An American Werewolf in London

 

Moviedrome Introduction

Film Details 

Release Date: 1981

Director: John Landis

Stars

David Naughton as David Kessler
Griffin Dunne as Jack Goodman
Jenny Agutter as Nurse Alex Price

Plot Summary

Two American backpackers, David Kessler and Jack Goodman, stop at a remote Yorkshire pub called The Slaughtered Lamb while hiking across the moors. The locals warn them to stay on the road, but they wander off and are attacked by a werewolf. Jack is killed, and David is bitten but survives.

Waking up in a London hospital, David is told it was an animal attack, yet he suffers vivid nightmares and is visited by Jack’s ghost, who warns that he will turn into a werewolf at the next full moon. David moves in with nurse Alex Price, and they fall in love, but when the moon rises, he transforms and kills several people in London. The next night, he turns again in Piccadilly Circus, where police surround him. Alex pleads with him to stop, but David is shot and reverts to human form as she weeps.

Personal History

I can not only remember watching it, I can remember my dad's comments he made during the watching of it.

Current Review

A great film of its time but through the black comedy, has stayed the test of time well. Most notable for its cutting edge "transformation" scenes.....

Who knew werewolf had such big feet

.... possibly the jump scare scenes...

Toys!

... but for pub ticking fans, the Slaughtered Lamb. Never has walking into a remote locals pub been so well captured. Include a chess playing Rik Mayall and a great joke from Brian Glover, you have an iconic set-piece.

TBF, they should have guessed

I remember my dad commenting on the humour, particularly the haunting, where Goodman comes back in rather advanced stages of decay as the hours pass. And how funny are the murdered British couple? So polite, when they meetup.

Great soundtrack, memorable set pieces and very funny. This might win best Moviedrome Film so far.

Quirky Facts

David Naughton recalled the zoo scene, "As for running naked around London Zoo, in the scene where I'm in the wolf cage, the only reassurance I had was that the wolves had just been fed. But the handlers still said there were to be no loud noises or fast moves. "OK," I said hopefully. "This will just be one take, so start rolling those cameras." We were supposed to be done by 9 am, but we overran. At one point, I looked up and said: "Wow! Why have you got all those extras over there?" They replied: "They're not extras, the zoo's open."

John Landis stated in an interview his inspiration for the film "was the old 1940s horror movie, The Wolf Man (1941), starring Lon Chaney Jr. in which, unusually, the werewolf was portrayed as a victim. Films tend to show the transformation from man to wolf through dissolves, but I wanted to capture how painful the entire process would be, and make it painful to watch. Although the film did have a lot of comedy, I wanted to treat the violence realistically to make it as terrible as violence always is".

Quotes

• Chess Player: There was this airplane over the Atlantic on its way to New York. It was full of men from the United Nations. So halfway over the ocean the engines run low on petrol so they have to lighten the plane. So they heave out all the baggage, but it's still too heavy. So they chuck out the seats, but it's still too heavy! Finally this Froggy steps up and shouts "Viva la France" and leaps out. Then an Englishman steps up and shouts 'God save the Queen!' and leaps out. But the plane is still too heavy. So the Yank delegate from Texas steps up, shouts, 'Remember the Alamo!' and chucks out the Mexican.

Dart Player: Go. Stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors.
David: Yeah. Thank you.
Chess Player: Beware the moon, lads.

Dart Player: You made me miss.
Jack: Sorry.
Dart Player: I've never missed that board before.

Future Inspiration

Asking AI not to recommend obvious werewolf films, it came up with an odd collection of books (The Lonely Londoners, The Third Policeman).  Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace came up for another recommendation, which should be investigated.

Landis himself was responsible for many 80s classic films, Coming to America/Blues Brothers/Three Amigos. 

Its Into the Night, a previously unheard of film, I am going to check out.