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An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Rate: 4
Viewed: 10/04, 7/25

AmWere
7/25: Most people remember either An American Werewolf in London or The Howling when it comes to three significant werewolf movies of 1981 with the other being Wolfen.

Unfortunately, none of them is good and has aged a lot. The first and third barely shows any werewolf transformation while the second's is first-rate. As far as the writing goes, The Howling has quality, thanks to John Sayles for the most part. The other two, eh...there's not much of substance.

The mood is set up well in the first fifteen minutes. Afterwards, the film stalls for a long time with one of the two young men landing in the hospital. Why David is sent to London after being attacked on the moors, I have no idea since they're about 200 miles apart. After waiting forever, he's finally changed to a werewolf and is therefore killed in what's a very abrupt ending which left me asking, "Now, what?"

There's no comedy going on. Horror is even a stretch. Rick Baker's makeup effects have no significance. He only won the Oscar in the newly established category as a make-up for what happened with The Elephant Man. On the acting side, David Naughton is okay while Griffin Dunne is barely remembered. Jenny Agutter tries her best, but it's a hopeless role. Everybody at the Slaughtered Lamb pub is instantly forgotten after a couple of trips there given that it's the epicenter of werewolf activities.

All in all, An American Werewolf in London proves that John Landis is incapable of directing a solid horror thriller.