The 80s saw the ‘traditional’ movie monsters fall by the wayside to be replaced with new, more fearsome beasts. The old vampires, werewolves, zombies etc. which had scared the pants off previous generations became the brunt of ridicule, found more often in comedies and spoofs than in any real horror movies. However, there were a few notable exceptions, particularly when we come to talk about werewolves because the early two years of the 1980s saw not only the first incarnation of Joe Dante’s The Howling but also the finest werewolf movie ever committed to celluloid...no not Wolfen although that was around at the same time, but rather John Landis’ An American Werewolf In London. It of course has never really been given too much competition either previously or since, Mike Nichol’s Wolf achieving a small amount of critical acclaim although personally I thought it was abysmal, and more recently Ginger Snaps proving that you can teach an old dog (wolf?) new tricks. it came at a time when director John Landis was widely seen as being able to do no wrong, following hotly on the heels of his earlier efforts The Blues Brothers and Animal House which were both not only huge box office successes but at the same time have gone on to achieve a modicum of cult success... but for that matter so has this movie. Of course, one more major movie later and John Landis is assigned to the directorial scrap heap for no reason other than Hollywood being a rather fickle place...but at least we have movies such as these to look back upon.

Our simple but effective tale begins in Northern England, with two American backpackers, David Kessler (David Naughton) and Jack Goodman (Griffin Dunne) trekking across the Yorkshire moors. Tired and with the night closing in around them they decide to take refuge in a local pub with the rather curious and foreboding name of “The Slaughtered Lamb” but are met with a particularly cold reception by the locals (this could almost be Royston Vasey with its treatment of outsiders). Noting the hostile atmosphere, but doing little to head it the pair find themselves ejected from the inn onto the moors again after asking one too many questions - but they leave with a chilling warning to stay off of the moor and beware the moon. Of course they have no intention of heeding the warnings of a bunch of superstitious yokels and find themselves away from the main path - shortly before finding themselves the victims of a sudden and vicious attack by a shaggy creature which bursts out of the night and leaves Jack a ripped and bloody corpse and David injured but at least alive thanks to the intervention of some of the locals who followed them and chased off the beast with gun and other means...

There are effectively a great number of elements which make this movie work as well as it does. For a start, you have a lead character who you cannot only identify with but for once, actually care about. So many horror movies feature faceless, under-developed or simply obnoxious characters which leave you without the slightest bit of sympathy for their plight. David on the other hand is a down to earth kind of guy, a young man who we witness earlier on in friendly banter with his friend who has now been wrenched from him in a most vicious fashion, who is beginning a romance with a English nurse etc. We get to see more of him than simply a pretty face ready for the killer’s blade, or in this case, the wolf’s bite and resultantly we fear for his plight. His part is well acted by David Naughton, who although otherwise unknown to me, certainly fulfils the role adequately. Adequate is how everyone can be described in this movie, there are no shining stars here, no beacons illuminating an outstanding achievement, but at the same time no turkeys either and although sometimes the storyline approaches the realms of being camp we also managed to avoid any ham creeping in to our cinematic banquet as well. It may not be the best acting in the world but it is certainly consistent which prevents one performance highlighting the rest for what they are.

Anyone who argues that modern CGI effects are the only way forward for special effects perhaps needs to look at movies like this one and then the CGI alternative in its abysmal sequel An American Werewolf In Paris and think again. Baker won an Oscar for his work here and richly deserved it was too.
But, as I said, An American Werewolf In London is not just a horror movie but the fusion of horror and comedy, and like I said the humour here definitely works. It is naturally a twisted black humour which comes out of the most unlikely situations but it works superbly. The best one liners are reserved for the banter between Jack and David as he tries to convince him to take his own life - not really because he cares that much about people dying but for the purely selfish reason that there are so many “boring” people walking in limbo that he doesn’t want him to add more! You can’t help but giggle at the progressively disgusting appearance of the rotting Jack and David’s refusal to take advice from a “walking meatloaf”. Jack’s entire role is performed with a blackened tongue placed firmly in his progressively rotting cheek and his inclusion in the plot is obviously simply for comic relief but there are a number of humorous asides throughout the movie. Landis litters the plot with in-jokes and even the musical score consists entirely of tracks with the word “moon” in them...The Marcels’ “Blue Moon, and Van Morrison’s “Moondance” spring to mind immediately.

An American Werewolf in London has made two appearances on DVD format, once in 1997 ina rather poor offering from Live Entertainment and now recently in a much improved Colector's Edition from Universal. The original DVD was rather iffy, and almost completely devoid of features, but you are much better served by the re-release anyway so you'd have to be a huge fan to care. The original is rather grainy, has distinctly iffy sound(the back speakers virtually redundant) and has extra features consisting of a teaser trailer and nothing more. Universal has put this travestry right with a DVD release which could be better in all honesty, but is a vast improvement over what we were originally offered.

Sound effects are another part of this DVD where you can hardly claim perfection. Dobly Digital 5.1 was a technology which certainly didn't exist when the movie was produced and it is easy to argue that the sound effects feel somewhat 'manufactured. Funny that, because they of course ARE and yes, its is noticable if you listen out for it. You'll notice that your back speakers don't exactly get a lot of work here, but you'll also notice that the howling of the wolf echoes around you in the most creepy fashion. Again, its the best you are ever likely to hear this movie sound, but its not perfect...but again, no doubt the best you could expect Universal to achieve given the source material.

The extras on this DVD are where it really comes into its own. Given the popularity of this movie, that it won an oscar for its stunning creature effects and such like, the original release was something of a travesty in that it didn't include more features! Well, you'll be pleased to know that it has been put right here with som really interesting and entertaining additional goodies.

Official Site:
www.americanwerewolf.com