An American Werewolf in London (1981)

 

An American Werewolf in London

“An American Werewolf in London” is one of those movies I missed in my early childhood. I only developed an affinity for horror comedies at a much later age, and at that time this was already off the radar again. It is, however, one of those movies you “know” even if you have never watched it, if, for no other reason, than that it founded the horror comedy genre.

David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) are American young men, backpacking through Europe, who find themselves lost on the North England moors. At nightfall they seek shelter at the pub of a small village. The locals are not exactly friendly and the name, “The Slaughtered Lamb” and the pentagram on the wall, should probably have warned the two boys. In any case, they are impolitely turned away, only to be attacked on the moors by a wild creature. The locals show up, shooting the creature in time to save the life of David but too late for Jack. The creature is seen to be a man.

David wakes up in a hospital where nobody believes his story. Not the police, nor the doctor or the nurses. Nurse Alex (Jenny Agutter) does take a liking to David, so when he gets released from hospital, he moves in with her. David is starting to get visitations from the undead Jack, who tells him that David has become a werewolf and when a full moon comes about, he will start killing people. The only way out is for David to kill himself. True enough, at the first full moon, David turns into a big-ass wolf and goes on a rampage. Is there any way for the doctor and Alex to save David from himself?

Director John Landis apparently brewed on the idea of a horror comedy since the late sixties, but found little understanding for this combo and although this has since become a very successful staple, “An American Werewolf in London” shows clear signs that this was a difficult match to make. There are periods of the movie where we are very clearly in the horror genre and others where it gets downright silly, such as with the inept assistant detective. But there are also periods where Landis got it right, such as David waking up naked in the zoo or the choice of the porn cinema for David’s final rampage. Jack in advanced decay and his other victims accusing him of their murder and shortly after his killing of all the patrons of the cinema to the sound and images of this cheap-looking porn movie. The juxtaposition is inspired. It also adds well to the horror-comedy mix that there are probably more people getting killed in the stampede to see the monster than are killed by the werewolf itself. It is a dark sort of humor, but that is the essence of horror comedy.

It still felt a bit uneven as if the script was half finished or if half the planned shots were ditched. The ending is sort of abrupt, though it is difficult to see it ending any other way, and I do not think it is up to the standards of Landis earlier movies, which are landmarks even today. Still, “An American Werewolf in London” was an instant hit and generated a flood of horror comedies. “Gremlins” probably would not have happened, had it not been for “An American Werewolf in London”.

The standout element of this movie is the transformation of David into a werewolf. In an age before CGI, this seamless and frightening transition is nothing less than astonishing and it earned “An American Werewolf in London” a well-deserved Academy award for Best Makeup.

I was not carried away by “An American Werewolf in London”. It did not manage to absorb me, but it is not a bad movie either. Today it has a high status, but I think it deserves it more for being a pioneer than for its qualities as a great movie. It was not scary enough or funny enough, but it is still worth watching.