Absolutely Fantastic

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Saw this movie when I was young and impressionable...; remember that I liked it. I just watched it again with my sons, but it was quite a letdown. The opening scene, with the two American boys roaming the English moors is still pretty strong, but from there it goes downhill. The acting is flat and unconvincing, especially from David Naughton who plays David, the main character. Jenny Agutter and John Woodvine as nurse and doctor fare a little better. There is some attempt at humor, which does not really work; horror and humor usually are not comfortable partners anyway. The transformation scene is still strong and has survived the test of time, but thereafter the werewolf appears as a totally different creature from the one we see emerging from transformation. Weird. There are very few moments which are actually scary, and the ending is rather abrupt and disappointing. My teenager sons (who love SF/horror classics like Alien and The Thing from roughly the same area) found the movie boring. Cannot disagree with them. If this is the ultimate werewolf movie (which a lot of people claim it is), I shiver to think what the rest might be.

The blurb says, and I quote: "One of the most gripping horror films of all time...with a touch of humour". The only thing gripping about this was the porn film that was shown near the end...I wanted to know what happened next!! Anyway, this 'classic' is about two American guys travelling around the North of England where they get attacked by a creature. One of them then slowly becomes an American werewolf...in London. I wasn't engaged at all. Sorry, but there was nothing compelling here. We went from a horror flick, to an investigative crime story, to a dark comedy and then back round again. None of it mixed well in my opinion, they all contrasted each other too much for me to be invested in the story. Any scares that were built up were diminished by our main character running around naked asking a boy to approach a bush...it was a different time back then ladies and gentlemen. Then these humorous scenes were instantly forgotten as soon as the narrative started to become frightening again. Maybe I just didn't get it, or just call me old fashioned. What I can appreciate though are the technical aspects. The make-up and prosthetic work was outstanding, particularly the famous transformation scene which blew my mind (and this is a first time watch). Ground-breaking back in 1981. I liked John Landis' camera techniques, particularly the werewolf point of view chase scenes. It felt fresh and genuinely created some tension. David Naughton gave an incredibly charismatic performance, although the romance between him and Jenny Agutter was horrendously forced. Oh, and the ending was completely abrupt which, unfortunately for the film, cemented by thoughts perfectly. I will admit, I was entertained and could probably see myself watching it again but the constant tonal shifts did not work for me.

This is my review of An American Werewolf in London (1981).This is a very entertaining film about two college age American boys that are on a backpacking trip across England. Shortly into the trip, they stumble across a pub filled with locals that are acting very strange and unwelcoming. After they are asked to leave, they stray off the road and soon find themselves being stalked by something in the dark. They are attacked, and when David wakes up in a hospital, he is informed that his friend is dead. The movie follows David as he tries to come to terms with the death of his friend, the feeling that the authorities are lying about what really happened, and the terrifying nightmares and hallucinations that begin to plague him.This film was made before computer graphics so you get awesome makeup and appliance work. The film has a good story, characters that you can invest in and root for, and is very successful at delivering scares, laughs, and excitement. Lots of fun song choices, usually having to do with the moon.I scored it a 9 out of 10, and I believe that it has good replay value. I have watched it many times over the years.

I first saw this movie as, well, probably TOO young of a child. What can I say? My parents didn't baby me as far as film went. I've since re-watched it maybe three times now and it just gets better every viewing. This movie is a goddamn CLASSIC and if you haven't seen it yet, go do so RIGHT NOW (it's on Amazon Prime!). It turned 35 this year so consider it a birthday present.As soon as it started up and "Blue Moon" came belting out (the first of a ridiculous number of moon-centric pop songs), I felt all nostalgic… and seeing David (played by David Naughton) and Jack (played by Griffin Dunne) in their matching puffy coats just drove it home.Ultimately it's just impressive how well this movie balances comedy and horror. The scary scenes can be downright terrifying — the sounds of the werewolf howling in the distance are some of the most chilling I've heard in ANY movie — and the comedy is clever and sharp. From the very first few scenes, we go from hilarious banter between the two to a truly haunting trek through the foggy British moors. It's a damn shame when Jack gets mauled by an unidentified wild beast, but thankfully we still see him later on, as witty as ever even with flaps of skin dangling from his torn open neck.You never know what emotion you're going to feel next, whether it's sharing in David's frustration over the law enforcement not believing his story or being surprised by how sexy it is to see his nurse, Alex (played by Jenny Agutter), feeding him while he gazes at her with those big brown doe eyes.The standout scene of the movie though is, by far, his transformation scene, thanks to Rick Baker. Set in a fully lit livingroom, you sit through almost 3 painfully uncomfortable minutes of his bones breaking and snapping into place, his hands and feet extending to a freakish length, and lots of sweating and body hair. Definitely one of my most vivid memories of watching the movie as a child (I'm surprised it didn't give me more nightmares), and just another example of how brilliantly the horrifying and hilarious are merged — he even manages to sneak in a joke in between pained screams, "I didn't mean to call you meatloaf, Jack!".Even the ending manages to be perfect. I won't spoil it for you, but… it's great. Just a joy from top to bottom! Supposedly the director, John Landis's, son, Max, is slated to do a remake. That is a high bar, though, even for a blood relative of the director!