John Landis
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Connections, in both directions
It doesn't help that several early scenes are lifted straight from "Trading Places," the Dan Ackroyd-Eddie Murphy classic.
Anal rape jokes and racial stereotypes dominate this third-rate comedy, which can't help but recall Trading Places (1983) with its class-war story pairing a hot black comic and a past-his-prime white one.
There are faint echoes in Get Hard of Dan Akroyd and Eddie Murphy in Trading Places, although that was a much smarter and funnier film than this one.
Classic comedies - including the Philadelphia-set Trading Places - have expertly worked these ideas into the fabric of their concepts.
This latest role is particularly Aykroydesque in that it explicitly recalls Louis Winthorpe III, from John Landis's classic 1983 prince-and-pauper comedy Trading Places.
The Wolfman (2010)
Directed by Joe Johnston
influenced by An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Visuals Themes
Werewolf transformation effects are right out of Rick Baker's own seminal "An American Werewolf in London" The propulsive score by Danny Elfman owes much to Wojciech Kilar's for "Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula."
While that was handled with finesse in John Landis’ terrific 1981 cult movie, “An American Werewolf in London,” here the two collide and then collapse in their strained effort to come together.
Director Joe Johnston wants this movie to be the bridge between the restrained, atmosphere-soaked Universal horror classic and the grotesque likes of An American Werewolf in London and The Howling.
Thus, the special effects are both cutting edge in their digital depiction of the physical transformation from man to beast and gloriously old-fashioned in Rick Baker’s make-up effects that unashamedly evoke Jack Pierce’s work in the 1941 original (Baker was an inspired choice since he won the first-ever Oscar for make-up effects with his work on John Landis’s 1981 horror-comedy An American Werewolf in London).
As for Lawrence's initial transformationa centerpiece of any respectable lycanthropic yarnit leaves one merely aloof by the choice to go with CGI that doesn't come close to approaching the realism, ingenuity and fright of makeup artist Rick Baker's masterful practical effects in 1981's "The Howling" and 1982's "An American Werewolf in London."
Special-effects veteran Rick Baker—whose werewolf experience stretches back to The Howling and An American Werewolf In London—has designed a beast worthy of awe and wonder, but his wolf-man has more personality than The Wolfman.
The Three Stooges (2012)
Directed by Bobby Farrelly
influenced by The Blues Brothers (1980), Animal House (1978)
Plot
The plot is cribbed from The Blues Brothers, a clever ploy to rope in the same demographic that transferred their childhood Stoogemania to Jake and Elwood Blues in the 1980s.
The plot is a combination of The Blues Brothers and Fletch with a little “Jersey Shore” thrown in for … well, there’s never a good reason to include “Jersey Shore” is there?
Somewhat akin to Jake and Elwood needing to raise money to save an orphanage in "The Blues Brothers," our dimwitted trio -- played by Chris Diamantopoulos, Sean Hayes and Will Sasso -- go out into the real world to find enough funds to keep their orphanage open.
But in this film, they lazily borrow the premise of “The Blues Brothers” (they have to raise money to keep the orphanage that has been their home since they were abandoned there as infants decades ago) and become entangled in a murder plot and “Jersey Shore.”
They also blatantly lift from the plots of both " The Blues Brothers " and " Beavis and Butthead Do America " (the story has the Stooges trying to raise money to save their beloved orphanage, and running afoul of a contract-killing scheme in the dumb process), neither of which is an entirely inapposite comic model, so that's OK.
You would think that after having been wrestling with the project for than a decade that the Farrellys and co-writer Mike Cerrone might have been able to come up with a narrative that didn't consist of roughly 70% old bits and pieces cribbed directly from routines seen in the original Stooges shorts and the remaining 30% ported over from "The Blues Brothers."
The Mummy (2017)
Directed by Alex Kurtzman
influenced by An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Characters Plot Themes
If you’re opting for a light-hearted “Dark Universe,” be funny (Johnson’s sidekick reminds of An American Werewolf In London ).
One recurring story conceit, involving a smirking corpse guiding Nick around London, is borrowed from An American Werewolf In London .
It’s even worse when Kurtzman tries to meld those two modes into one, this tonally scattershot movie paying a half-assed homage to “An American Werewolf in London” before abandoning the idea in favor of generic genre sludge.
Then there's the shoehorned comedy, with Jake Johnson's specter aping Griffin Dunne's character from An American Werewolf in London .
Cruise plays Nick Morton, an antiquities thief, and Jake Johnson (“The New Girl”) plays his comic relief; the latter is a rehash of Griffin Dunne’s part in “An American Werewolf in London.”
(His ad-libbing sidekick is killed early, then reappears a la Griffin Dunne in “An American Werewolf in London.”)
This may make “Baby Driver” seem like a bizarre combination of the Walter Hill’s enigmatic car chase classic “The Driver” (Hill even makes a cleverly disguised cameo appearance) and the immortal musical/car-crash hybrid “The Blues Brothers” but it has a lot more going on for it than just that.
A souped-up fun machine of heists, first love and action-comedy smarts, Baby Driver sees Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz director Edgar Wright filling his tank with gas from the genre classics (The Driver, The Blues Brothers) and then speeding off with the soundtrack cranked all the way up to unforgettable.
The car chases seen here are some of the best seen on film, harkening back to the great car chases of film yore such as Bullitt, The French Connection and The Blues Brothers, and resulting in a ballet of burnt rubber and screeching tyres.
The result is a supercharged piece of fun unlike any motorized choreography since John Landis destroyed a fleet of cop cars in The Blues Brothers.
Moments after it begins, a red turbocharged Subaru is dancing through downtown Atlanta, leading police cruisers on a manic, destructive chase that feels like the spiritual successor of 1980’s “The Blues Brothers.”
Best of all, he somehow manages to get a ferocious, energetic performance from Eddie Murphy, who is at his fast-talking best, recalling his star-making turns in 48 Hrs. and Trading Places .
That performer, of course, is Eddie Murphy who segued from "Saturday Night Live" cast member to Hollywood superstar with "Beverly Hills Cop," "Trading Places" and "48 Hours."
He's been portraying the sharp-tongued hustler since "48 Hours" and "Trading Places" in the early 1980s.
Beginning with “48 Hours” and then following up with such popular films as “Trading Places,” “Beverly Hills Cop” and “Coming to America,” Murphy was the standard that all other comedians were compared to.
Murphy essentially plays a 25-years-older version of his character from Trading Places, another comedy about revenge against evil rich villains which had a much more witty and creative third act than does Tower Heist.
A sequence where he tasks the amateurs each to steal $50 worth of merchandise at a mall is particularly funny, but really, it's just a pleasure to see the Eddie Murphy of Trading Places and Beverly Hills Cop again.
Good Manners (2017)
Directed by Marco Dutra
influenced by An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Plot Visuals
Granted, Dutra and Rojas take their sweet time checking off the same story beats that landmarks like The Wolfman (1941) and An American Werewolf in London (1981) dashed through with predatory urgency.
Horrors aficionados will identify bows to Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby and marvel at a grotesque, An American Werewolf in London-worthy childbirth scene, though Rojas and Dutra’s penchant for the classics becomes evident as much through tropes and imagery as it does through Rui Poças’s cinematography and Fernando Zuccolotto’s production design.
They incorporate nods to classics such as John Landis' An American Werewolf in London in a manner that will delight horror geeks, although the climactic update on the torch-wielding mob of vengeful peasants is perhaps one hoary trope too far.
Before you can say An American Werewolf in London, Ana is sleeping-walking.
In a final transformation, which recalls the Piccadilly Circus showdown of An American Werewolf in London (1981), the closest Joel is allowed to come to the origins of his patrilineage is an establishment which houses a conglomeration of material objects indicating privilege and prestige.
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
influenced by Trading Places (1983)
Plot
"Have you seen Trading Places, Nikita, Pretty Woman?" Colin Firth's Harry Hart (code name: Galahad) asks our hero Eggsy (Taron Egerton), a council estate kid with a chip on his shoulder.
Comparisons to Liza Doolittle and “Trading Places” are referenced early enough in the movie to let us know that Vaughn isn’t afraid of exposing how self-aware the movie will be.
Just as Galahad knocks out the teeth of his enemies, the script makes on-the-nose reference to James Bond and, of all things, 1980s Eddie Murphy comedy "Trading Places."
In one of the film’s scattered semi-funny riffs, Harry asks Eggsy whether he knows Trading Places , La Femme Nikita , or Pretty Woman.
In a particularly amusing scene, Harry tries to prepare Eggsy for the transformation he’s about to embark on, citing more modern rags-to-riches grooming films like Trading Places and La Femme Nikita, none of which the young man has seen.
American Ultra (2015)
Directed by Nima Nourizadeh
influenced by Into the Night (1985), Animal House (1978), Spies Like Us (1985), The Blues Brothers (1980)
Max Landis’ script is reminiscent of the one his father, John Landis, did for “Into the Night” in 1985.
At its best, Max Landis’s script channels some of the anarchic energy of Into the Night (which his father, John, directed), but too often American Ultra looks like 17 different movies thrown into a body bag and left to duke it out.
All of this genial, if highly corpuscular, mayhem comes courtesy of Anglo-Iranian director Nima Nourizadeh (Project X) and screenwriter Max Landis, son of John Animal House Landis.
There is no way this poor excuse for a screenplay could get you through the door unless your father is director John Landis (“Animal House,” “The Blues Brothers,” etc.).
Goofy moments of slapstick are also inserted throughout, perhaps in a respectful nod to Landis Senior’s espionage spoof Spies Like Us .
There is no way this poor excuse for a screenplay could get you through the door unless your father is director John Landis (“Animal House,” “The Blues Brothers,” etc.).
Spring (2014)
Directed by Justin Benson
influenced by An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Visuals Plot Themes
It’s the most regal of Shakespearean epics meets the most sinister Joe Dante feverdream, striking a wealth of emotional riches while also utilizing beastly effects reminiscent of Landis’ An American Werewolf In London and many other skin-tearing affairs.
A mutant hybrid between Before Sunrise and An American Werewolf in London, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s Spring is a clever and severely romantic creature feature that, not unlike its dim-witted bro hero, is in desperate need of a woman’s touch.
A bit like a cross between Before Sunrise and An American Werewolf in London but nowhere near as good as either.
Afflicted (2014)
Directed by Clif Prowse
influenced by An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Plot Themes
What follows suggests a cross between “An American Werewolf in London” and the ingenious 2012 found-footage thriller “Chronicle,” and there is no shortage of wicked, stinging moments as Clif and Derek’s attempts to resume their vacation plans go horrifically awry.
In addition to Chronicle, Afflicted taps into themes and ideas that are also found in An American Werewolf in London, The Lost Boys, even David Cronenberg's rendition of The Fly.
It's a safe bet that Derek Lee and Clif Prowse , who co-wrote, co-directed, and co-starred in the film, are big fans of the John Landis classic " An American Werewolf In London ."
Dog Soldiers (2002)
Directed by Neil Marshall
influenced by An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Visuals Themes
I’d also like to commend Dog Soldiers for featuring some of the best werewolf designs this side of An American Werewolf in London and The Howling—a feat most modern lycanthrope films just haven’t quite achieved (although Late Phases gets pretty damned close).
While last year's " Ginger Snaps " resurrected the werewolf movie for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer teen audience, "Dog Soldiers" returns to the kind of lycanthrope comedy-horror that hasn't been seen since John Landis' "An American Werewolf in London".
"Dog Soldiers" pays homage to "Wolfen," "Evil Dead,"and "An American Werewolf in London," though I wouldn't put it in the same caliber because it was too clichéd and lacked the same intensity as the others.
The werewolf genre has been known to churn out serious-minded films, but the majority of those fail miserably (last year's much-talked-about Ginger Snaps wasn't nearly as much fun as it should have been) - with comedic films of this genre left to pick up the slack (the most influential werewolf movies of the last 25 years are undoubtedly An American Werewolf in London and The Howling).
Wolf Man (2025)
Directed by Leigh Whannell
influenced by An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Visuals Themes
Although the prosthetics here are technically impressive, the overall wolf design is so torn between paying homage to Lon Chaney Jr’s original and avoiding any similarity to the pinnacle of the genre, An American Werewolf in London (1981), that the result looks oddly like one of those deep-sea blobfish.
Anyone who goes back long enough to remember the eye-opening thrills at the time of the visceral transformations in Joe Dante's The Howling or John Landis' An American Werewolf in London — Rob Bottin and Rick Baker really were groundbreaking effects wizards back in 1981 — might judge the latest iteration to be low on fresh juice.
Aside from An American Werewolf in London (1981), there really is no classic werewolf film.
But the werewolf is arguably one of the least popular of the silver screen monsters of late, at least since the entertaining An American Werewolf in London (1981). And with Wolf Man, Blumhouse tries to give this classic monster an emotional makeover.
Boys from County Hell (2021)
Directed by Chris Baugh
influenced by An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Visuals Themes Plot
Whether that’s Eugene’s favorite watering hole, “The Stoker” with its An American Werewolf In London vibes, or “Dream Warriors” as background tunes, or the Rolodex of anti-vampire defense methods debated by these gruff and resourceful road workers.
That’s okay, because Baugh and Brendan Mullin have co-written a script that embraces a fun group of characters, and mixes in a vampire folklore that reminds me of something similar to An American Werewolf in London .
It seeks to emulate AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (there’s even a dialogue reference, along with a whole sequence that’s fairly similar) or SHAUN OF THE DEAD.
In recent years, there has been a reemergence of inventive horror-comedies with films like The Wolf Of Snow Hollow , One Cut Of the Dead , and What We Do In The Shadows , each giving fresh (after)life to classic horror archetypes as classics like Fright Night and An American Werewolf In London did in the genre’s heyday.
Indeed, a couple of Canadian backpackers, gussied up like they’ve just walked off the set of An American Werewolf in London, arrive and are taken to the site, where the titular protagonists scare them with a fake hand.
The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020)
Directed by Jim Cummings
influenced by An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Themes Visuals
We’ve our gold standards, from the heights of the John Landis classic An American Werewolf in London (1981), and other beloved offerings from the decade like Joe Dante’s The Howling (1981) or the adaptation of Stephen King’s Silver Bullet (1985)—and then a whole lot of various outliers, including, of course, the 1941 Lon Chaney Jr. classic and its woebegone 2010 remake.
In fact, it feels like a lot of the best werewolf tales–An American Werewolf in London, The Howling, Teen Wolf–are very funny.
An American Werewolf in London is the best, and The Howling made its mark too and Ginger Snaps had a good take.
Other films, such as The Howling , Ginger Snaps , or An American Werewolf in London , do an excellent job of showing off a human, transforming into a beast, with gnashing teeth, and sharp claws.
The obvious comparison sure to come up in conversation is how “Snow Hollow” relates to “An American Werewolf in London.”
Ever since 1983's "Risky Business," (or even arguably 1978's college set "Animal House") the high school party run amok and variations on that theme have been a staple, rejuvenated for the current generation by Judd Apatow with 2007's "Superbad."
Shot to resemble cellphone pics posted on Facebook by totally wasted teenagers, "Project X" is "Animal House" for the YouTube generation - that is, if "Animal House" actually was about torturing animals while innocent bystanders got tased, all without ever being, you know, funny.
The film's guiding spirit, however, is Todd Phillips, who maintains his singular genius for updating the clichés of the Animal House/Risky Business era so that they look just dangerous enough to make nostalgia feel naughty.
It’s determined to make you forget “Animal House,’’ “House Party,’’ and “Can’t Hardly Wait.’’
Otherwise, Project X is short on fresh characterization, and it didnt have to be that way; Dionysian bashes from Animal House to American Pie found some quirks in their kids.
The “Animal House” of the iPhone generation?
The Wolf Man (1941)
Directed by George Waggner
influenced An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Themes
For atmosphere and effect, An American Werewolf in London doesn't match the classic The Wolf Man, but it's the earlier film's equal in many other areas.
Midnight Special (2016)
Directed by Jeff Nichols
influenced by Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Music Visuals
Creedence Clearwater Revival’s cover of “Midnight Special” was featured in Twilight Zone: The Movie back in 1983.
But in a story that unfolds almost entirely on the road, there's a playful connection also to the 1969 Creedence Clearwater Revival cover, a Southern rock classic, which was used in the prologue and epilogue of 1983's Twilight Zone: The Movie, both featuring late-night driving scenes.
The scene is reminiscent of the opening of 1983's Twilight Zone: The Movie, where Albert Brooks is driving through the desert at night with Dan Aykroyd as his passenger.
The film shares its title with the 1969 Creedence Clearwater Revival song that featured prominently in Twilight Zone: The Movie, the underrated 1983 portmanteau movie that counted Spielberg among its four directors.
The Dictator (2012)
Directed by Larry Charles
influenced by Coming to America (1988), Trading Places (1983)
Plot
The thin plot obviously borrows heavily from other sources, including Eddie Murphy’s “Coming to America” and Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator.”
It worked for Eddie Murphy in "Coming to America," though his anti-misogynist African prince arrived in search of a soul mate.
Reminiscent of 1988′s Coming to America , Baron Cohen’s “Admiral General Aladeen, Supreme Leader, Chief Ophthalmologist, Invincible, All Triumphant, Beloved Oppressor of the People” travels to the States, to speak at the United Nations in New York City.
Meanwhile, the now-beardless Aladeen gets humbled in much the same way as Eddie Murphy’s benevolent royal in Coming To America , except instead of mopping up a McDonald’s, he teams up with Zoey (Anna Faris), the hippie proprietor of a Brooklyn organic grocery.
For his third starring vehicle, Baron Cohen's ditched his real-life guerilla attack routine but continues to embrace the same outrageous humor for a film that, while looking a lot like the dark side of Eddie Murphy's "Coming to America," is consistently funny on multiple levels and chock full of comic cameos.
Confined by a conventional narrative, The Dictator at times resembles the John Landis-Eddie Murphy fish-out-of-water comedies of the mid ‘80s, Trading Places and Coming to America—although SBC’s Aladeen is at once more hapless and offensive than Murphy.
Teddy (2020)
Directed by Ludovic Boukherma
influenced by An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Visuals Themes
These scenes are reminiscent of John Landis’ An American Werewolf in London, and make it clear that the directors are fans of ‘80s horror.
While comparisons to An American Werewolf in London are definitely applicable here, I’d say that some other comparable cinematic experiences to Teddy would be Carrie and any of the classic Universal Monster movies as well.
TEDDY is a delightful cocktail of all the best monster offerings – a little bit of An American Werewolf in London , a little bit of I Was a Teenage Werewolf , and a little bit of Jaws (but on land).