An American Werewolf in London

The quintessential John Landis triad; laughs, sex and rock'n'roll; shimmer greatly in this 1981
horror comedy, An American Werewolf in London. Landis' genre swap is fascinating as elements that
would become standard in late 90's horror movies such as Scream or even the precisely orchestrated
Shaun of the Dead from personal favorite Edgar Wright can be traced back to this feature. Landis is
able to mix both genres with excruciating detail as balance between light hearted elements of young
romance/arrogance and the darker stereotypical horror elements of blood squirting across the
hills/Picadilly Circus and tearing flesh glimmering in the moonlight is handled like a dial reverting
between both poles with delicacy.
The latter is aided by the makeup done by Rick Barker in which David Naughton
transformation from dim witted David Kessler into the ravenous werewolf he had been resisiting for
half of the film's duration is shot unreservedly as David's back contracts, limbs elongate and his
screams are transformed to growls, saliva dripping from his muzzle. This sequence is pivotal to the
film's progression and shift between comedy and horror as the aftermath of the night is subdued by
David running naked through London, stealing a women's petticoat and his flustered and confused
persona reminiscent of Peter Sellers.
Likewise, Landis' staple of young male friends on a pleasant romp of beer and women turns
ghastly within the first scene as their light conversation of desperate and failed sexual conquests left at
home abroad shifts to paranoia as they enter the Slaughtered Lamb pub and get lost in the Yorkshire
moors. A naive risk they took as both get attacked resulting in Griffin Dune's Jack Goodman's death.
Yet be wary as the bond between these two is developed and exhibited with greater comedic detail as
Jack returns as an ominous and astute degenerating corpse warning and protecting his good friend
through David's growing dementia in his transformation. This along with the self-reflexive soundtrack
of Landis'picks of 3 variations of Blue Moon to bookend the film and score David's transformation
along with Van Morrison's Moondance for an intimate scene and CCR's Bad Moon Rising to
foreshadow the transformation draws from Landis usual nostalgia for music of his college days and
veer towards comedy.
Landis' aforementioned tactical touches of comedy and horror are what makes this film a cult
classic. The shock and discomfort of the brutal and gory scenes done in quick cutaways and harrowing
steadicam POV shots sided with the trivial and feeble scenes between David and Jack's absurd
friendship that traverses the afterlife are in splendid symmetry. These compelling features are best
regarded as an urban legend spreading across the waters frivolously told at this weekend's rager where
the intrinsic details of Landi's triad mentioned above are present, no matter the decade.

Directed by John Landis

George Folsey, Jr.
Produced by Peter Guber
Jon Peters
Written by John Landis
David Naughton
Jenny Agutter
Starring
Griffin Dunne
John Woodvine
Music by Elmer Bernstein
Cinematography Robert Paynter
Edited by Malcolm Campbell
Production PolyGram Pictures
company The Guber-Peters Company
Universal Pictures (United States)
Distributed by
Producers Sales Organization (Other territories)
Release date August 21, 1981
Running time 97 minutes[1]
United Kingdom[2]
Country
United States[2]
Language English
Budget $10 million
Box office $62 million[3]