I see a bad moon rising... (An American Werewolf in London (DVD))

Member Name: omarl

Product:	An American Werewolf in London (DVD)
Date:	05/11/09 (21 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Effective at delivering scares and laughs

Disadvantages: The acting isn't great

An American Werewolf In London is a 1981 horror comedy written and directed by John Landis.

David Kessler (David Naughton) and Jack Goodman (Griffin Dunne) are two American students who are backpacking across Yorkshire whilst on holiday before starting university. After finding the reception to them at the first pub they stop at less than welcoming they decide to find another, whereupon they are attacked by an animal on the moors. After being (inexplicably) transferred to a London hospital, David awakes to find that Jack was killed in the attack. He then begins having vivid nightmares, but upon waking he has a vision of his dead friend telling him he is now a werewolf. Is David going mad, or should he "beware the moon"?

My first viewing of this film was when I was far too young to be watching it and at the time it terrified me, particularly the dream sequences that David has. Watching again recently as an adult, it's obviously not quite the frightening experience it once was, but is still very unsettling at times (those dream sequences still give me the creeps). As well as handling the bloody horror well, Landis also provides some effective comedy particularly with a group of undead people discussing how David should die. There is also the good use of moon related songs on the soundtrack. The finale of the film manages to mix the horror with the humour at the same time, because the carnage becomes that OTT as to be hilarious. The love story angle involving David and Jenny Agutter's nurse Alex Price falls down for me, with the relationship developing far too quickly and deeply to be realistic. But I suppose realism goes out of the window when we're talking about werewolves and the undead!

The performances of the actors are serviceable - McNaughton's David has a likable charm but his acting skills aren't great. Agutter seems to be there simply to be the love interest and as a result has little to do. Dunne as the undead Jack is funny, but again it's hardly stretching his skills.

The practical effects provided by Rick Baker for the transformation sequence of David into the werewolf is brilliant considering it was 28 years ago (this shows in the fact the transformation is more convincing than those is the sequel An American Werewolf In Paris, that was made in 1997).

Rightly considered a horror comedy classic, despite the less than convincing acting!

Summary: A classic