An American Werewolf In London
97 minutes,
USA/UK (1981), 18
Average user rating 
(4.7 / 70 votes)
(4.7 / 70 votes)
Two hapless American guys lost on the Yorkshire moors end up as a werewolf snack. The one who survives has to face up to his impending lycanthropy in this funny and inventive take on the monster genre from John Landis
Director:
An American Werewolf In London Review
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Two hapless American guys lost on the Yorkshire moors end up as a werewolf snack. The one who survives has to face up to his impending lycanthropy in this funny and inventive take on the monster genre from John Landis
John Landis's black comedy horror set in London and Yorkshire introduces dorky American backpackers Jack (Griffin Dunne) and David (David Naughton) and before they know it, they're chow for a strange beast oop on t' Moor. Pity they didn't heed the advice of the strange locals - Rik Mayall and Brian Glover among them - they met back in The Slaughtered Lamb ("Stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors.").
With Jack dead, David is taken back to London to recuperate under the watchful, sexy eye of nurse Alice Price (Jenny Agutter). But then his dead pal turns up in various states of putrefaction (looking like "a walking meatloaf" according to David) to warn him about his own impending lycanthropy.
Landis takes great delight in mocking British traditions, particularly our pubs and television, but he does this with affection and a great sense of irony. Fantastic scenes of zombie carnage abound, particularly the undead enjoying a skin-flick at the now-defunct Eros cinema in Piccadilly. Landis completists will know that its title, 'See You Next Wednesday', is a line from 2001: A Space Odyssey - his trademark in-joke.
With Jack dead, David is taken back to London to recuperate under the watchful, sexy eye of nurse Alice Price (Jenny Agutter). But then his dead pal turns up in various states of putrefaction (looking like "a walking meatloaf" according to David) to warn him about his own impending lycanthropy.
Landis takes great delight in mocking British traditions, particularly our pubs and television, but he does this with affection and a great sense of irony. Fantastic scenes of zombie carnage abound, particularly the undead enjoying a skin-flick at the now-defunct Eros cinema in Piccadilly. Landis completists will know that its title, 'See You Next Wednesday', is a line from 2001: A Space Odyssey - his trademark in-joke.
Verdict
The best movie ever written by a teenager - Landis was 19 when he penned the first draft - and a constant comic delight.
The best movie ever written by a teenager - Landis was 19 when he penned the first draft - and a constant comic delight.
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