A to Z Horror: An American Werewolf in London(1981)

Another so famous it has so much written about it movie that just can’t be beat. One of the quintessential lycanthrope movies. So good it won the very first Oscar for one of our favorite academy award categories – Best Make-up and hair-styling. Of course, it was Lynch’s The Elephant Man(1980) that really set the stage for the desire for make-up and effects recognition at the academy awards, but Rick Baker definitely deserved the accolade and gets the historical first win. Well deserved because the werewolf transformation scene is one of the most unnerving and painful looking moments to be captured on film.

The make-up and effects are not the only reason this is such a good and memorable film. Director John Landis blends comedy and horror in to an unforgettable piece of cinematic history. Most well known for directing National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978) and The Blues Brothers (1980), Werewolf would launch Landis’ career further into zeitgeist the King of Pop would get him to direct one of the most famous music videos of all time: Thriller.

Now, watching the film itself is kind of a slow burn all leading up to that special effects moment of David’s transformation, but before that iconic moment we get some of the best make-ups in his cursed best friend Jack whose appearance becomes more and more deteriorated as David gets closer and closer to his beastial fate.

One of the things that may confuse people in this film is the social commentary. For one, the nazi-werewolf dream sequence is a moment that desires clarification and seems out of place. The film also discusses suicide rather openly as the means of ending David’s curse. It is no wonder that this film gets studied as one of the best horror movies of all time.

If you’ve never seen the film I highly recommend you change that as soon as possible. It is often available on streaming services due to its popularity and even spawned a 1997 sequel: An American Werewolf in Paris. Which, aside of the title and a slightly common mythology, has no ties to the original. You can skip it. Though it was many American’s introduction to the wonderful Julie Delpy and was one of the 90s films trying to make Tom Everett Scott a movie star.

So to recap this short review: one of the best werewolf movies ever made, culturally significant in many ways, and helped to bring prestige to the make-up and special effects industry with the unforgettable transformation sequence.

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Check it out from the Cabell County Public Library.

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