An American Werewolf In London (1981) DVD Reviews

Starring	David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, John Woodvine
Director	John Landis
Genres	Comedy, Horror

Critics' reviews (5) of An American Werewolf In London
View all
Director John Landis (The Blues Brothers) here pulls off the difficult trick of revitalising the horror genre while parodying it at the same time. Funny, scary and extremely gory — Griffin Dunne's gradual decomposition is an absolute hoot — this lycanthropic lampoon is also a splendid satire on British life, as seen through American eyes. The special effects and Rick Baker's Oscar-winning make-up established new trends in monster metamorphoses: after this revolutionary movie, no horror transformation was ever the same again. An American Werewolf in Paris followed in 1997.
- Radio Times
- Posted 29 Jan 2006
Curious but oddly endearing mixture of horror film and spoof, of comedy and shock, with everything grist to its mill including tourist Britain and the wedding of Prince Charles. The special effects are notable, and signalled new developments in this field
- Halliwell's Film Guide
- Posted 02 Mar 2006
Itd be interesting to see polling data on how many Brits recall John Landiss hysterical gore-spattered... read more on Time Out
- Tom Huddleston,
- Time Out
- Posted 04 Nov 2008
Most helpful members' reviews (3) of An American Werewolf In London
View all
14 out of 15 people found this review helpful

they dont make em like this any more

Whatching this film makes u wonder when did directors stop making horrors scary? This is possibly the best scary movie ive ever and isnt to be taken likely. It will scare the pants off u, but thats why its worth a watch. Rates up there with alien. I couldnt watch the part when he changes when i was 8 and its still freaky now. WATCH IT!!!
- - andrew ellis from england
  - Posted 19 Feb 2004 01:40
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful

Howlingly Good!

Only John Landis could have made this film work this well -the horror aspect works so much better due to the comedy (a field Landis knows so well ie. Trading Places, Blues Brothers etc) fiercely competing for celluloid space. It astounds me that the film is 23 years old -the transformation scene is still excellent, it looks more realistic than the CGI they would use today, Rick Baker deserved the accolades (check out the extras!). Superb.
- - A customer from Worcestershire, UK
  - Posted 13 Jul 2004 11:25
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful

Bad Moon Rising!

Rented as a nostalgia trip but we thoroughly enjoyed it on its own terms. Not really that scary, it is a bit gory and there are some very dry, funny moments to enjoy. Jenny Agutter getting her kit off brought back some very happy memories too.

Conjures up a lost England of the early 80's beautifully - if you liked the Wicker Man, you will love the locals at the 'Slaughtered Lamb'. There is something of the Hammer Horror about the production but the transformation scene is still an amazing piece of work - watch it through your hands.

Lost a star because it ends so unsatisfyingly but very strongly recommended.
- - A customer from Cheshire
  - Posted 24 Apr 2005 20:38
Most recent members' reviews (2) of An American Werewolf In London
View all
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful

Great movie but a Warning!!!! Just rent the first disc!!

An American Werewolf In London is justifably called a classic. A great werewolf movie (maybe the best) - but please avoid wasting a rental on the very disappointing bonus disc. Why they couldn't have fitted the appallingly small amount of bonus material onto the main disc is beyond me! A couple of interviews, and a very old 'making of' is to me a waste of not only the disc but also a waste of potential for bonus material!

On the plus side - the audio commentary on the main feature is quite funny!
- - Darren Guest from Sedgley, Dudley
  - Posted 23 Feb 2005 15:40
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

Not as good as I remember it being

I think when you're 15 or so, the film is scary and funny... but watching it now, it's mediocre. The werewolf change is awesome, shame the rest of the rest of the film doesn't stand up to it.
- - Opiatefilms.com from Liverpool
  - Posted 26 Nov 2004 20:21

14 out of 15 people found this review helpful

they dont make em like this any more

Whatching this film makes u wonder when did directors stop making horrors scary? This is possibly the best scary movie ive ever and isnt to be taken likely. It will scare the pants off u, but thats why its worth a watch. Rates up there with alien. I couldnt watch the part when he changes when i was 8 and its still freaky now. WATCH IT!!!
- - andrew ellis from england
  - Posted 19 Feb 2004 01:40
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful

Howlingly Good!

Only John Landis could have made this film work this well -the horror aspect works so much better due to the comedy (a field Landis knows so well ie. Trading Places, Blues Brothers etc) fiercely competing for celluloid space. It astounds me that the film is 23 years old -the transformation scene is still excellent, it looks more realistic than the CGI they would use today, Rick Baker deserved the accolades (check out the extras!). Superb.
- - A customer from Worcestershire, UK
  - Posted 13 Jul 2004 11:25
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful

Bad Moon Rising!

Rented as a nostalgia trip but we thoroughly enjoyed it on its own terms. Not really that scary, it is a bit gory and there are some very dry, funny moments to enjoy. Jenny Agutter getting her kit off brought back some very happy memories too.

Conjures up a lost England of the early 80's beautifully - if you liked the Wicker Man, you will love the locals at the 'Slaughtered Lamb'. There is something of the Hammer Horror about the production but the transformation scene is still an amazing piece of work - watch it through your hands.

Lost a star because it ends so unsatisfyingly but very strongly recommended.
- - A customer from Cheshire
  - Posted 24 Apr 2005 20:38
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful

Good Stuff

As ‘Shaun of The Dead’ is to Romero's Zombie films so ‘American Werewolf in London’ is to Hammer Horror era Werewolf films.

Perhaps this one has not got the belly laughs of ‘Shaun’ but still it’s that sort of idea. Not a spoof - but a comic (if not comedy) homage; true to the genre from which it draws. Genuinely scary in parts, genuinely funny in others. Well recommended.

I’m from a place not entirely dissimilar to the village in which the two American friends find themselves, and I have wandered around the countryside (with my brother) not looking entirely dissimilar to those guys. And yes – we did wander off the path once. And yes – we were attacked. I used to be a werewolf – but I’m alright nooooooow.
- - 007Samurai from Cheshire
  - Posted 19 Nov 2004 10:06
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful

Serious scars and laughs

What can you say about a film that has it all !!!

It is a masterpiece of horror/comedy with just the right blend of tension and relief.

The double dream sequence scared the crap out of me and the only werewolf film that even comes close is Dog Soldiers.
- - A customer from Crawley,West Sussex
  - Posted 19 Feb 2004 10:12
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful

Comedy and Horror in perfect harmony

I love this film to bits.

At times it is incredibly funny.

At other times very scary (I think the guy saying he wasn't scared at all must either be lying or have balls of steel)

And also has some interesting social comments too.

It even has Rik Mayall in it!

It does have it's faults though. Why would someone attacked and injured really badly on the Yorkshire moors get taken to a hospital in London?

Also some really bad acting from minor characters, especially 'little boy in zoo'. I - don't - know - who - you - are. A - naked - american - man - just - stole - my - balloons.

That little boy will probably be in his forties now so apologies if you are reading this.

Anyway, in short, don't take this film too seriously because it doesn't take itself seriously. It's a lot of fun.

Remember the Alamo!
- - A customer from Sunderland, England
  - Posted 20 Oct 2004 09:41
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful

Great movie but a Warning!!!! Just rent the first disc!!

An American Werewolf In London is justifably called a classic. A great werewolf movie (maybe the best) - but please avoid wasting a rental on the very disappointing bonus disc. Why they couldn't have fitted the appallingly small amount of bonus material onto the main disc is beyond me! A couple of interviews, and a very old 'making of' is to me a waste of not only the disc but also a waste of potential for bonus material!

On the plus side - the audio commentary on the main feature is quite funny!
- - Darren Guest from Sedgley, Dudley
  - Posted 23 Feb 2005 15:40
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

Not as good as I remember it being

I think when you're 15 or so, the film is scary and funny... but watching it now, it's mediocre. The werewolf change is awesome, shame the rest of the rest of the film doesn't stand up to it.
- - Opiatefilms.com from Liverpool
  - Posted 26 Nov 2004 20:21
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

Classic Comedy

Imagine this scene. A walking corpse beckons his friend across the street into a Piccadilly Circus porno theatre. They sit for a while in conversation before more mutilated bodies that the person has killed as a werewolf join them, they discuss how the person should kill himself, all amidst continuous groaning sounds. Sounds disturbing, ludicrous and downright stupid doesn't it? Not so!

This film somehow manages to pull this scene off and many more in hilarious fashion. I was surprised by comments about this being scary, it's not and I don't think it's meant to be. For me this is a comedy film of the highest order, a biting satire on werewolf movies that will leave you howling but howling with laughter. Okay there are some moments that make you jump but the blend of comedy, odd scary bits and entertainment is lethal and rarely produced. I hate horror films that take themselves seriously because they look stupid, this one doesn't have that problem - you know what your going to get. The transformation scene is also incredible considering it was done in 1981. Enjoy this film!
- - A customer from England
  - Posted 26 Sep 2004 11:52
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

Brilliant

John Landis has done a fantastic job of creating a classic movie here. A great soundtrack helps boost the film, if only for Creedence Clearwater Revivials' Bad Moon Rising.
- - A customer from WALES
  - Posted 27 Oct 2004 19:05

< Prev
1
2
3
4
5
...
» of 7
Next >

Critics' reviews (5)
Director John Landis (The Blues Brothers) here pulls off the difficult trick of revitalising the horror genre while parodying it at the same time. Funny, scary and extremely gory — Griffin Dunne's gradual decomposition is an absolute hoot — this lycanthropic lampoon is also a splendid satire on British life, as seen through American eyes. The special effects and Rick Baker's Oscar-winning make-up established new trends in monster metamorphoses: after this revolutionary movie, no horror transformation was ever the same again. An American Werewolf in Paris followed in 1997.
- Radio Times
- Posted 29 Jan 2006
Curious but oddly endearing mixture of horror film and spoof, of comedy and shock, with everything grist to its mill including tourist Britain and the wedding of Prince Charles. The special effects are notable, and signalled new developments in this field
- Halliwell's Film Guide
- Posted 02 Mar 2006
Itd be interesting to see polling data on how many Brits recall John Landiss hysterical gore-spattered... read more on Time Out
- Tom Huddleston,
- Time Out
- Posted 04 Nov 2008
"...A clever mixture of comedy and horror....Redolent with sharp dialog and offbeat humor..."
- Variety
- Posted 11 Mar 2005
"...Landis is...serious about making this a horror film that packs a wallop..."
- New York Times
- Posted 11 Mar 2005

Buy from the LOVEFiLM shop

- - Buy
- American Werewolf In London, An - HD DVD Version
  
  In John Landis' (THE BLUES BROTHERS, ANIMAL HOUSE) dripping black comedy, two American students (David Naughton and Griffin Dunne) on a European vacation wander into a creepy local pub in Northern England and are quickly thrown out. Stranded and alone in the dark countryside, the pair get lost in ...

- - Buy
- American Werewolf In London, An - BLU-RAY Version
- Blu-Ray: £11.93
  Free Delivery
- RRP £19.99 (you save: 40%)

- - Buy
- An American Werewolf In London
  
  A macabre mix of humor and horror that shot director John Landis to fame. This classic horror/comedy tells the beastly tale of two American youths David and Jack (Naughton and Dunne) whose European adventure turns to terror after they are attacked by a werewolf. One of the travelers is killed, but ...