Hey everyone, my name is Anthony and welcome back to my Movie Review… In Halloween Special!
Yup, im back to do another Halloween themed review, since you know, I love this Halloween, its the dark themed of holidays, the other side of coin behind Christmas, a celebration where kids like to do trick or treat, and even cosplay, cause people like to going around dress-up for Halloween Celebration, eh? While I spend times to posting Inktober contents day by day, im in a mood to look around which movie to fit in for Halloween. Well, im going something about one monster that its my number 1 favorite. Sure we have vampires, zombies, aliens or such, but there’s one monster that im a fan is Werewolf. Im sure some you all know, victim get attacked by a werewolf, a full moon risen and the victim being cursed by transforming into werewolf. Its a classic tale that we’ve heard all the time, but instead of picking up the classic like The Wolf Man, I wanna take you back to the early 80s with a unique filmmaker to give us a terror, but also have fun.
“An American Werewolf in London” is a 1981 supernatural comedy-horror film that written/directed by John Landis and produced by George Folsey Jr.
In order to understand about movie about werewolf, let me take you a brief retrospective. As I said before, we have “The Wolf Man” in 1941, which kickstarted the movies involving Lycanthrope, and Wolf Man (aka Larry Talbot) became a third classic Universal monsters with Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster. However, before that, there’s the very first movie with a werewolf (with sound) called “Werewolf of London” in 1935, which while its a nice attempt, but it felt like nobody acknowledge this movie’s existence. Unless if you wanna go FURTHER back is the 1925’s “Wolf Blood”, the first and only werewolf movie in silence, not counted the 1913’s The Werewolf, which sadly, the last copy was destroyed in fire in 1924. As time goes by, many filmmakers wanted to cash-in on Lycanthrope, most of them are fine, but others… They’re just wasted. But one film that got attention to bring back my favorite monster, its An American Werewolf in London.
The idea of this movie came John Landis’s odd experience. While working on the 1970 film called “Kelly Heroes”, as a production assistant, he and Yugoslav members drove on the road before they came across the group of Romani people when they perform some kind of ritual of a man being buried that he would never coming out of grave like a zombie. So he wrote a script based on superstition where an outsider like himself had to deal with, but his filming about a werewolf movie wouldn’t be until 11 years later following his successful release of his directorial debut of Schlock and later on his successful movies like The Kentucky Fried Movie in 1977 (the same year when Star Wars came out), National Lampoon’s Animal House in 1978 (Huh, a year after KFM, eh?) and The Blues Brothers in 1980. Once he secured $10M finance from PolyGram Pictures, he eventually bringing his werewolf passion project on the go, despite the financiers were questioned about the tone for being “Too frightening to be a comedy and too funny to be a horror”. Perhaps, much like my favorite filmmaker John Hughes, Landis wanted to make this as a horror comedy based on some parts that we can relate.
When the movie howled to the big screen on August 21st 1981, it was… Not THAT good when it first came out, the late Roger Ebert didn’t take it too kind with 2 out of 4 stars with quote “An American Werewolf in London seems curiously unfinished, as if director John Landis spent all his energy on spectacular set pieces and then didn't want to bother with things like transitions, character development or an ending”. But at the same time, many people give an appreciation of this movie from the transformation sequence, more on that later. As time went by, the movie ended up became a cult classic horror-comedy film for the fans of 80s movies and werewolf fans with RottenTomatoes gave it 89% of 65 critics.
As for my experience, its a tough task if I remember, I think my dad heard about the movie, but didn’t see the whole movie, while I’ve heard the movie that got me curious when I looked around the book of old movies and even some reviews, which I really, really, REALLY wanted to give it a shot, once I got a DVD and luckily, available on Amazon Prime video.
So, with all that said, will this movie fun and scary ride about a werewolf, or is this film I should’ve stay on the path or be dead?
Well, lets find out.
The Story
For a movie about werewolf, you think its gonna be a standard movie about one man lives in a troublesome double life similar to Wolf Man? Well, it plays like that, but its actually fun from the get-go.
The movie begins in the middle of nowhere of North York Moors, where we introduce David Kessler and Jack Goodman, two American graduate students are having a trip to UK after having a lift from the pickup truck with couple of sheep. While they’re walking, they talk like usual stuff from students, they like to going on trip and wanting to get laid with a girl “Debbie Klein” (though she’s not in a movie, but its more like a running gag in typical stuff from graduate students). After walking to the long road, they eventually entered a local pub called “Slaughtered Lamb” (Wow, what a name, eh?), but upon entering, David and Jack being viewed as an outsiders by the English pub-goers, along with curiously noticing five-pointed star (aka Pentagram). While they’re discussing and questioning, they’re unfortunately being warned from something danger occurs like Alamos and others stuff, but as they’re about to leave, one of pub-goers tells them a serious advice to stay on the path without crossing the moors and beware the full moon (Sounds familiar from the latter, eh?). But alas, David and Jack are unfortunately being dumb that they ended up being lost on the moors, though getting startled and circled by an unseen monster. As they’re running to the opposite direction, its too little too late that Jack gets mauled by a menacing wolf, leaving David in panic that he wants to get his best pal back, but not only its too late to save his best friend’s ass, but also received an open gashes by a wolf, which thankfully the pub-goers arrived to kill a wolf, only before he’s carried to the hospital, he notices a lunatic man lay on the ground, dying after the gunshot. Which it left David Kessler to puzzling himself about the connection about a wolf and a lunatic man, until he should’ve realize what happens next after three weeks in a hospital.
Like I said, its a standard story about a man who’s gotta learn about werewolf along with questioning himself what happened after he got contacted by a werewolf, which as we all know, he’s affected by the curse of werewolf. The latter of which brought a plot convenience when David is concerning himself for going insane when he sees a zombie-like ghost of his late friend Jack when he warned him about the curse of werewolf what David is about to become, along with telling him to taking his own life to prevent the killing spree, while David just don’t want to believing it so bad. Oh yeah, did I mention when David sees the ghostly Jack, instead of saying “Hello there” (Obi-Wan style), he hilariously asking for a piece of toast, while David is questioning his arrival, that right there is a funny reunion (in some supernatural part). This is where the humor came from, its mainly on the dialogue and the delivery from the first half of the movie whether be some curious and dumb moments with David and Jack, when David meets a nurse name Alex Price they share charming and messy lovely compliment for building their relationships (which its actually nice and chuckle), some humorous (and some horny) comments on American students from the Brits (again seeing David and the late Jack as an outsiders) or even one scene where Sergeant McManus clumsily drop plates to put them back. Which it makes those actually give me a chuckle for their delivery and brought some parts that we can relate. I mean, what do you expect that this is the same writer/director who gave us Animal House (Yes, I saw this one, and its pretty chaotic, but I like it.). Of course, it wasn’t just a comedy, but also change the tone to the second half that went from chuckle worthy to unfortunate realization and tragic after the transformation of werewolf, but il explain it later, again its a pretty nice execution for the tone and the writing that it went from fun to terrifying and unfortunate. There’s also a couple of scenes of David’s nightmare moments that went out of nowhere from running in naturism to eating a prey to getting “murdered” by Nazi Monsters. I mean I get its meant for the build up of becoming a werewolf and even going insane in his mind, but I find some dreams can work, but others are out of place, but I will admit the invasion of Nazi Monsters are terrifying to shows our worst nightmare. Although in quick fact, the nightmare within a nightmare scene is a reference from a 1972 film called “The Discreet Charm of The Bourgeoisie”, its an interesting reference, but again, while its scary, but out of place. There’s also the final act that, while its fun and terrifying, but didn’t go that well for the ending, but again, save it later.
While there are some parts that I’ve nitpicked, but its a nice and fun story for the warning about a werewolf and even some moments that made us laugh and relate.
The Presentation
The movie’s budget costed $5.8M, not the big budget that im curious from my research, but in fairness, they did a pretty good job for what they’ve done.
For starter, its a nice and beautiful view for their filming for 1981 film, especially when we started in North York Moors, its a beautiful view in the middle of nowhere, despite in reality, it was filmed in Wales like Black Mountains and Crickadarn. Not to mention some shots are different for their setup such as the tavern “Slaughtered Lamb” is a cottage in the aforementioned Crickadarn, but interior, its filmed in restaurant called Black Swan in Old Lanes, Martyrs Green in Surrey. Plus, several shots in Wakes they put plenty of props like fake trees and even a statue of The Angel of Death. Of course, the rest were filmed in London and pretty much everywhere such as two hospitals (Putney General Hospital, Chiswick Maternity Hospital), Tower Bridge, two underground stations (South Kensington Underground station, Tottenham Court Road Underground station), London Zoo and couple others. Though it wasn’t just filming in outdoor, they also filmed in Twickenham Film Studios with some sets from different houses either in Alex’s home or even Kessler’s home in the weird dream. Like I said, they did a good job to filming show us in a beautiful shots from moors to for the first time after 15 years, they filmed in Piccadilly Circus, a beautiful road junction and public space located on London’s West End in the City of Westminster.
Fun Fact, after inviting 300 members of Greater London’s Metropolitan Police Service for screening for then new movie The Blues Brothers, the police were actually impressed that they jumped in for the climax.
Speaking of climax, the filming in Piccadilly Circus was filmed both in day and night, the latter that they had to stop the traffic three times for 2 minutes for car stunts with crashing and even the involvement of double-decker bus. Especially with plenty of people had to be done with their own stunts or some were done in stunt double. In fact, there’s one scene when a car rammed into one pedestrian who’s played by none other than John Landis himself to pulling his own cameo stunt by being slammed and crash into glass from the bank (I hope he’s okay without receiving a cut or stabbed by shards of glass, even If I find it funny from behind the scene, the crew give Landis’s stunt an 8 or 10 out of 10, along with hilariously one of them give 2 out of 10).
But of course, the biggest highlight of this movie is the practical effects with the use of werewolf and the transformation scene. The special and make-up effects were done by Rick Baker with his team of young and inexperience effects of make-up and puppetry, which its a tough task what they’re trying to pull some off, especially with the help of veteran effect artist like Baker. Including one of the most highlight scene is when David Kessler is transforming in the most painful and agony you’ve ever see from stretching limbs, growing back, growing hair into fur and even a one heck of a face being stretched into muzzle in a completion of werewolf transformation. Most shots where we see David Naughton with body parts stretched or even add more make-up in transformation process or of course, a puppet when his face turning into a muzzle. For the werewolf design, Baker (being a fan of Universal Monster movies) wanted the werewolf to be a humanoid like The Wolf Man, but Landis wanted to be terrifying and wild like a demon hound from hell, and loosely based on his pet Keeshond dog (While Landis also said he compared the transformation as a puberty. And I gotta say, they did a great job how impressive, terrifying and painful this transformation is, along with the design of werewolf that will haunt our dreams. So much so that Rick Baker ended up won the Academy Award of “Best Makeup” category for the first time. Even the late Michael Jackson was so impressed that he brought both Landis and Baker for the extended music video of his iconic song Thriller and it became a must-watch music video to this day. As for the rest, they’re pretty nice too like the zombie-like ghosts that shows us how people with graphical wounds look like in Kessler’s mind, along with Goodman’s changing appearance in ghostly appearance from alive with harsh wounds, to greener, messier and ghoulish, to finally an animatronic rotting skeleton, even though Griffin Dunne wasn’t a fan of drastic time of makeup and animatronic, but better get used to it.
Speaking of music, I should also mentioned that, while the soundtrack from the late Elmer Bernstein is pretty nice, the movie has a lot of Moon themed songs such as three “Blue Moon” songs by Bobby Vinton in the opening, Sam Cooke in the transformation scene, and The Marcels in the end-credits. Of course, it wasn’t just Blue Moon covers, they also play some famous songs like Moondance from Van Morrison (which happens to be the most earworm song ever, while its good, but its not my cup of tea, no pun attended) and my personal favorite, Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The production of this movie’s presentation is pretty damn good for not-so low budget film from beautiful view in England, Wales and Surrey, a nice songs that fit in and of course, the best effects they’ve ever done, especially with Baker won the Academy Award. Well done there, Baker.
The Characters
While the story is simple and fun, you think the characters in this movie could also be memorable? Well, yeah, I think so too.
Lets start off with our main hero, David Kessler (played by David Naughton), a surviving college student from USA who’s pretty much stuck in UK and being viewed as an outsider, where he started as a typical college student for fun trip and lover boy in interest on which girls with his best pal Jack to now having struggling himself to be in normal life while being warned to potentially becoming a werewolf. Which I find him to be memorable for his evolution from fun to downhill when he’s cursed from Lycanthrope, he’s fun, somewhat horny and struggle, and Naughton did a good work of his performance. And quick fact, if this guy may or may not look and sound familiar, he’s the same guy in a Dr. Pepper commercial in a “Be a Pepper” song in the early 80s, pretty cool and catchy.
Next we have Alec Price (played by Jenny Agutter), an English nurse who first meets David in the hospital after the werewolf attack and eventually his love interest. I find her to be a nice character in this movie, when at first, she’s curious to meet an outsider like David, even eventually falling in love after giving him a home for relaxing in her house, especially she just wants to help him whether or not he’ll becoming a monster. While she’s helpful to taking care of David, but she’s kind of messed up ever since they’re getting along together. Despite some flaws, she’s a nice one for her curiosity and helping David, along with nice performance to Jenny.
After that we have Jack Goodman (played by Griffin Dunne), David’s college student bestie when they’re in the trip in UK and sadly being the first victim from a werewolf after being lost in the moors. I also find him memorable in the movie, he’s kind of being a the brain compared to David ever since they were best bud in their trip, especially he likes to explain what they see. But once he was killed off, he returns as a zombie-esque ghost, while still like to be good and fun pal, but he becomes a plot convenient to warning David that he’s in a werewolf bloodline, demanding him to taking his own life before he’ll make more casualties once its midnight, which really makes David drove insane that he just wants to moving on after his friend’s death, but we all know how it turned out. But of course, Griff did a fun work of his role best friend to warning ghost.
Next, we have Inspector Villiers (played by the late Don McKillop), the British police inspector who came in to solving the case of Jack’s murder. I find him to be alright, he’s another plot convenient character to figuring out the connection between a werewolf attack and an escaped lunatic (aka the man who’s dead from gunshot after killed Jack and slash David), but despite the case was shut, it left suspicion not just David, but so does Dr. Hirsch. Even though I expected him to have more development if he could reopen the case for finding another connection, but he’s pretty minimal for his appearance. Im not saying he’s but he’s just okay, though Don did a fairly decent role.
Finally there’s Dr. Hirsch (played by the late John Woodvine) the doctor in the hospital who’s check on David since three weeks that he wants to know about the attack of the werewolf, along with his skepticism about the combination of werewolf attack and escaped lunatic, which after the case was closed, he’s all like “Well, I guess I gotta take of this by myself”, such as asking the same pub-goers from the first act, despite he’s also been treated like an outsider from pub-goers’ view. I find him also decent, he’s also a warning character that he also wants to know the connection before when he heard about a werewolf attack before its too late, think of him as the werewolf version of Van Helsing, but sadly, he’s also minimal in the movie that he never get to see another werewolf attack, which I find him not bad for what would’ve been and John did a great work of his role. But, hate to say, he was pretty good for his recurring role, because on October 6th of this year (as im writing this), he tragically passed away with the age of 96. Rest in Peace, John, you were a very good actor…
As for the rest, there really aren’t much else to say, though they did gave us some memorable actors and one character that I like, such as Sergeant McManus (played by Paul Kember) who’s Villiers’s clumsy and comedic partner, Mr. Collins (played by Frank Oz, aka Master Yoda from Star Wars, Miss Piggy from The Muppets and couple puppets in Sesame Street) who works on American Embassy in Grover Square (Grover Square? What’s next Cookie Street??), One of the chess players (played by the late Rik Mayall, aka Richard Richie Richard from Bottom), who’s one the pup-goers, which I would’ve expect Eddie Hitler comes in to play, and Darts Player (played by David Scofield, aka Ian Mercer from Pirates of the Caribbean) another one of pup-goers who… Well, like to playing darts for the warning about a werewolf, while treating guests as an outsiders, unless if the pirates are the outsiders, eh?
While the minor characters/actors are worth noting, but the characters are pretty good how relatable, nicely written and pretty good performance they pulled.
SPOILER ALERT for those who haven’t seen the movie, or if you don’t care
The final act is the equivalent of “All Hell broke loose”, but not so much how it ended.
After the reject the phone call (so we think), David and Alex are going out for dating to take a taxi cab. But after the taxi driver (played by Alan Ford before be in gangsters in Snatch) talk about the report of casualties from a werewolf, David broke down that he wants to be arrested for killing the couples, a homeless guys as a man in a subway, despite Alex suggests to talk to a doctor. But it didn’t work what David is trying to be arrested (maybe you could Sucker Punch to the cop, they would’ve work). After fleeing from his girlfriend and his emotional phone call to his sister, he tries to taking his own life with his pocket knife, but unable to do this from his heart felt feeling what he becomes. That is until he spots ghostly Jack for the last time, but in rotting skeleton, he followed him that he enters a porno theater (which this theater was originally to be a cartoons, but its replaced with porn for weird reasons). David and ghostly Jack sit together, watching porn movie, while at the same time, get greeted by more ghost of casualties when David turned into a werewolf (you know, the couples, homeless guys and a man in tube?). Resulting unsettling, but funny conversation based on the decisions for telling David to kill himself in various ways. But once the full moon returns, David transforms back into werewolf, resulting not only killing three more people in the theater, causing an emergency to the police to close it immediately, but of course, it didn’t work, causing David’s werewolf breaks out and causing chaos from killing off Inspector Villiers via decapitation to people either injured or die from either David’s body counts or fatal accidents on the street. After causing raucous David’s werewolf form is trapped in the alleyway and surrounded by the police, until Alex and Dr. Hirsch arrive at the right time to stop, where Alex runs to see David in werewolf that she tries to not only calming him, but reminding she loves him, but sadly, David is still in beast form that he tries to kill her, right before he gets shot by the police to death, much to defying the laws of physics for how or why Alex survives from the gunshot while David is killed in the end. Alex is devastated that the damage is already done to see him turn back to human to death and… Abruptly ends right away.
That’s it? That’s the ending?? THAT WAS JUST A EMOTIONAL DEATH WITHOUT CONCLUSION!! (start growl in build up rage)
AZ-06 Ayla: Actually Anthony, it might be a reference for this ending.
What is it?!
AZ-06 Ayla: Its meant to be a similar ending to The Wolf Man (1941) when Talbot is killed off, he slowly back to human in death and it ends right away with The End card, which it maybe explains how the movie ends in a same way as The Wolf Man.
Ohhh, okay, now I kinda get the reference, but still, talk about a dumbest way to end of this movie with abrupt end credit without the conclusion with dew-wop version of Blue Moon. Aw well, despite the abrupt ending, at least its a pretty nice and kind of emotional ending, but I enjoy the chaos after the brief transformation.
And now for my Final Opinion for this film.
Overall, An American Werewolf in London is a pretty good and fun movie for the fans of werewolf.
The movie has a pretty good story to add a horror with humor from the writing, the humors are chuckle worthy, the characters are nice and some memorable, the filming is beautiful, it has a nice choice of music, and well shot and of course, the production is pretty damn good for the effects and the makeups.
While the writing is standard with good execution, but there are some flaws like some characters would’ve make more appearance (despite the familiar actors in cameo) and of course, the abrupt ending kind of ruined the movie for what would’ve been if they gave us a conclusion. But I get its meant to be a reference from The Wolf Man’s ending, but again, it just didn’t work.
While its not perfect, but I enjoy this movie for my interest of werewolf and for fun if you like John Landis’ films. I recommend to watch this movie for you guys if you have a physical copies or on amazon Prime video (if you’re lucky), so give your friends to watch together for terrifying werewolf moments and some humors.
For my rating, im gonna give this one an 8.5/10.
So this ends of my movie review, if you guys have your opinion or any suggestions, let me know at comment bellow and support me on KO-FI.com/blackevil.
Thanks for reading, im Anthony, signing out, and of course, Happy Halloween.
