A little disappointed at first. Then more disappointment. I think it got such a good reputation because the transformation at the time was amazing. The script seems clunky, it doesn't flow at all, and the dialogue is either too camp or unnatural to fit the movies look when it attempts to be moody. It destroys any atmosphere. Overal the dialogue has a dumbed down and unoriginal feel.
The main actor, as well as some others, are really poor. They don't get the feelings across at all. Making scenes pointless. The scenes after a while feel like poor set pieces. After seeing the pub with the pentagram a few times a I begin to wonder if the movie was a joke. The idea that the main charcater thinks he main be mad is completely pointless as we all know he's a werewolf. But that's the imagination of John Landis. The plots doesn't go anywhere interesting either. I think the transformation is good. The part when he tries to insult all that's English... Embarrassing. He warns his love interest to stay away be a use he's dangerous. It's still daytime. Then rest of the movie is awful.

I don't mind cheesy scripts but this also tries to be serious and it never succeeds with any. No atmosphere or suspense to feel scared and not funny enough to be a comedy. Aged bad.

Ignoring the warnings of local pub-goers, a pair of indifferent American backpackers stumble off the main road, encroach upon the wrong rain-soaked pasture and bump into a sharp, furry piece of European folklore. One of the young men is immediately sliced to bloody ribbons, with the other hustling toward the same fate until a late reprieve drops him, instead, in a hospital bed. There, he suffers vivid nightmares, colorful hallucinations, stifling hot flashes and inexplicable bouts of bloodlust before the state deems him adequately recovered and releases him to terrorize the city.

Part early ‘80s gore-horror and part early ‘80s sex comedy, _An American Werewolf in London_ isn’t an especially strong example of either. Fortunately, the real emphasis is (rightly) placed on Rick Baker’s grotesque, groundbreaking special effects work. We skate right past the protagonist’s clumsy flirtations with a cute nurse and silly arguments with an increasingly-decomposed former travel buddy, but linger for ages on the agony of transformation when the switch flips and he finally goes full werewolf. The beast itself may seem a bit tame by today’s standards, propped up by smoke and mirrors as it is, but the bone-breaking metamorphosis scenes remain delightfully repugnant, twisted and squirm-inducing. Extra kudos to lead werewolf David Naughton for really pushing those over the top with a chilling physical (and vocal) performance.

As a pioneer in the emerging laugh/scream subgenre, it’s easy to see how this irreverent take on a once-serious subject would go on to influence films like _Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice_ and, much later, _Shaun of the Dead_. Writer/director John Landis was brimming with fresh ideas at this point in his career, but still very raw, as evidenced by the loose plot structure and hollow ending.

I first saw this film in the cinema around 1981ish and I loved it then. Surprisingly I never saw it again and it was 38 years later that I finally bought a version to home view. In this case Blu Ray.

You have to say for a film nearly 40 years old with special effects, acting and film-making from that era age has not sullied the experience in anyway.

David Naughton and Griffin Dunne, now a successful director as well as an actor, make a likable and believable couple of colleague ‘buddies’ from the get-go and clearly they must have had some on-set chemistry at least. Although the setting of ‘op north’ is partial cliche and pat for British viewers it is also a fun way to start the film and throw in stalwart, mainstay, British actors Brian Glover and David Schofield and you feel as if you are in safe hands. Even Rik Mayall turns up playing chess right in the middle of his Kevin Turvey, Young Ones fame. Unfortunately director Landis was unaware of this and his appearance is fleeting.

With the great settings and scenery Landis sets up the story efficiently and with no fat – and from this point on the story clips for point to point for the entire 97 minutes running time. More modern film-makers could take a lesson here.

When it first came out ‘American Werewolf’ cause some consternation amongst audiences as it was billed by many as a comedy whilst some viewers were unaware of the horror in the film being, well, rather gory and horrible. Unusually for films that try this I would say An American Werewolf in London hits this difficult target more often than it misses. Even the clumsy, Mr. Beanish, police detective-sergeant although a bit broad was amusing. The undead souls, including Jack, are exactly the right mix of horrific effects and situation and amusing blandness.

To give the film a romantic twist and touch the film cast quite possibly the sexiest nurse in the history of all films, Jenny Agutter, as Alex, the rather unbelievable and subservient nurse, without even trying she oozes crisp sex appeal which really revved me up as a 19 year old and this view has not really changed much in the intervening 38 years old. Blimey is it hot in here?

Not only that she owns a huge downstairs flat in London, on her own, on a nurse’s salary, she’s a keeper – although she does hook up with American patients who she’s only spoken to for a few weeks that could be part of some police investigation and possibly murder, but hey-ho, no one’s perfect.

Probably the rather lovely Jenny and the handsome David Naughton romance is the weakest point of the film as it would be rather unlikely, you would have thought his loving family might have come over to see him at some time or make sure he got back to the States safely but apparently they weren’t that fussed and were happy to get updates from Frank Oz.

Of course this is not the thrust of the film and we are all here to see a man change into a wolf and boy do we. It is a well-known matter of record that Landis wanted a man changing into a wocking great wolf and not have a bloke in a hairy suit walking about with a dog’s head mask on. So in comes Rick Baker and his crew. Landis wanted a horrifying and painful transformation and that is what we get. Even now nearly all of these years later the Oscar-winning effects are still superb. All onset with no CGI. Some look a bit hokey but even the slower more plasticky looking ones still stand up. You believe that David changes into a giant wolf and it bloody hurts as his bones and organs crack, stretch and transform. All the more ground-breaking for the transformation being shot in bright light in a normal British sitting-room, no shadows and dark corners to hide your workings. Literally fantastic.

The stalking murders of victims take place in the more traditional ‘what was that – arrrggh’ style but the film remains on point and strong throughout. All of the actors are on good form and clearly having fun, cinematography seems to be up to the standard of the time, nothing dark and murky but the miserable wet weather of the UK and the scenes in rain-lashed village Proctor remind you of miserable Word War One scenes at times. Good stuff.

Once the transformation happens the film rips along at a fair old pace, it was already moving rapidly along, and takes us to a dark and traditional werewolf film-ending.

I have waxed lyrical about a 1981 film but even with some biggish plot holes, I think it is safe to say no one has really made a werewolf film as good or as outlandish as An American Werewolf in London in the intervening years. It’s horrifying, scary, funny and even blooming sexy and of course silly. The locations used are reassuringly familiar to British film-goers making the story somehow more scary in a way.

Then throw in Jenny Agutter and you are being very unfair on an 18-year-old, horror-film-loving, dateless wonder and not much fairer on the 56-year-old version either. Just not cricket Mr. Landis

**The best horror film of the eighties**

This is a gem, it really is. Alternately amusing and horrific - John Landis plays our emotions like a fiddle here. He is pulling all the strings and we are uncertain as to which string he is going to pull next.

From the eerie Yorkshire countryside of the opening scenes through David's _awful_ nightmares in hospital to amusing zombie chit chat and finally the climactic slaughter in London - this film never lets up.

How many films will you find Kermit the frog sharing a scene with throat slicing, machine gun wielding mutants dressed as Nazis?

- Potential Kermode

"Beware the moon, lads."

Still frightening and funny 38 years later.

The transformation scene was absolutely incredible, but also really painful. You literally hear every bone crack in his body, and all his organs reshaping and shifting. No other werewolf movie has topped that scene and never will. The song Bad Moon Rising is the icing on the cake.

Rick Baker make-up work is masterful. He's the real beast here.