an irreverant twist the gruesome horror becomes very funny; the bizarre and surreal situations he finds himself in, including finding himself naked in a zoo and watching a porno with a corpse combined with one of the greatest soundtracks ever compiled makes for some classic comedy. The metamorphosis effects have also stood up surprisingly well and David Naughton makes a great everyman to be caught up in these outrageous events. It may end a little too abruptly but it contains many classic scenes and still makes me laugh out loud every time.

• Daniel M

  
  Up until the early-1980s, 'horror comedies' were ropey, nuts-and-bolts parodies of old horror movies or conventions. This trend was present throughout American cinema, from the Abbott and Costello movies of the 1940s and 1950s to exploitation films like Little Shops of… More
  Up until the early-1980s, 'horror comedies' were ropey, nuts-and-bolts parodies of old horror movies or conventions. This trend was present throughout American cinema, from the Abbott and Costello movies of the 1940s and 1950s to exploitation films like Little Shops of Horrors and Please Don't Eat My Mother. But in 1981, the face of horror comedy was irrevocably changed by two striking, challenging and terrifying films. One was The Evil Dead, Sam Raimi's classic shocker which became a bête noire of the British censors and scared the living daylights out of critics and audiences alike. The other was An American Werewolf in London. John Landis was no real stranger to horror comedy. Way before he made his name as a comedy director, he had directed and starred in Schlock, a no-budget goofy spoof of old B-movies about the 'missing link' between apes and man. Landis loved old horror films but frequently despaired at the unbelievable look of the monsters. Schlock was his first encounter with Rick Baker, a make-up and effects designer of such skill and quality that the Academy Award for Visual Effects was created specifically to recognise his work. Following the box office success of Kentucky Fried Movie, Animal House and The Blues Brothers, Landis was finally in a position to make the film just the way he wanted. Although The Evil Dead and Werewolf came out in the same year, their approaches to 'horror comedy' are totally different. In The Evil Dead, the scares and shocks are funny all the way through; Raimi described it as "a Three Stooges movie, with blood and guts standing in for custard pies." When Bruce Campbell brandishes the chainsaw over the eponymous dead, we get all the gore and guts needed to make us scared and shocked, but the deaths are executed in such an inventive and goofy way that we also laugh a little, beholding the unusual deaths of these seemingly normal people. Werewolf, on the other hand, begins as a comedy and steadily brings in more and more horror elements until the two successfully mesh together in the last half-hour. The opening sequences of David and Jack walking over the moors and discussing their conquests is very similar to Animal House, albeit in subject matter rather than tone. The horror elements do begin to encroach, but even when we first see Jack as a corpse it's still more comedy than horror because the sight of him is more ridiculous than scary. We have to wait until the final third, for the car crashes in Piccadilly Circus and David talking to his victims in the porno theatre, for the film to be simultaneously scary and funny, rather than alternately so. This alternation does however aid the build-up of the film, allowing Landis to withhold the transformation and the resulting havoc until the last half-hour, relaxing his audience only to unleash urban hell. It also allows some of the best jokes in the script to be worked to their natural conclusion -- 'the Famous Balloon Thief' wouldn't have worked half as well if it also had to be scary. But there are several instances in the build-up to the transformation which are, shall we say, unexpected. The most left-field of these is the nightmare sequence, in which storm-troopers break into David's family home and cut his throat. Sure it's scary, but there is no connection made between this and the earlier dreams which relate more closely to David's transformation. This problem aside, the film is very close to being a masterpiece. It is perfectly paced with a consistently funny script, and every development of this simple but fascinating story is readily accepted. We buy into David's relationship with Nurse Price played by Jenny Agutter, even given the slightly gratuitous sex scene set to Van Morrison's 'Moondance'. We understand the neurotic paranoia of the locals in the Slaughter Lamb and the divisions between them; their scenes are staged as abruptly and awkwardly comic, taking an approach that Ricky Gervais has used for his entire career. Even when the victims of the werewolf turn out to be British beyond stereotype (suited, snooty and upper-middle-class), we go with it because the tension is sustained to a brilliant level. Much ink has been spilt over the transformation sequence, with reviewers consistently praising Rick Baker's visual effects and the tour de force performance of David Naughton. One might say that it is the 1980s equivalent of the chest-burster scene from Alien, in terms of the attention and admiration that it has garnered from cinephiles. All the things which were impressive about it then remain impressive now -- you can't see the joins in the make-up, the changes are well-paced, and the whole sequence is simultaneously scary and strangely funny. In fact, the Alien comparison is not entirely facetious, since the virtue of both these sequences is that we keep caring about the characters even when the effects are at their most elaborate. Naughton's performance is the best in the film, but he is very evenly matched by Griffin Dunne. Much like Bob Hoskins in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Dunne succeeds because he is completely blasé about his current state of being. He doesn't bring the film to a grinding halt every five seconds by remarking on how strange it is to be dead; he just accepts it and delivers his lines in the same droll manner that they did in life. Jenny Agutter is good as Nurse Price,handling her character with suitable aplomb and managing to make a lot out of what could be a very small part. There are also some entertaining turns in the supporting cast, which includes Rik Mayall before The Young Ones and Brian Glover, who would later play Superintendent Andrews in Alien 3. An American Werewolf in London may not be a masterpiece, but it manages to be both a full-blooded horror movie and a very funny comic take on a well-worn story. It may not be quite as radical or as shocking as The Evil Dead, even in the nightmare scenes, but it joins the company of Young Frankenstein as a great and hilarious horror comedy, which simultaneously pays tribute to the clichés of a genre while savagely sending them up. Its reputation is assured and deserved, and its visuals are instantly recognisable. One thing is for sure, Burke and Hare will have to be really something to dislodge this as Landis' best film.

• Conner R

  
  A lot better than I used to give it credit for. The horror/comedy blend was done really well, you're able to have fun with the movie. Its big achievement is updating the werewolf legend and making it more realistic, something it needed badly. It also has a crazy Werewolf Nazi… More
  A lot better than I used to give it credit for. The horror/comedy blend was done really well, you're able to have fun with the movie. Its big achievement is updating the werewolf legend and making it more realistic, something it needed badly. It also has a crazy Werewolf Nazi sequence that is one of the greatest things i've ever seen.

• Anthony L

  
  A top horror film, one of the best as far as werewolf films go and with unforgettable effects!

Read all 20 featured audience ratings