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| About Review |
Reviewer
RumbleWolf4
Review Date
14th May, 2004
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| Movie Credits |
Director
John Landis
Cast
David Naughton
Jenny Agutter
Griffin Dunne
John Woodvine
Lila Kaye
Screenplay
John Landis
Tagline
"From the director of Animal House... a different kind of animal."
Country
USA / UK
Classification
R
Year
1981
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| Errors |
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| DVD Cover Art |
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| DVD Information |
Format
NTSC
Region Coding
1
Aspect Ratio
1.85:1
16x9 Enhanced
Yes
Running Time
98 minutes
Year Released
2003
Packaging
Keep Case
Extra Features
Audio Commentary
Making Of Featurette
John Landis Interview
Makeup Featurette
Outtakes & Bloopers
Storyboard Comparisons
Picture Gallery
Talent Bios
DVD-ROM Features
Production Booklet
Hidden Trailer
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An American Werewolf In London
The Plot
This darkly comedic/tragic tale begins with two American friends, David and Jack, on a backpacking journey thorugh the backwoods of England. On their journey, they take shelter from a storm in a local pub called "the Slaughtered lamb". They recieve a cold welcome from the barflys and also recieve an ominous warning: "Keep clear of the moors!" But then if they did stay off the moors..we wouldn't have a movie, now would we?
These moors are being stalked by a savage killer that is only half-human. They realize this via a way-too close encounter. Before the night is done, Jakc is brutally killed and David sent to the hospital with injuries from his attacker whom the police refer to as a "madman". But David knows better. Soon he begins to have horrible dreams and has visions of Jack visiting him from beyond the grave. The undead Jack warns David that he has contracted the curse of the werewolf. While at the hospital, David meets a beautiful nurse and soon falls for her. Everything seems ok until the next full moon for that is when the fear and the bloodshed begin, as David's "Inner-beast" is unleashed upon the unsuspecting citizens of London.
The Movie
Now here's a true groundbreaker! This film is directed by the same man who made Animal House, so it should come as no big shock that it is marketed as a comedic horror. Gallow's Humor they call it. This technique has a hit-or-miss success ratio. You either love it or hate it. In my opinion, this film contains the perfect blend of comedy, horror and a tragic love story. The beast itself looks great as it is the more uncommon quadroped wolf (4-legged) as opposed to the classic bipedal wolf. He looks especially ferocious and this film does not shy away from the gore. In fact, the makeup FX are done by Rick Baker who helped this film win the very first Oscar for Best Makeup FX. The transformation is jaw-droppingly awesome!
I really can't complain about this movie. Some say the humor goes too far...I don't think that. The ending is very abrupt and this may annoy some. The one thing I didn't care for was the porno theatre scene...it just seemed unesscesary and provided gratuitous nudity. Overall, this is a landmark film with greta effects and great humor. The abrupt ending and one scene that i didn't care for are my only gripes. Possibly the greatest werewolf film since the orginal "The Wolfman".
The DVD
Although the DVD has an abundance of features, most of them are disappointing. While stocked full of potentially cool features, only a few of them are truly worth the time. Appreciate the effort though. The Howling has a better DVD...
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