HORROR - AND A LITTLE EXTRA : "AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON"

John Landis’s classic horror / comedy film is a cult film in its own right. But it must be remembered at this point that it is originally a throwback from a true early classic of the horror genre, The Wolfman, filmed in 1946 and directed by George Waggner. Over the years the basic story of The Wolfman has been taken, hashed and re-hashed and re-presented, the latest incarnation being in 2010 starring Anthony Hopkins and Benicio del Toro. If we are just a tad sick of werewolf films in our modern times, An American Werewolf in London is a treat to watch, if only because it did something brave and original with the storyline and combined comedy in horror so successfully.
Jack and David are two American backpackers trekking across the Yorkshire moors. Nightfall brings them to a little Yorkshire village and they head to the local pub, The Slaughtered Lamb. The welcome they get is quite strange, the villagers are surly, they evidently don’t like strangers and the pub is “decorated” with animal heads and pentacles. Feeling uneasy the two friends head back out in to the night, only to be attacked by a mysterious creature. David is caught; Jack tries to run away at first but then turns back to rescue him. Not only does he fail to save his friend who dies, but is also attacked by the creature. This seems all very well and good, however there is a small catch even Jack himself has a bit of trouble getting his head around. The creature that attacked them was the local werewolf. And well, we all know what happens to people who get attacked by werewolves… Will Jack be able to come to terms with his fate – and convince the people around him in the modern world of 1970’s London that he is, in fact a werewolf? You will have to watch and see…
In an interview in the extras of the version I own of the DVD, director John Landis remembers with a smile how much difficulty he had actually getting the film funded. Horror-comedies as a genre are not that rare in themselves but the “problem” with this script is that it is a very, very successful combination. Horror-comedies will inevitably tend to be either one or the other really; most often they will end up being comedy films with integrated monsters. Landis however, doesn’t spare the horses as far as the horror goes. In fact we see Jack’s transformation into a werewolf a couple of times with no “hints” or cutaways, just full on special effects made to look as realistic and painful as possible. The same goes for the killings that inevitably take place all through the film. At the same time we have the character of Jack, who is really a very normal and nice teenager just getting along with his life having to battle this “curse” he never even knew existed just because he tried to save his friend. Then, there is a TON of comedy tropes that I will not disclose as yet, but they involve a ton of very successful special-effects and imaginative twists to the original story. So, ladies and gents you will literally be laughing out loud one minute and screaming with terror the next. It’s a real rollercoaster ride and a classic for a reason…