Horror movies (apart from the modern day fashion for gory and bloodthirsty slasher flicks like Scream, Halloween and all that other bunkum) have generally always revolved around the twin pillars of Dracula and Frankenstein for the most part, with most versions owing at least something of a debt to the original cinematic monstrosities created by Lugosi and Karloff respectively, although Christopher Lee went on to make the blood sucking Count his own in later years.
There was a third strand, however, and that was with the line kicked off by Lon Chaney, who was yer original Wolfman or Werewolf, but the legend of the man who changed into a wolf with the full moon was always pretty secondary stuff to the main event. Oliver Reed did a good turn in one version I remember but the flawed make up and masks of the 50's and 60's never did full justice to lycanthropy and the terror of a man not in control of his darker side.
However, the cinematic and technological advances of the
80's, although as nothing when compared to the startling achievements over the last decade with the advent of computing megapower, was enough to allow film makers to move onto a whole new plane and John Landis, who made such a wonderful video for Michael Jackson's Thriller record, made a real meal of things with the very, very wonderful An American Werewolf In London in the early 80's.
The startling transmutations of the star and the appallingly gory mess which his undead victims got themselves into was truly a wonder to behold at the time.
However, great cinema has never been delivered by FX alone and all the tricks would really have been pretty inconsequential without something around which to work and the startling wit, humour and all round knowing slyness of Landis was the important thing, not the FX, no matter how good they were.
The irreverence extends as far as the truly wonderful soundtrack which consists entirely of songs containing the word Moon in the title (Bad Moon Rising and Moondance are here, but Landis missed out on a number of others he wanted including Cat Stevens' Moon Shadow, because they were made by people who had recently found God and were reluctant to see their work used on such films) and there's a very odd but intensely enjoyable incompatibility between the classic songs here and the subject matter which works exceedingly well and quite oddly.
The basics of the plot revolve around two young American guys, Jack (Griffin Dunne) and David (David Naughton) are wandering late at night on the Yorkshire moors after a less than warm welcome at the Slaughtered Lamb pub by the nudge nudge wink wink locals (including Brian Glover and Rik Mayall), who try to warn them of the dangers they face.
Americans, of course, never take much notice of stuff like that and inevitably the twosome are set upon by an enormous great thingy who rips Jack to bits but just bites David. Shortly afterwards when David wakes up in a hospital where he is being tended by the very very desirable Jenny Agutter (chest out, forget the Railway Children, she's a semi serious actress who will get her kit off, but only if the plot demands it, of course) only to find he has become a werewolf as the undead Jack is only too happy to point out.
From then on it's thrilling chuckles all the way as Our Dave feasts on the natives of London and Jack starts to look his age as his flesh steadily starts to rot on the bone. It's intensely black humour and stylishly done, with only the eventual visualisation of the werewolf spoiling matters (as they usually do - it's the fear of the unknown which is always the most effective tool of the horror film maker).
Some of the transformation scenes are pretty damn hair raising with Dave's hand stretching and twisting like nobody's business and Naughton does a pretty good job of portraying the horror and loathing as Dave finally realises and accepts what he has become.
This is a classic piece of horror cinema, which manages to combine a fresh and innovative approach and a style which is really enjoyable, quite one of the best films you will ever see.
It's a shame that they chose to spoil all the good memories by virtually duplicating things with the abysmally bad follow up, 1997's An American Werewolf In Paris, every bit as bad as AAWIL is excellent. What was driving them, apart from the money, is beyond me, but let's not dwell on the matter - there's enough great thrills and jokes here to help you forget all the dreary shortcomings of its successor.
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Production Year: 1980 - Horror - Director: Stanley Kubrick - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd
Good op, gone are the days of the true horror, all we get these days are films like scream, where we all know whats going to happen next, bring back the gore and the screams. well done
alflavor 14.01.2002 23:50
Have to agree there, a classic flick in my book! AL
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