An American Werewolf in London

‘An American Werewolf in London’ is yet another of the “modern” werewolf stories. This time, two young American men are out backpacking across Europe, and they find their way out on the English moors. Of course it’s a dark, moonlit night, and of course the locals warn them to not go out, and of course they go. When they’re attacked by a mysterious “animal,” one of them dies, and the other is horribly wounded. The locals do help in one way: they manage to kill the creature.

Now the fun begins. David (David Naughton), the sole survivor awakens in a hospital room, and is visited by his dead friend, Jack (Griffin Dunne). He tells David what happened to them, and that he’s going to become a werewolf. His suggestion: David should kill himself to prevent it from happening! Just the sight of Jack’s torn and tattered body is enough to make you cringe. He continues to decompose over the course of the film; it’s quite disgusting. Yet, these scenes also provide the main exposition and comedic touches.

After David leaves the hospital, a series of grisly murders take place, and he begins to suspect that Jack is right. As with so many werewolf movies, there really isn’t a happy ending.

This film was one of the first to make use of new make-up technology that allowed for the werewolf transformation to appear to take place completely on camera. It is both fascinating and terrifying. You’ll be watching it with only one eye open!