An American
Werewolf in London
1981
D: John Landis
**********
Pros: Comic Relief, Great Direction, Some good
characters, Restraint in building up the creature…
Cons: …until we see what the damn thing looks like,
Confused tone, Arguably an idiot plot
Wolfen
and The Howling were also released in
1981, but this movie seems to be the cream of that crop. I find this movie a bit hard to critique
since it has its flaws, and its comedic elements are hard to weigh against its
serious aspects. In fact, I was on
record of not liking this movie until I rewatched it for this review. I know “contrarian” remains on my blog’s
title banner as sort of a bad punchline, and I like to focus on my more
unpopular opinions. However, people like
this movie and not without good reason.
Rick Baker’s Oscar-winning effects and makeup are great, and the comic
relief is such that you have to watch it twice to appreciate it. The movie does have a bit of a tone problem
though. It shifts between humor and
horror, which would be fine if it had fewer flaws. The serious aspects of the movie prevent me
from simply brushing them off. It’s not quite
like Army of Darkness, where anything
goes.
The movie
begins with American students David Kessler (David Naughton) and Jack Goodman
(Griffin Dunne) hitchhiking in the Yorkshire moors. They enter a pub called “The Slaughtered
Lamb” and notice an upright pentagram on the wall. The patrons (Brian Glover, Lila Kaye, David
Schofield, Rik Mayall) become cryptic
and passive-aggressive when asked about it, and the boys decide to leave,
walking into the open during a full moon. After a suspenseful scene in which they are
pursued by an unseen creature, Jack is attacked and mauled to death by a
werewolf, which also bites David. David
is temporarily saved by the bar patrons, who arrived to kill the creature after
some debate. The last thing he remembers
is seeing a naked man’s body in the place of the creature. I can’t help but wonder that if these people
didn’t want the two boys to venture out into the open when a werewolf was
around, then why did they act like that
to them? The scene establishes good
chemistry between David and Jack, the cinematography is great, the gore is
satisfying, and Landis displays good restraint in depicting the monster.
David comes
to in a London hospital being treated by Dr. Hirsch (John Woodvine) and Nurse
Alex Price (Jenny Agutter). He
encounters an amusing cast of characters that includes the hilariously
insensitive American embassador Mr. Collins (Frank Oz). He is interviewed by Inspector Villiers (Don
McKillop) and his buffoonish but open-minded partner Sergeant McManus (Paul
Kember). Villiers insists that he was
attacked by a madman rather than an animal.
David begins to question his sanity, and this is made worse when he
encounters the undead soul of Jack, who tells him that he is werewolf. His dead friend informs him he must die
before he kills more people. His victims
are doomed to wander in limbo until the wolf’s bloodline is broken. The idea that a werewolf’s kills continue to
haunt him is quite clever. I like how
this doesn’t waste the two characters’ chemistry despite one’s death at the
beginning. It’s too bad Landis wasn’t
around to consult on G.I. Joe: Retaliation. It would have been interesting if one of the
undead had concluded he was hellbound, and thus was motivated to keep the curse
going as much as possible, being in conflict with those who want to be freed
from limbo. The makeup effects on Jack
are great, and he goes through more advanced states of decay with each
apparition.
David falls in love with Alex, even though
she should be more wary of such an emotionally disturbed, if nice, man. Here’s a problem I have with the plot: while
it’s understandable that David doesn’t want to believe what he’s going through,
he’s arguably being irresponsible. He
got bitten by a huge creature that immediately turned into a human upon death,
and his dead friend rose from the grave to tell him in no uncertain terms that
he is a werewolf. He is either
hallucinating rather critically or he has seen actual evidence that he is a
werewolf. Neither of these justify
brushing off the problem as he just did.
At the very least he needs professional help. Instead he moves in with Alex and has sex
with her. Apparently, lycanthropy is not
transmitted sexually in this movie, even though I tend to think that that would
make sense. While Alex is at work, he
transforms painfully into a werewolf in a celebrated scene. Rick Baker's effects here are great, and the lack of a
true reveal of the resultant monster also demonstrates good restraint. The
scene serves the story well. While I
like the metamorphosis effects better in The Howling, the overall scene is better in American
Werewolf because of Naughton’s acting.
The agony he sells is as important than any effect.
As a werewolf,
he kills a total of six people that night.
One could argue that his flippant treatment of the problem makes him
culpable for these deaths. A
particularly well-executed scene takes place when he kills one man (Michael
Carter) in the London Underground. The
scene is superbly shot, not showing the creature up to its end, and even then
we only see a frighteningly subtle
glimpse of the creature. Landis directs
a horror movie surprisingly well. He
wakes up naked in a zoo with no memory of the event, and this leads to some
funny moments, including his stealing balloons from a young boy (Rufus Deakin)
to cover his nakedness. His humorous
demeanor in this scene unfortunately clashes with what would be a logical
reaction: horror that he has either turned into a werewolf or undergone a
werewolf-themed fugue state. He should
be very worried about what he has done during this night. He doesn’t put two and two together until he
stumbles upon the news of the murders. Then he gets it. It’s hard to relate to the protagonist when
he lacks common sense.
More likable
is Dr. Hirsch. He starts out the movie
being amusingly witty, but as he begins to see holes in David’s case, he
investigates. When travels to the
countryside to visit “The Slaughtered Lamb,” but is brushed off by all the
patrons except one, who tells him the secret.
He still doesn’t believe this talk of lycanthropy, but he knows that
something is terribly wrong and tries to track down David to get him to
safety. He turns out to be one of the
stronger and more likable protagonists in the film, but he’s a secondary
character who ends up having little effect on the story’s outcome.
That night, a
distressed David is led into (for some reason) an adult theater by Jack, who
introduces him to the souls of the people he killed that night. After they try to talk him into committing
suicide, he remains in the theater until he transforms again into a
werewolf. Unfortunately, we finally have
to see what he looks like as one.
It looks more cute than intimidating. The shape is rather awkward and clumsy, not
to mention fluffy. The legendary Rick
Baker, for all the skill he possesses at his craft, made the questionable
decision to base the design off his Keeshond, and Keeshonden are not terribly
threatening dogs. They are
adorable, rolly-polly little balls of fluff that are so friendly that they are
often used as therapy dogs. Maybe I owe an apology to The Company of Belgian Tervurens. It’s one of
the most absurd attempts to pass off something cute as something scary, though I suppose
I’ve seen worse.
David then
goes on a bloody rampage in Piccadilly Circus, which results in some very
well-executed deaths of many people including Inspector Villiers and a guy
played by John Landis. Alex arrives on
the scene and attempts to calm the creature down when the latter is cornered in
an alley. Her pleas momentarily reach
him, but he reverts and is shot by policemen.
An American Werewolf in London does seem
a bit confused in its tone, but it’s never boring. The dialogue is very funny, and consistently
so. It’s not the type of humor that you
appreciate in one viewing, so I suggest watching it twice. Fans of good comedy will love the witty
dialogue, and fans of horror will love the violence, effects and atmosphere
(even if werewolf fans will be disappointed by the creature design). The design is difficult to pass of as a joke
because of how earnest the effects and direction in this movie are. The visuals are very good, with wonderful
scenery and effects. Landis truly shows
his skills as a director in this movie.
He also introduces many clever ideas into the story. However, there are many things to criticize
about the characters and story. I would
like to say that this is a horror comedy that subverts and deconstructs
audience expectations while remaining affectionate to the genre it’s
spoofing. This would justify the serious
buildup to a goofy creature reveal, but this theory is somewhat discredited in
my eyes by the depressing ending. Still,
if one doesn’t take it too seriously, it’s a very entertaining movie. I can see why this has stood the test of time
better than its contemporaries.
QUOTES
JACK: Thanks for the ride, sir. You have lovely sheep.
FARMER: Boys, just keep off the moors and stick to the
roads, and the best of luck.
DAVID: Thanks again.
[to sheep] We’ll miss you.
JACK: Bye, girls.
MR. COLLINS: These dumbass kids. They never appreciate what you do for them.
PORTER (ALBERT MOSES): Don’t ask me. I’m just an orderly. I move things around.
JACK: [appearing to
David as a ghost for the first time] Can I have a piece of toast?
DAVID: I will not be threatened by a walking meatloaf.
DAVID: [transforming
into a werewolf] I didn’t mean to call you a meatloaf, Jack!
CHILD: A naked American man stole my balloons.
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