An American Werewolf in London (1981)
What can be said about this film whether you are a fan of this film or not there is no denying that it is groundbreaking for its special effects.
David(David Naughton) & his best friend Jack(Griffin Dunne) are backpacking through Europe they get to a place called the Slaughtered Lamb
In there, they are treated very poorly by the patrons of the pub and are asked to leave, but a kind waitress pleads that they are warned to stick to the road, beware the moors
They say this to each other as they leave the road
"OOPS!"
It is shortly after they leave the road and they hear an animal, maybe a dog? good doggy Jack says
Then the attack comes from the dark and is brutal.
We don't really see the animal until later in the film a lot of horror films were like that back in the day as they were more focused on character development than bloodshed.
David is scared but Jack is brutally killed, therefore hence the title of this film David will become a werewolf on the next full moon.
The transformation scene gave Rick Baker an Academy Award for his work
Below is a video that shows the whole scene, remember folks this is 1981 the film was released they had no CGI they had to do it all by hand.
David would start killing and of course not know what was happening as he blacks out after
My favorite scene besides the transformation is when he chases a man late at night through the subway.
The reason for that is the use of the camera and at the top of this picture, it is one of the times we get to see the creature we also get to feel his pain.
Jack keeps paying him visits in the hospital and also the home where the nurse allows him to stay.
Jack tells David that he has to kill himself or there will be more bloodshed from him on the next full moon. He keeps struggling with the fact that Jack is starting to waste away and he takes David to an adult theatre there in the audience is more of the dead.
Jack pleads one last time but for David, it is too late, and changes one last time.
He starts killing his victims in the theatre, the theatre is vacated quickly and barred up but he breaks loose and goes for the head of the police(literally)
He is cornered and shot and there we get the final image of a man that intended no harm but circumstances would be his final demise.
I absolutely LOVE this film for all its horror and humor also for the characters and even the slight romance.
Absolutely fantastic film, as were so many of its kind. Getting my hands on some of these films are rather difficult until recently. I was talking to a friend I work with at Dish Network about how it was so amazing that Dish went and not only bought Blockbuster but made it a better situation. This makes it easier to get old horror films easier and not have late fees or due dates. There are kiosks now and what I thought was pretty cool is you can order by mail to be delivered then trade in at the store if you change your mind. I love old horror films as they have an essence that new horror just can’t match. I’m not saying I dislike new horror films but there is definitely something lacking in the aura that made older films great. http://bit.ly/jP1NIT
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