Rating: 
Summary: ONE OF THE SCARIEST MOVIES EVER MADE!!!
Review: This is one of the few movies that have consistently given me nightmares since I was a child. It is at least a decade ahead of its time. Most of the negative criticisms that I have read use the word "uneven" a lot. Even Roger Ebert, whom I admire, claimed that the humor and the horror were an uneasy mix. This was years before he gave the movie Scream a positive review. Now I LIKE the movie Scream, but there is no way that one can claim that it gets the balance right whereas Werewolf gets it wrong. Scream simply benefits from occurring in the cynical nineties - Werewolf suffers from being avant guard. .The new DVD has a few good extras on it - especially a new interview with Landis. Even after all these years, the film still holds up. Unlike most films, I see more things in it the more I look. What, for instance, is up with the townsfolk of East Proctor and what is their relationship with the original werewolf? My guess - they brought it on themselves somehow. Maybe one of their own ran over a gypsy and was cursed. Instead of killing the bloke, they all decide to hide beneath the pentangle in The Slaughtered Lamb every full moon. I am recently returned from England and this movie is listed in Fodor's as one of the films that best showcases London. I heartily agree. I visited the infamous tube stop at Tottenham Court Road and it still looks much the same as when the David made his kill there. And as I walked, alone in the countryside, beneath the light of the full moon, I had to ask myself, "Am I crazy?" Fortunately, I made it to the pub. There I waited, beneath the pentangle, for my friends to walk me home.
Rating: 
Summary: Amusing horror hokum with some nice touches
Review: John Landis crafts an enjoyable piece of horror hokum, a tongue-in-cheek werewolf thriller that gives an affectionate nod to the old horror movies and also manages to deliver a few scares. The title says it all: The mainstay of the film's humour, at least for the first half, is the irony of an American finding himself in England. The jokes are as much a poke at American perceptions of England as jabs at Englishmen themselves, from the class-riddled consciences of the native characters (they are all either inferiors or superiors) to the grim, rural northerners ("Don't go out on't'moors" -- and we all know what happens next). Special effects were pioneering, and still look pretty good today. Naughton transforms spectacularly into an actual wolf, albeit a pretty hefty one, rather than the half-wolf/half-man of an earlier era. The soundtrack helps with the irony. Watch out for the alluring Jenny Agutter. If Amazon allowed half-stars, I'd have added an extra half to my three. Entertaining, if macabre, stuff.
Rating:
Summary: David Naughton is the werewolf! Great 1950's music!
Review: David Naughton and Griffin Dunne are together again for the Audio Commentary of this Collector's Edition of the now-classic An American Werewolf in London (1981). They laugh together as they share their memories about filming the movie and share some interesting tidbits for you. Bonus materials: An original five-minute featurette on the Making of An American Werewolf in London (Behind-the scenes). A new 18-minute interview with John Landis. An 11-minute interview with Academy Award winner Make-up Artist, Rick Baker. Also a very interesting featurette with David Naughton and the make-up crew on the casting and molding of David's hand and arm. The Outtakes are for ADULTS ONLY to see and hear. One outtake is pornographic. Absolutly the best werewolf film ever made. It's scary and made as a comdy too. it gave me the chills in the movie theatre. Goosebumps all over my arms. David Naughton (Dr. Pepper commercials, Makin' It tv-series and song) is perfect in the lead role. Griffin Dunne plays David's friend. jenny Agutter (Logan's Run [1976]) plays David's nurse and soon to be his lover. Lila Kaye plays the barmaid. The special effects in this film were new at the time. No computer imaging in this one because it had not been invented yet. Not for choldren to see. Film includes male frontal nudity, female nudity, pornographic scenes and audio, and very bloody and gory violence. Adults Only!
Rating: 
Summary: CLASSIC WEREWOLF MOVIE
Review: A YOUNG AMERICAN [DAVID NAUGHTON] AND HIS FRIEND ARE BITTEN BY A WEREWOLF IN THE WOODS OF LONDON. HIS FRIEND DIES, BUT HE SURVIVES. SOON, HE BEGINS TO BECOME A BLOODTHIRSTY WEREWOLF. VERY THRILLING AND VERY FUNNY TOO. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST WEREWOLF MOVIES OF ALL TIME. IF YOU WANNA SEE A HORROR MOVIE THAT ACTUALLY MAKES SOME SENSE, WATCH THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE WOLF LOOKS FANTASTIC. FOLLOWED YEARS LATER BY AN IN NAME ONLY SEQUEL.
Rating:
Summary: Horror Comedy Need Not Amuse But Cause Wonder
Review: Hollywood werewolves have long been characterized as serious creatures who lope after their victims like an hirsuit Groucho Marx. The image of this loping werewolf was originally etched by Lon Chaney and succeeding generations of actors merely continued his style. But with AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, director John Landis not only pushed the werewolf back down on all fours so it would resemble nothing less than a bristling mobile lycan tank but he also added a much needed touch of humor to force viewers to stand apart momentarily from the gore to contemplate what they had just seen. David Naughton and Griffin Dunne are two Americans backpacking their way through a gloomy English moor right out of Heathcliffe's WUTHERING HEIGHTS. They are attacked by a howling werewolf who kills Dunne but merely bites Naughton before it itself is shot by villagers. This introductory scene in which Naughton and Dunne are banished by an unfriendly group of pub drinkers is an unsettling mixture of creepy fear leavened with biting wit. It is precisely this same melding of horror and humor that suggests that the viewer engage in extremes of emotions that range from laughing to choking, with the viewer sometimes not sure which one to choose. Jenny Agutter is a much underappreciated actress who shines as a nurse who falls for Naughton, and cannot understand a radical change in his eating habits as he increasingly comes to prefer his meat extra rare. Agutter adds an unexpected dimension to a role that in another and less competent director's hands might have relegated her to little more than a fetching piece of English eye candy. Griffin Dunne supplies visceral humor as a corpse that keeps popping up, like Hamlet's father's ghost, at opportune times to remind Naughton that the price to pay to be free from lycanthropia may be a tad too high. And then there is the music, played in much the same vein as Simon & Garfunkle's lyrics from THE GRADUATE, but here Credence Clearwater Revival's lilting "Bad Moon Rising" punctuates the eye popping transformation scenes that a bad moon leads to bad vibes. Finally, the special effects of Rick Baker are stunning in that you can see bones elongating, fur sprouting, and nostrils stretching as Naughton is seen scaring himself as much as the audience. Ultimately, AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON is a ground breaker in the werewolf genre in that sight and sound combine to present creatures as helpless in their own way as their victims are in their own.
Rating:
Summary: Even a man who's pure of heart and says his prayers by Night
Review: May turn into a snarling hell-hound that boogies down to Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising" while tearing up yuppies in Kensington and uptight bankers in the London Underground---all when the wolvesbane blooms and the Moon is shining bright, of course. Made in 1981 (a great year for movie Lycanthropes on both sides of the Atlantic) Landis's "American Werewolf" is for my money the greatest werewolf movie ever made, and coincidentally marks Landis's directorial high-water mark. While backpacking across the UK, and shortly after a pit stop at the inhospitable Inn of the Slaughtered Lamb, American friends David Kessler (a fine role by the underrated DAvid Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne)are attacked by a mysterious beast on the moors. The dimly glimpsed beast tears Jack's throat out and savages David, who is hospitalized and London, cared for by a pretty English nurse (nicely played by Jenny Agutter). Tormented by increasingly horrific dreams and plagued by ghoulish visions, David soon realizes that he has problems far worse than the cancellation of his summer-long EurailPass. "An American Werewolf in London" has long been regarded as a comedic horror film, and it's not hard to see why. The title is campy and glib, the film itself has a cocky and sarcastic air about it, and the dialogue between the increasingly Lupine David and his ghastly revenant friend Jack is wickedly, blackly funny. But "American Werewolf in London" is not a funny movie; it is far more of a classic evocation of the black, wild terror you feel when you find that the hungry, uncontrollable beast that stalks the night and slakes its thirst with the blood of innocents---is you. Landis, who had a fine touch for the comedic, sarcastic flair, uses funny barbs and witty dialogue to heighten the terror, the mounting horror, of David's plight. Landis has created a work of sheer, diabolic genius, channeling the stuff of pure nightmare: think of the stalking scene where a City banker is pursued by something---something too awful for the camera to show, we feel---through the anonymous, antiseptic, endless tube-like passageways of the London Underground. From the moment we hear the snarling, coughing bark coming from the darkened tunnel to the second some brutish thing comes slouching upon its cowering victim, we have left the world of film and entered the world of nightmare. Rick Baker's special effects are outstanding: the prosthetic and gore effects are so shocking, so gruesome, and so organic that the film (especially on the crisp Special Edition transfer) looks like it could have been made yesterday. But when all is said and done, the real credit for this masterwork comes back to Landis: here is the work of a director in the prime of his career, finely balancing comedy with terror, and willing to take a chance. Those inured to its shocks from having watched the film hundreds of times may not realize what an insidious, subversive little piece of grue this is, but think about it: Landis zigged where a lesser director would have zagged, and the result is the stuff of nightmare. Where did those squealing Nazi pig-soldiers come from, anyway? I don't know, but thanks to Landis they have been regular guests in more of my nightmares than I can remember. Dreamy, surreal, hysterical and terrifying, modern and classical at once, "An American Werewolf in London" is the greatest werewolf film of all time, and a fitting meditation on the Beast within.
Rating:
Summary: great horror and effects
Review: a werewolf movie surely a classic of horror and effects. the transformation of David Naughton turning into the werwold if surely horrific and painful. the chase scene in the subway is great and at the end with the adult theater is electric. the beginning with the vast land and the nice touchs with the rain are highlights
Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable horror thriller.
Review: I wasn't really looking forward to watching An American Werewolf in London, but the film has gained a strong cult reputation over the past two decades, and that was enough for me to give it a shot. For the most part, the film is deserving of its rep. Werewolf movies are pretty rare these days, finding a good one is even rarer. And even though AWIL wouldn't overall qualify as a great film, the fact that it's among the best of its subgenre is a good implication of the lack of quality evident in movies based around lycanthropes. David Kessler and Jack Goodman (David Naughton and Griffin Dunne) are two American friends on vacation in the hills of England. One dark and foggy night, they're attacked by a werewolf, Jack is eviscerated while David is only injured. He awakens in a hospital, put under the care of pretty nurse Alex Price (Jenny Agutter), whom he quickly finds himself attracted to (and vice versa). But the day he's to be discharged, he's met by the undead spirit of Jack, who informs David that he will turn into a werewolf during the next full moon, and will proceed to go on a killing spree. The only way he can end his torment is to die, an option David is not willing to accept. The opening scenes, set in the hills of England, display a quietly creepy atmosphere (which would be evident throughout all of Dog Soldiers, the best werewolf movie ever made) that gets the film rolling to a good start. Surprisingly, once the movie settles into its London setting, it doesn't lose momentum. This is thanks mostly to the budding romance between Naughton and Agutter, which is really sweet and believable. The two also share one of the steamiest love scenes I've seen. Naughton is very likeable as the cursed young man, infusing his role with youthful energy and vitality. Because of his performance, it's hard not to find his dilemma distressing and even poignant. Agutter is excellent as David's new love, taking what could have been a cliched role and shaping it into a focused and layered performance. No one else makes much of an impression, except maybe Griffin Dunne as the ever decaying, undead Jack. Much of this movie's fan base stands behind it because of its humor. But to be honest, except for a morbidly funny scene inside a porno theater (involving David talking to all his victims), I didn't really get much in the way of laughs. Who knows, I may have to give the film another look to get all the jokes, but An American Werewolf in London feels like it mostly wants to be taken seriously, and director John Landis packs in enough tense and suspenseful moments to make it work as such. The most famed aspect of the film is David's transformation, a scene that show off Rick Baker's superlative make-up work. However, not as impressive is when the werewolf actually moves about while stalking and attacking its victims. A couple of scenes are obviously nothing more than a bunch of f/x guys waving a furry animatronic wolf head at would-be victims, not exactly effective when it comes to evoking pure, shuddering terror. The abrupt ending is initially bothersome, but further thought has convinced me that to continue with the film after the final scenes would have been unnecessary and probably less emotionally effective. This is one superb horror thriller.
Rating:
Summary: Beware of the moon!!!
Review: Excellent movie! The beginning of the film is downright scary. As the 2 characters wonder through the moors at night, and the werewolf is howling in the distance, then gradually gets closer and closer, scary stuff.
Another awesome scene is in the subway. This movie still stands the test of time.
Rating:
Summary: 3.7 out of 5
Review: AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON is undoubtedly one of the greatest horror films ever made. David Naughton stars as a young American tourist attacked by a werewolf in England; meanwhile, he is visited by his dead friend Jack (Griffin Dunne), falls in love with his nurse (Jenny Agutter), and is called insane when none of the locals (lead by Brian Glover) will admit the creature exists. Director John Landis throws in some black comedy right when it's needed and knows all the right moves; his script is very fun. There's also a good soundtrack (including a very short score by Elmer Bernstein), nice performances by the cast - but of course, the true highlight of the film is Rick Baker's make-up, which won the first Academy Award for "Best Makeup". Baker's make-up couldn't even come close to being matched today; words cannot explain the sheer brilliance in his work! Followed by an in-title-only sequel in 1997.
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