Something to howl about
There is nothing quite like introducing someone to An American Werewolf in London. Seeing them cringe and laugh is nothing short of priceless. Before I go on, here’s the skinny on the story.
David and Jack are backpacking across Europe. When they find themselves in a small village outside of London, things begin to get a bit a strange. The local pub, filled with town folks, doesn’t like their presence. David and Jack don’t get the tension at first, but soon find out that the folks are hiding something. Freaked out and ready to get out of the creepy town, both David and Jack make their way into the darkness. Told to stay on the road, they stray and they soon run into the villager’s secret; a werewolf is on the prowl. After killing Jack, and injuring David, the villagers come to the rescue and kill the beast. Waking up in London, David finds out all the horrible things that happened to Jack and actually meets the ‘dead’ Jack, who informs him that the nasty werewolf curse has been passed on to him. The only two choices David has is to hunt/kill people as the wolf or to kill himself. Tough decision.
This movie is another example, outside of Army of Darkness, where you can combine horror and comedy elements. John Landis, the director, is known for comedy; he has made such films as Animal House and Blues Brothers. When he put together An American Werewolf in London he brought those comedic elements into the horror genre. For example, when David meets all the people he has killed (towards the end of the film), they all start recommending ways he can kill himself. The exchange between taking pills to using a gun is warped, yet hilarious. In that same scene, which is shot in a porno theater, there is a porn playing and even that has some elements of comedy in it. Landis’ balance between scaring the crap out of you and making you laugh equals out to a fun experience.
Probably the biggest part of this film is the special effects. Academy Award-winning make-up artist Rick Baker puts some of his best work in this film. The transformation of David to the werewolf alone was groundbreaking for 1981. You get to see the entire transformation of this poor chap. You hear bones cracking and moving, you see hair pushing through the skin, even down to the fingernails, which are ripped away to replace them with claws. You get to visually experience what it feels like to go from human to werewolf; it’s pretty painful to say the least. Baker’s talents helped to make this film work really well. Another example is how David’s friend Jack is continually decaying. Jack’s like a train wreck, which is nasty to look at, but you simply can’t turn away from him. The first version of Jack is probably the grossest, as you’ll find rip marks on his face and throat (mmmmm!).
Are there any flaws to the film? Yes, the love story stinks. The idea of an American shacking up with a beautiful English woman and producing love in a four-day span is pretty far-fetched. Don’t get me wrong it works to an extent, but it really seems to be used as a device to keep David in London and to provide an emotional scene at the end of the movie. It just seems to quick and dirty to make it into love.
Blu mooooooooooon!
The transfer from original film to HD was breathtaking. The parts where you get to see Jack were extremely too detailed for my stomach to handle (no spaghetti for me, please!). The movie looks perfect, though. What’s even more impressive is that Baker’s make-up job on the actors actually looks better too. You get to see a deeper view of the cuts and gashes and it only increases the grotesqueness of the situation. What really outshines the visuals though is the audio. You not only get some really fantastic music (which is highly appropriate to each scene it’s attached), but the sound effects alone are enough to send shivers up your spine; just a fantastic Blu-ray all the way around.
As for features, here’s what you’re looking at:
– I Walked with a Werewolf (HD)
– Beware the Moon (HD)
– Making An American Werewolf in London, an Original Featurette
– Interview with John Landis
– Make-up artist Rick Baker interview
– Casting of the Hand
– Outtakes
– Storyboards
– Photograph Montage
– Feature Commentary
– BD-Live
I really liked what they packed in with this movie. This is how a good, well-respected film should look and feel when you purchase it on blu-ray. You have some great features here, with two in HD. Landis cracks me up and I could listen to him for hours, which is good because he seems to talk that long. The quality of the features is definitely worth the price of admission.