"An American Werewolf in London"

Next up is "An American Werewolf in London" (1981). There are not many movies quite like this one. And I think that's OK. This movie is a fantastic mix of horror and comedy. Not quite like "Zombieland" or "Army of Darkness". The comedy is a bit darker, which fits the plot so well. Believe it or not, this was written and directed by the director of "Animal House", which we'll be watching very shortly.

Look at that moon! So foreboding!

While hitchhiking across Britain, American college students David and Jack come across a small village at night where they are run out of the pub The Slaughtered Lamb after asking too many questions. While trying to find their way through the foggy moors, they are attacked by a wolf, where Jack is killed and David is hospitalized after losing consciousness. The wolf was actually a werewolf, which was killed by the townsfolk who were sent by the barkeep of the Slaughtered Lamb. Before David loses consciousness, he sees a old naked man bleeding from his side, which ended up being the werewolf.

The first thing that must be said about this movie is the makeup is amazing. This movie comes from a time when makeup in movies was very important - not at all like today when they do minimal half-ass makeup and then just put some CG gloss over the top. Jack keeps reappearing as a haunt of for David, and every time he's shown his body has started to decay a little more. The whole time, he has the wounds he suffered from the werewolf. And the transformation scene! I feel like 1981 may have been the first time something of that caliber had ever been done in action the way it was. If you watch this movie for any reason, David's first transformation should be that reason. The werewolf itself isn't much to write home about, though. By the end of the movie, you'll get a little sick of seeing the same close-up of the face.

The second thing that needs to be said, is it is a little dry. The movie is about an hour and a half long, and David doesn't transform until the 60 minute mark. Before that it's a lot of talking. David trying to convince people he's not crazy, the doctor trying to find out if he is crazy, and slightly-too-long sex scene. It's not very engaging, but the banter between Jack and David during this time is worth sticking around for.

There have been many werewolf movies, but very few get it right."The Howling", "Ginger Snaps", "Ginger Snaps II", "Dog Soldiers", "The Wolfman", ""An American Werewolf in London". This movie gets it. It focuses on the psychosis, not the action. That's something that all these movies have in common, and that's an important thing.

If you enjoy horror, this is a watch. I wouldn't say it's scary, but it is damn good. And I love the cliffhanger ending. Huge fan ambiguous endings. I promised "Animal House" very soon, but we make a stop in the 70's-era San Diego first.