An American Werewolf in London (1981)
81 %
Reviews Counted: 36 Fresh: 29 Rotten:7 Average Rating: 7.2/10
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Synopsis: In this grisly black comedy, David Kessler and Jack Goodman (David Naughton and Griffin Dunne, respectively) are two American students on a backpacking tour of Europe. Wandering the backroads of gloomy East Proctor, England, they find a pub where the unhelpful locals act suspiciously... [More]
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Starring: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, John Woodvine
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Reviews
Comment
Undeniably delivers a good share of scares and dark laughs. And for all its lack of discipline, it's a model of directorial clarity when compared with Landis's subsequent work, which inexorably descended into indulgence and foolishness.
09/23/07
Carnivorous lunar activities rarely come any more entertaining than this.
09/23/07
A clever mixture of comedy and horror which succeeds in being both funny and scary, An American Werewolf in London possesses an overriding eagerness to please that prevents it from becoming off-putting.
09/23/07
Top Critic
It's a failure, less because the odd stylistic mix doesn't take (it does from time to time, and to striking effect) than because Landis hasn't bothered to put his story into any kind of satisfying shape.
09/23/07
Top Critic
One of the all-time great horror movies, a pitch-perfect mix of belly laughs and genuine scares.
07/23/07
Director John Landis brings humor to this offbeat reworking of the familiar tale for which Rick Baker received a well deserved Oscar for his makeup (in the first year of that category).
03/27/07
You've got to give John Landis credit for taking the well-worn werewolf tale and injecting it with new life, so to speak.
01/01/07
Landis leans too heavily on the shock effects provided by Rick Baker's lycanthropic transformation make-up.
06/24/06
Seems curiously unfinished, as if director John Landis spent all his energy on spectacular set pieces and then didn't want to bother with things like transitions, character development, or an ending.
10/23/04
Top Critic
Related Forums
(1981)-AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON-26 yrs. later: somewhat dated, but still funny!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/13/07
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/13/07
(1981)-AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON-26 yrs. later: somewhat dated, but still funny!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/13/07
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/13/07
(1981)-AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON-26 yrs. later: somewhat dated, but still funny!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/13/07
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/13/07
(1981)-AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON-26 yrs. later: somewhat dated, but still funny!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/13/07
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/13/07
The definitive werewolf film
by: jtsportswriter 9/7/07
by: jtsportswriter 9/7/07
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