An American Werewolf in London is a rare example of expertly crafted horror and comedy that carries heartwrenching sadness. It’s a story of friendship, love, fear, and mortality that isn’t afraid to explore various socio-political themes. An American Werewolf in London is available to rent, buy or stream.
Over forty years since its release, An American Werewolf in London remains one of the best werewolf movies ever made. Yet it didn’t earn universal praise on its release, as the John Landis horror-comedy hybrid confused many critics, and it’s easy to see why. John Landis’s tongue-in-cheek exploration of a conservative and insular Britain following Thatcher’s election in 1979 was wrapped in American comic book humour, a discordant soundtrack, and more than a few one-liners that have become legendary, as well as sudden jolts of pure terror. As a result, An American Werewolf was a slippery and challenging film to pin down. However, it’s due to its unique blend of comedy, horror, and romance that An American Werewolf in London has become an enduring classic of early 1980s cinema.
I distinctly remember watching An American Werewolf for the first time at the age of sixteen, with its one-liners and gore providing the standout moments in my teenage brain. However, watching as an adult, it was Landis’s cutting-edge exploration of British conservatism, as well as the countryside’s hatred of diversity and difference, that stood out. I also found an unrelenting sadness that I never experienced as a teenager, as I watched a young man, full of life, slowly accept his fate.
The inspiration and template for Landis’ film came from The Wolf Man (1941), and like the George Waggner classic, An American Werewolf in London is at its heart a tragedy. Here, it’s clear that David Kessler (David Naughton) and Jack Goodman (Griffin Dunne) are already doomed from the opening scenes; they are essentially slaughtered lambs from the minute they walk into the pub of the same name. The audience instantly knows this, yet we are thrown by the humour surrounding each conversation and interaction; should we laugh, hide behind our popcorn bucket or shout at the screen?
An American Werewolf in London draws on Waggner’s 1941 horror throughout its runtime, from David’s nightmares and dreams to conversations about the horror of war and the transformation of people into monsters. In An American Werewolf, these conversations centre on David being Jewish and the ever-present spectre of the Holocaust.
In David’s worst nightmare, mutant human/dog-like creatures in Nazi uniforms kill his parents and his young siblings in front of him. These scenes are among the most powerful in modern horror, but they are equally bookended by dark comedy; it’s a brave and creative directorial decision that works to stunning effect. Equally, the scenes where Jack warns David about the monster that lies within are chilling yet bound by humour; who can forget Jack’s exasperation as he says, “Have you ever talked to a corpse? It’s boring! I’m lonely. Kill yourself, David.” This one sentence is incredibly dark, yet it’s delivered in a manner designed to make people laugh and then prompt them to question themselves for doing so.
An American Werewolf in London is a rare example of expertly crafted horror and comedy that carries heartwrenching sadness. It’s a story of friendship, love, fear, and mortality that isn’t afraid to explore various socio-political themes. Landis moulds The Wolf Man into something unique as we watch David’s life fall apart and his first love slips through his furry fingers on a slippery slide to death that started on a cold, wet moor.
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