An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Directed by John Landis
American tourists David and Jack are savagely attacked by an unidentified animal while hiking on the Yorkshire Moors. After retiring to the home of a beautiful nurse to recuperate, David soon begins experiencing disturbing changes to his body and mind.
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6 films that influenced An American Werewolf in London
What critics say influenced An American Werewolf in London
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.
It shows that a genre's rules are set on a case-by-case, filmmaker-by-filmmaker basis, and makes more explicit one of the things that Brian De Palma was getting at in Carrie : that comedy and modern horror are identical disciplines in their absolute reliance on timing.
When David makes his transformation, he goes through much the same ordeal William Hurt experienced in ''Altered States,'' including very similar special effects and some morning-after misery in a zoo.
Hence, while some people are shocked and horrified by a film like The Exorcist , others chortle and giggle like they're watching an Adam Sandler comedy.
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While Belushi delivers some of the most memorable moments of the film as the outrageous Bluto, "Animal House" served as a launching pad for several other notable actors, including Matheson, Kevin Bacon (as arrogant Omega pledge Chip Diller), Riegert, McGill and Karen Allen, while also igniting the careers of director John Landis ("The Blues Brothers," "An American Werewolf in London," "Trading Places," "Coming to America") and writer Harold Ramis ("Caddyshack," "Stripes," "Ghostbusters," "Analyze This").
For a six year period (1978-83), Landis was building a portfolio of films that challenged genre structure in ways that were daring and, occasionally, seismic: the teen sex comedy (Animal House); the road trip musical (The Blues Brothers); the horror film ( An American Werewolf in London ); the music video (Michael Jackson's "Thriller"); the mainstream caste/race comedy (Trading Places); and the anthology picture (Twilight Zone: The Movie).
That gives director Landis his chance to stage a spectacular multi-car traffic accident in Piccadilly Circus; crashes have been his specialty since the homecoming parade in "Animal House" and the nonstop carnage in "The Blues Brothers."
John Landis's 1981 attempt to recast the classic horror film into the flip, self-mocking style of his Animal House while retaining the thrills and chills.
John Landis, who also directed ''Animal House'' and ''The Blues Brothers,'' has the makings here of a much better movie than either of those.
His two previous movies, Animal House and The Blues Brothers, had proven to be huge box office successes.
Some of those shots have held up better than others (the first shot of undead Jack is still classic), and perhaps anticipating that, Landis is deliberately stingy with the goods, saving his budget for the finale in Piccadilly Square that recalls the car chase in “The Blues Brothers,” with gore.
It's not a very good film, and it falls well below Landis's work in the anarchic " National Lampoon's Animal House " and the rambunctious " The Blues Brothers ."
John Landis, who also directed ''Animal House'' and ''The Blues Brothers,'' has the makings here of a much better movie than either of those.
His two previous movies, Animal House and The Blues Brothers, had proven to be huge box office successes.
The black comedy horror film by John Landis ("Animal House"/"The Blues Brothers") owes much of its success to the creativity of makeup artist Rick Baker, who does a tremendous job transforming both David Naughton and Griffin Dunne into werewolves.
Director John Landis (The Blues Brothers) here pulls off the difficult trick of revitalising the horror genre while parodying it at the same time.