LOL, I knew somebody was going to comment on this line from her reaction. That's what those twilight movies will do to you though. This movie is painfully realistic for a supernatural flick.
This movie transformed me when I was 11 and made me want to make monsters for a living, years later I got to work with my childhood hero and makeup creator for this movie, Rick Baker. It was a dream come true.
@rudy2fat No it just means people wanted to witness things themselves, which is why they were gathering around. Pretty much as soon as video cameras became widespread people began recording things.
TV was limited to what your antenna could pick up (4 good 3 bad/fuzzy for me) and then your stuck with whatever programming there was for those channels. Same with radio. Staying at someone's house, whatever books, newspapers or magazines they had. That was it for entertainment, oh wait forgot about records, records were very important. No VCR yet, no CDs, no computers, phones were physically wired with rotary dials and you might be sharing with your neighbors as they were expensive. Board games and puzzles were options as well. Otherwise you had arts, crafts, other hobbies and cooking. Don't forget smoking!
Funny thing is no one sits with a cell phone im their hand for more than say 5 minutes a day here. So the scene in London would be the same in Denmark if it was filmed today. It can take years to catch a person with a cell phone in their hand. Americans always talk about that on youtube. That no one walks around with them outside. Or have them out at a restaurant. Phones is only something 8-9 year olds have in their hand.
@@SalvableRuin he's saying that SHE is very dipsy and that shes very honest about it. She could erase all her dumb coments but she always leaves them in, so in that regard she's very honest about herself.
I'll not argue that being a stand-alone classic line, but I HAVE to note that The Big Bang Theory had my all-time fave TV line, delivered by Stewart after Penny mistakenly (while making out) called him by Leonard's name. Leonard: "That has to be the last thing you wanted to hear." Stewart: "Well, it beats 'you know I'm a dude, right'? "
I used to go into the pub where the slaughtered lamb's internal shots were filmed as kid. There is a fake wall which was never there in real life, pretty cool. The pub is still there in Surrey! Shout out to Rik Mayall who can also be seen in the early pub shots. The man was comedy royalty (and still is) here in the UK - He sadly passed away in 2014 😔
For real? That’s awesome. I bet they serve food now. I’m from Canada 🇨🇦 Surrey here (Vancouver, BC) is not great. I understand it’s a lovely area there.
Glad someone mentioned Rik Mayall. Haven't seen this movie since it came out, and it was a pleasure to see Rik in it, since becoming a big fan of The People's Poet.
Funnily enough, I believe they filmed the scene on the moors near where I live in Mid Wales. The beginning's supposed to be set in Scotland, right? It's funny that the film crew would travel all over the UK for their Scot scenes, except to Scotland.
1981 and the transformation scene is STILL one of the best ever filmed. And the whole issue of dealing with the AFTERMATH of being a werewolf is one of the LEAST used story arcs being used. Finding another werewolf movie that actually sends the MAIN character into a downward spiral of insanity AND remorse is almost unheard of. Outside of a handful of werewolf movies, the themes that this one stepped outside the 'horror genre' to touch on are amazing. No wonder that this is a 40 year old CLASSIC that still stands up to most movies, even if the acting/direction is obviously dated.
I know you did it for emphasis, but due to how often it was used, when I read your post I pretended like you had the hiccups or some sort of tourette's every time you used caps lock lmao For real, though, this movie is gold. Pure gold.
It set off the wolfish in his lovemaking. Stay as a werewolf by jailing himself during full moons, allowing scientists to observe and analyze. Why didn't his parents fly to london to see him after 4 weeks?
@@globextradingsystemsllc1740 Because airfares were a crapload more expensive then and they had other kids to look after. The embassy might have assured his parents he was expected to recover or maybe they had planned to fly over or get him a ticket home. Phone calls were a lot more expensive and he may have only called home every week or two, plus there is no telling how quickly the embassy might work to notify his parents. It could have easily been two weeks before his parents even found out. Having said that... Maybe it was initially scripted as a faster recovery, say one week, when he calls his parents from the phone booth, but then Jack would have appeared two weeks sooner and he might have had time to think about his predicament and form a plan. This way he only has a few days before the full moon, and rightfully doubts Jack's appearance as an hallucination or bad dream. Then he is panicked and doesn't know how to handle it after the first killing. He is distraught and guilt ridden and just not thinking straight. He really only has a few hours to contemplate his situation before transforming again. Often story inconsistencies are missed in the editing. After watching a couple of reactions, it seems to me Jack deteriorates too quickly. His first appearance is meant to be three weeks after his killing, and he looks like a freshly washed corpse, (though he seems to have too much colour for a corpse). A day or two later he is green from decomposition, then the following afternoon his flesh is falling off and he is skeletal.
This is a horror film with moments of dark comedy. The ending is properly abrupt, as it's David's story (and, essentially, a tragedy). I appreciate the risks taken with this movie and how it subverts expectations/formulaic tropes.
@@calvinwilliamsjr.6612 I’m referring to the film tropes that were already developed by 1981 (after 73 years of filmmaking, by that point) rather than the ones of today. This movie was unique, even for its time.
Avoiding expectations and common tropes of the era is why the film does not seem dated. It really stands up well and I think that is because it is such an atypical film of its time period.
I don't see what the problem is. It's his story, when he dies it's over for him and it releases his victims. There's really nothing more to say. Why there's a place in the Yorkshire moors where there are werewolves isn't really the point.
My favorite part is when David is at the adult movie theater with the ghosts of his friend and his victims and they're all telling him to kill himself and he asks if he needs a silver bullet and Jack tells him to stop being ridiculous and please be serious as if everything else that is happening somehow made more sense than that. It was such a great choice of dialogue. Also the fact that the huge werewolf in Picadilly Circus causes more deaths by car accidents than by actually directly attacking them was a touch of genius.
I definitely agree with the collateral deaths. Not many movies touch on that: they tend to portray people as unrealistically sensible in such situations. Years ago I was at one of those professional haunted houses where people in costumes try to scare you. You go into it knowing the whole thing is fake. I was lumped in with a group of about 20 strangers and we went through the thing together. About 2/3 of the way through, we were in a passageway narrow enough that it was single file only. I was towards the back of the group, and there was a group of 3 women behind me. Suddenly, I hear them scream and they pushed me out of the way to move up the line. I turn around and see a guy in a clown costume with a chainsaw coming at us from behind. The point of the story is those three ladies knew the whole thing was fake going into it, and they still lost control of their actions when they got scared (one of them did apologize after she calmed down, so there is that). I shudder to think what they would have done had the danger been real.
@@Tantalus010 - This is a great point (well illustrated by your story), in any given crowd of random people there's enough diversity of life experience; levels of composure; mental illness; hero complex; bystander effect; etc. to basically cover every type of human reaction imaginable to a scenario as insane as the films climax. We're a strange bunch, us humans!
A few years ago, just down the road from here, a guy with mental/emotional issues turned up at his ex-wife's front door in an agitated state carrying a Samurai sword. Funnily enough, she didn't let him in and called the police instead. The resultant mad, movie-esque chase through multiple streets and gardens left ten policemen injured before the guy was arrested. The thing is though, he never touched any of them: the nearest he came was smashing a police car windscreen. A few of the injuries were falls and sprains incurred as they chased him, but the vast majority happened when police cars crashed into each other as they arrived at the scene from different directions, in a situation where normal traffic rules obviously didn't apply. The cars were literally the most dangerous element in the entire situation...
Truly, the dialog within the 'adult' movie is another piece of genius, as is the grunting and groaning with the second transformation, which is a BLATANT spoof on other noises one might hear at such a movie.
It's sort of implied that she really did get through to him in the end and that he simply chose to force the cops to shoot him, because he knew there was no other way. Which, if that's true, would be even more dark and tragic than than this story already is on the surface.
When she says she loves him, the wolf's aggressive expression softens into almost a look of sadness for a moment. Rick Baker and the animatronic designers and puppeteers really knocked it out of the park.
@@thegamingcook785 that's more a trauma block (psychologically and physically) it happens with military members, firefighters, cops and trade workers and medical professionals Or someone who goes through alot of excruciating pain to the point they even repress it Plus David saw his friend murdered and felt guilty for it, which added to his block , you can even see his pause when he speaks about reading and then waking up at the zoo He didn't forget it he intentionally psychologically blocked it out
He could have forced the cops to shoot him at anytime since he was trapped. I think it was just a scene to create some tension and have Jenny there for the ending, playing on the "love conquers all" trope.
“This is a weird movie. Sometimes it’s vibe is serious, sometimes maybe being funny, sometimes it’s….gross.” - Ryan George Pitch Meeting quote for this video
I always loved how the Twilight werewolf transformation is just quick, light, and painless, as if changing your entire skeletal structure, adding a couple hundred pounds of muscle, growing claws, fangs and fur all in the span of a few seconds could be anything _but_ excruciating.
@@Tantalus010John Landis(the director) told Rick Baker(the makeup artist) that he wanted a werewolf transformation that hadn’t been done before. He said it didn’t seem right to him that if you were gonna change into a werewolf or some other creature that you would just sit in the corner of a chair like Lon Chaney Jr in Universal’s The Wolf Man and be perfectly still except each time you’re in a slightly different position when you do the lap dissolves. He thought it would be painful and wanted to show the pain. He also wanted the character to be able to move around, and have the scene shot in a brightly lit room.
The scariest scene, IMO, is when they're out on the moors and hear the wolf slowly, steadily approaching. Just like the scene of David's restlessness the night before he transforms, he/you know it's coming, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. THAT is how you do scary.
@@hanburgundy4317 Totally agree with you! Although the entire movie scared me, the scariest scene for me was when they were on the moors - and the howling got closer and closer...
Depends who you ask. By today's standards in Gore and slasher pics it's not, but it was a huge step up from the older style horrors film which were based on suspense and often just a guy with a bit of makeup, and many times you didn't see the creature well if at all. Of course there are plenty of horror movies that are solely suspense driven - the latest one that comes to mind is Blair Witch. Since Cassie hasn't seen this film before and she has avoided them for years, she is likely more sensitive. Where she was reeling in horror, myself and others were in awe of the great effects.
I liked the ending. It linked back well with how the first werewolf was killed on The Moors. I also think sometimes it is better when films don't try and explain things in too much detail as answering questions you might be thinking can dispel the spookyness.
Yes except id say "usually better" rather than "sometimes better". Sherlock Holmes movies where after the finale wheres theres a kind of "outro" scene where Sherlock explains everything and ties it all up in a neat bow are all very well but too.... manufactured. Real lifes not like that and being left with questions is perfectly natural. i dont understand the need for "closure" and to immediately move on - "Next!".
@@ravenmasters2467 yeah but sadly a lot of the time if you don't explain every little thing at the end or throughout the movie even if mystery or being left up to interpretation is part of it then people will complain and call all the unexplained parts "plot holes" and the movie will get panned leaving the fans who do understand it with an obnoxious cross to bare, that being that they will be explaining the movie to people for the rest of their lives
The quick sharp ending without a long denouement is a trait that John Landou and his director friends followed and preferred: "to end it and get out of there" is what he said in one interview on the Masters of Horror series.
I will forever remember the first time I saw this movie, in 1983. We rented it and watched it during dinner. The point before he changes, when he looks in the fridge and says "I'm not hungry", at that very moment my stepmother told me to eat my peas and I said "I'm not hungry" right along with him on the t.v. My stepmother and I laughed, and for once I did not have to eat my peas. :D
Jenny Agutter was really great in this film. She would then be involved in Child’s Play 2 as Joanne Simpson and two Marvel films (2012’s Avengers and Captain America: Winter Soldier) as one of the council members.
Yeah I think people forget this is how it used to be. I mean, if you go back even further to stuff from the 30's, 40's and 50's you'd usually have a character just say a line that kind of summed up the mood and you'd immediatley cut to a THE END title card and that was it. Thanks for coming. Many films, especially horror movies were still ending pretty abruptly in the 70's and 80's. If you've said what you needed to say, why drag it out? Let the audience think about it and fill in the gaps if there are any.
@@carpetfluff35 Just rewatched Halloween and it ends in the same abrupt wtf manner. Never noticed this trend among older horror movies but I do now lol
21:30: Tottenham Court Road underground station. I used this station a lot during the 1980s on my way to and from work. After I saw this movie in 1981 the station never seemed quite the same.😉
"How did they do that?" Rick Baker is a master at practical effects. And as good as these are, those in "The Thing" (1982) are just as good, if not better.
Rick has a youtube channel and he puts up videos on how he does make up effects. The transformation effects you see in this movie are the same ones that were used in the music video Michael Jacksons Thriller.
it was a perfect ending. this was the time before Hollywood decided everything had to be neatly explained. this is the only way it could end - he had to die. and since he left no survivors of his bite, the line of werewolves that he is a part of has ended. also his friend and the other people he killed can now move on from limbo. what more do we need? we can easily fill in the blanks ourselves and mourn for David and the woman he loved, who loved him back.
Wholeheartedly agree, and what makes these types of ending all the more perfect is when you get to laugh at the other viewers reactions who are just left dumbfounded! Absolutely brilliant
@@doughyjoey_8742 the good news is they're not gonna remake this as reported they're gonna focus on the people at the slaughtered lamb in a prequel series It will reference the David and Jack attacks at the moors and the Piccadilly Circus attacks but will be centered around them The producers of the walking dead are starting production next year I think that's the right choice
When this movie was released in 1981, my mom would not let us see it. Ironically, the next year she took us to see The Thing. Anyway, love your reactions. Keep it going.😀
For the purpose of storytelling, werewolves will generally change for three nights in a row. I found this the perfect blend of comedy and horror. Love the friendship, the best transformation scene, the sexy nurse, and the grand finale finish. He's dead, his girlfriend is crying, the pub keeps its secret. The 'true love will save' trope is ignored. To me, one of the best out there. Thanks for reacting to this one. Maybe the wrong time of day? And now you will always remember "A naked American man stole my balloons."
*For the purpose of storytelling, werewolves will generally change for three nights in a row* Yeah, cuz if it was only once per month the other characters would have no time to catch on Also because casual viewers can't actually tell a full moon from an almost-full one anyway
@@Tantalus010 I was gonna say that! I don't know why people seem to be under the notion that there's only every one night of full moon per month. Admittedly, many werewolf movies seem to go by that idea too...
It actually is for many people the best werewolf movie ever, and yes, a great movie in general, but of course when it comes to best movie among all, a terror/comedy movie wouldn’t be one of them, but yes, as a terror movie and a cult movie: it’s VERY important.
For some reason, this movie bores me out of my mind. It always has, and I've never been able to watch it without fast-forwarding. I also don't like the acting at all. This movie just doesn't do it for me, I guess, so I would not put it on any "best films" list.
It does. At least on horror film lists. It is regarded as a horror classic , and generally regarded as the absolute best werewolf film ever made. Excellent horror films almost never get the wide recognition that they deserve.
Jenny Agutter is at her most beautiful to me in this movie, even more than in Logan's Run. I remember David Naughton going on to act in the sitcom "My Sister Sam". it only lasted 1 season because the actress Rebecca Schaeffer, who played the younger sister Patti was shot and killed in front of her apartment by an obsessed fan in 1989. RIP Rebecca. I first saw this movie when I was like 6 years old back in 1984. I never get tired of that transformation scene, hands downs, the best ever shot.
Remember, she changed costumes in the ice cave, great scene. She’s physically beautiful but her type of English accent combined with her acting style also make her sexy.
Jenny Agutter in Logan's Run gave me really naughty thoughts as a 10 year old boy!! Lol!! I've seen that movie a couple times since and I really can't say things have changed very much to do with that!
I actually have always found this to be an excellent movie for a number of reasons. The setup of the friendship between David and Jack makes everything feel just so REAL. As you noted, their conversation and the way they interacted was just so natural, so believable, that you start to like the two of them very quickly. The initial panic when they are attacked and David runs - then turns to go back - seriously felt like a reaction you might see someone do. And while the ending was shocking and sad - it made sense. What made the ending so uncomfortable was that they had done such an excellent job of making us care about the characters! The special effects were also something rather special. This was "pre CGI" and they came up with some totally new techniques, with hair actually "growing" right on camera The body changes pretty much happened on set and they filmed them. I remember reading about it back when the movie came out and being impressed.
Yes, it added a real human dimension to everyone involved. David who didn't want to kill anyone but also didn't want to die, his victims whose families lost loved ones and were now doomed to suffer eternal limbo. combining it with a psychological approach of the doctor who thought he might think he was a werewolf and start acting out. Much of it felt "organic", as they say. The low level comedy, like the Frank Oz character and the Scotland Yard detectives, the cheezy porno, take you away from the horror element so the contrast becomes much sharper when something does happen.
As a Yorkshireman & someone who’s lived in the Yorkshire Dales most of my life, I can confirm that all our pubs are like that; yes, even the pentagram!! 😂 Trivia time: the pub scene features two sadly missed legends of British stage & screen. Brian Glover (the man telling the joke) & Rik Mayall (the chess player). The village which doubled for East Proctor isn’t in Northern England/ Yorkshire Dales. It is in fact located in Wales. The initial attack on the moors was actually filmed in the grounds of Windsor Castle. The US Embassy Official is played by none other than Frank Oz; the man who puppeteers & voices Yoda, Cookie Monster, Grover, Sam The Eagle & countless other Muppets. Director John Landis is seen in the Piccadilly Circus scene; he’s the man who’s hit by a car & knocked through the window.
And the film showing at the cinema - "See You Next Wednesday" is a phrase that appears in many John Landis movies: it's on a billboard in the Blues Brothers and is heard in the soundtrack to the movie Michael Jackson goes to at the start of the Thriller video.
This was the movie that inspired Michael Jackson to ask John Landis to direct his 'Thriller' music video. A lot of the same growls, howls and screaming that are in this were also featured there where the werewolf is concerned.
Cassie, whatever your final rating of this movie would be, the reaction was FANTASTIC! (also: excellent edit! Who ever edited this did a really great job on it). PS: Thanks for letting us vote in the brackets poll!
The Joke at the beginning. Frog is British slang for Frenchman, (as frog legs was a dish in some parts of France). The Yank, says "Remember the Alamo!", which was a famous location in the Mexican-American war, popularised by the 1960 John Wayne movie, creatively called The Alamo. *(In Britain any US person might be referred to as a Yank, (from Yankee), but in the US it generally meant someone from the northern states. An old term. maybe came from the Civil War?) The joke itself plays on the perception that British and French were more self sacrificing and threw themselves out of the plane to save the others, but the American threw someone else out, and it was the Mexican due to the battle of the Alamo. Could be a movie for your classics. The location at the beginning is rural England, the equivalent to backwater or a small town in the Southern US, and even in the 1980s they were socially isolated. They tended to be places of work and not really where people went for holidays. If you ever watch the British TV show Midsomer Murders, it plays on these isolated villages where everyone is a bit potty and they all have some kind of deep dark secret to keep hidden. The two Americans are probably seeing the world on the cheap, walking, hitching rides and staying either in a private rented room, (in Britian called Bed and Breakfast or BnB), camping, or sleeping in the lounge room at a new found friends house. Possibly doing some temp work along the way. In those days many people would have been much more interested to meet someone from another country, since they didn't have the internet etc. Werewolf is singular, werewolves is plural. Also John Landis directed this, he made a lot of popular movies in the day, Blues Brothers, Animal House, Trading Places and the Michael Jackson Thriller video. Some of his films might come up in your polls.
I remember when I first saw this film (way back in the 80s). That scene in the cinema where he's chatting with all of his victims and they're suggesting different ways for him to kill himself, that scene was just so british! It stuck with me for many years.
"Is that a real movie he's referencing?" Yes. "The Wolf Man" (1941). It's part of Universal's Classic Monsters series with "Dracula" (1931), "Frankenstein" (1931), "Bride Of Frankenstein" (1935), "The Mummy" (1932), "The Invisible Man" (1933), "The Phantom Of The Opera" (1925), and more.
Ever since I first saw this movie back in the 80s, I've always thought that there was a bit of recognition for Alex in the final scene. Then David charges her knowing they will shoot him, so that's basically his way of committing suicide. Watching tons of reaction videos to this movie leaves me thinking I'm one of the few that thinks this as no one ever mentions it. Still, the close up of the eyes and the furrowed brow (of David as the wolf) makes me feel I'm not totally wrong at least. Anyway, great reaction Cassie!! I was looking forward to seeing/hearing you shriek your way through this one and you didn't disappoint!!
If your hypothesis is correct, that David charged his girlfriend purposefully to draw fire, then one would have to conclude that David's consciousness was not entirely blotted out by the transformation. He could still rationalize, and by extension, also choose not to kill. So, if what you is true, then David would, in fact, be guilty of multiple murders.
@@sophistichistory4645 Or its just a case of John Landis hinting that maybe love can conquer all. It could be just a matter of his human self being able to break through at the sight of a woman he had feelings for. Like his human sense of love being stronger than an animalistic hunger. I mean, I understand its all open to interpretation but the close up right before he attacked just seemed to show some sign of thought or contemplating something. Regardless of all that, you're correct that (even though it was the wolf form that did it), from a technical standpoint, David did still murder those people. If the Lycanthropy could have been cured without killing David, the best he could hope for is an insanity defense of sorts. Wow, never thought I'd dive this deep into consequences of being a werewolf, lol.
In '81 I was 17 and just old enough to get into this movie. This movie was a great example of there are no happy endings. I know recently monster movies have gotten...softer, but when I was a teen this was the kind of stuff we loved. Monsters were monsters, even the ones who didn't want to be and monsters don't get happy endings.
"Did you ever see The Wolfman?" Cassie - "Is this a real movie he's referencing? Oh... Oh Cassie you poor thing... Have you NEVER watched the old Universal Horror classics? I guess that would explain a lot... Maybe they can be your theme for next October? On a side note: LOVE your Evenstar pendant!
@@nicknewman7848 LOL, same! "A census taker once tried to test me whilst wearing that very same pendant. I ate her liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti! _(slurp, slurp, slurpslurpslurpslurp!)_ "
@@nicknewman7848 RoFL Coincidentally, I JUST got my copy of the new Silence of the Lambs remaster in the mail and am planning on watching it tonight. "Now it puts the 4K in the basket..."
‘An American Werewolf in London’ will always hold a special place in my heart. John Landis and Rick Baker played a huge part in helping a young Michael Jackson. Together they created the greatest piece of musical theater ever made for a pop song: “Thriller.”
One of my all-time favorites. That is the perfect way to end it. The wolves bloodline was severed, the whole story ends. The people in the pub were just that obviously small village and didn't want people to think they were crazy or have the place become overrun by people wanting to "see a werewolf." Probably afraid this very thing would happen, that the werewolf line would possibly grow and spread. Plus, really, there would be another month to play out without him ever turning into a werewolf again. How boring would that have been? I mean, that was the whole reason for a 3 week coma. No more werewolf...no more movie. Probably one of the best edits of any of the reactions I've seen so far!
American Werewolf is one of my favorite movies of all the time(Top 5) but I always hated the ending or the last act. It's as if like it ended in the second act. Just when the movie gets really good it ended. I wished it would have had another 20 minutes to explore things further.
@@johnnyskinwalker4095 I would have liked the last part of the movie to take place in the hospital where he could have changed, eaten Nurse Gallagher, still bitten the Inspector's head off and maybe eaten the orderly if he was still hungry. Imagine if david had survived that night, what would the Inspector look like as an undead person? Jack luring him to the cinema made no sense as he'd know there was 100% chance he would kill people so all those deaths are on Jack lol
@@ilovevegimite ah ha ha the pissed off inspector as an undead with his head under his arm following David around would have been awesome. But you are right that Jack bringing David to the theater just before David went there made no sense. It was to show him all the people he killed so he would kill himself but the full moon was right away so he could not possibly kill himself. If anything going to theater created more unneccesary victims.
"The man in the subway turns around right next to a poster for the XXX movie "See You Next Wednesday" playing in the theater they go into. "See You Next Wednesday" is a recurring gag in Landis' work appearing in many of his projects.
The reference to the 1941 film "The Wolfman" was one of the original werewolf movies and had a great old school makeup transformations that was considered to be a part of the old Universal Pictures monsters, like that of Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Mummy. "Wolfman" starred Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, and Claude Rains. I recommend it highly. Wonderful reaction as always!
I reckon that when he looked straight at the camera when transforming(generally a no no in movie land), It was a nod to the original. Also, Popcorn wins the 'Biggest Scared-y Cat' reviewer award. :)
@Historian2113 Interesting to bring that up , this is one of my faves and the old Universal horror films were always great fun to watch as well in fact another great Werewolf movie and one with the second best transformation after this one is The Howling which references the Wolfman throughout and in fact ends with a scene sampled directly from said movie . Cassie should react to that one she may like the ending better . keep good horror movies alive CHEERS.
"The police report said they were attacked by an escaped lunatic"... "Lunatic" derives from the Latin word lunaticus, which originally referred mainly to epilepsy and madness, as diseases thought to be caused by the moon (luna). The police report was literally spot on!
I grew up with this film in the late 80S... John Landis did an absolute amazing job mixing scares gore and comedy all in one film. Not many directors back in the day could do what he did. I guess this is why Michael Jackson hired John Landis to do the Thriller video. What a legend...........................
Landis is one of those filmmakers who has a questionable rep. After what he allowed to happen in the Twilight Zone Movie, he should never have been allowed to work in Hollywood again. That said, he did bring us this masterpiece.
I prescribe the movie "Lost Boys" for you, Cassie. It's fun and just a little scary too! American Werewolf was the beginning of a whole genre of Special Effect movies. And yes, it was all done with Prosthetics in those days, my best friend did some of the Freddie Crugar films. The great thing about those days in Special FX was that when it was done well it was really good stuff. This was probably one of your best reactions in my opinion!
I've watched this hundreds of times since the early 80s and the ending always makes me cry, as it's a love story and you have sympathy for him. On my original VHS copy it said the special effects expert deserves an Oscer, and the reply was he got one in the 1982 a acadamy awards. Rick Baker is his name.
I saw this when it first came out at 15. 40 years on and it is still a great combo of horror and comedy. Nine years later when l first visited Britain l walked around some of these scenes with a frisson of delight, expecting to bump into a werewolf on my way home late at night on the London Underground. Much affection for this movie. Love to see your reactions Cassie.
The Wolf Man is a real movie starring Lon Chaney, Jr. Came out in 1941. It also stars Claude Rains who was in his own Universal horror film: The Invisible Man (1933) which also stars Gloria Stuart (Old Rose in Titanic)! Those are both great choices for Spooky Month.
the bald guy you wanted subtitles for was Brian Glover. he was from my home town and is best known as the prison warden in Alien 3. unfortunately, he died in '97. his first film role was in the film Kes by Ken Loach based on the book by Barry Hines, he played the role of a PE teacher, which was his real job at the time
Hey, when the main character's dead, the movie's over! It's always fun seeing people get all WTF?! at the end 😁 This movie does jump around a bit, and certain scenes feel a little too long while other things feel skipped over, but the unconventional tone and plotting are probably one of the reasons why people still keep coming back to it (well, that and the creature FX/ make-up!). It really is one of its kind.
Definitely a favorite of mine. Always loved that there were three versions of the song Blue Moon in it. Star David Naughton later turned up in an episode of Psych called Let’s Get Hairy.
@@TheMerryPup We put it on to watch just this past Friday night (well, Saturday morning really). Love it, especially the scene with Gene Hackman as the blind man, and "Puttin' on the Ritz," of course!
I love the ending this movie and how abrupt and delightfully cruel it is. The main character is lying dead in the street, after killing many people, as his lover weeps over his body. And then: Bom-Bom-Bom-Bom-Bom-Bom-Bom A Dang-Dang-Dang-Da-Dang-Da-Dang Fi-Ding-Ding-Dong Blue Moon! Credits! How many movies end like that?!
I think it's more like: "Bom-bobobom-bobom-bobom-bom! Bobobom-bobobom-bodanga-dang-dang! Ba-dingi-dang-ding Blue moon..." ;) But yes, that ending is hilarious in different levels. It's great.
The music and the title are both real straight foward.... Every song is about the moon... "Beware the moon" Also... He's an american, who's now a werewolf, and he's in london...Great classic movie... It never gets old... One of the greats that one just has to go back and watch whenever in the mood... 👍🏼
When Jack was in the cinema, the puppet that played Jack was voiced by Jack himeslf and operated by Jack, such fun. :) The director was in the film as well, he was one of the guys going through the window in the city.
Your reaction was first class. I'm glad it had that effect on you. I once had that howl as a ring tone but almost had a heart attack when I finished my shift late at night when my phone went off. I first watched this movie when I was 4 years old in 1988, 7 years after it released in 1981.
It is always so funny seeing people’s reactions to the end. I can see why some would be frustrated, but the movie tells you it’ll all be over if David dies, and it is.
@@trhansen3244 that'd be horrible! (1) she bit him, he didn't bite her so wtf are you talking about? (2) it needs to be a wound, not some love bite that didn't even break skin! lycanthropy is a _disease_ , not something that magically occurs through the act of biting/nibbling
@@trhansen3244 boinking someone with lycanthropy definitely seems like a good expansion of the mythos Although I'm still not sold on nibbling being a prerequisite (only my opinion), the act of sex fits well due to the fluid transfer
@@djendick As a general rule, if you're watching a movie made before 1990, you shouldn't use the term "CGI" to describe special effects. CGI didn't become a standard FX tool until T2 in 1991 and Jurassic Park in 1993. Prior to 1990, CGI (at least CGI that wasn't used to depict actual computer screens) was exceptionally rare.
@@neuvocastezero1838 late reply, but I just watched American Werewolf in London. I think the story resolves well - you can understand why the villagers were trying to drive the American youths out of the pub at the beginning, because it was their chance to move the 'curse' of the werewolf away from their village. And it worked. So they just got on with their lives and stopped having to worry about full moons.
This was one of the first movies I ever bought on VHS tape back in the early 80s when I got my first VCR. Movies on tape were very expensive in those days, but owning an entire movie to watch whenever I wanted to was still an incredible novelty. A copy of this cost me 80 bucks.
19:19 First of all, he's turning into a werewolf. Not a vampire. And second, I think having David not only look into the camera, but reach out to it was a brilliant touch. It's like he's begging with the viewer for help.
Another movie that was filmed around the same time and released close to this one is "the Howling". It too has arguably the best transformation scene ever of a werewolf, as good as or better than an American werewolf in London. What made it better for me was the context. Worth a watch my lady.
I love this movie. One thing I appreciate about your reactions is that you don’t always have the same point of view. I’d argue that the movie did have closure. David died and the line of the lycanthropes ended. There was no mystery about the town. They knew about the werewolves but didn’t want the rest of the world to get involved, so they covered it up. It’s not complicated, but I can see how the simplicity of it can be dissatisfying. It’s ok to not know if you should laugh. It’s a dark comedy, which aren’t for everyone.
This movie and Watership Down are what I call "Parent trap" movies. Parents think, "Oh it's funny! It'll be OK to show the kids!" Cue kids scarred for life.
This truly was the beginning of the modern Werewolf movie. Rick Baker's special effects are spectacular and still hold up to this day. The atmosphere of the mis en scene and lack of music throughout the suspense scenes gives us a real sense of helplessness. It's so real and authentic. The scene in the subway is where its at for me. Just one guy, alone, trapped in a station with no escape, with a vicious creature chasing him down. And when he's on the escalator and the Werewolf is inching menacingly towards him, my god it makes my skin crawl. It's one of those movies that genuinely make us scared to walk through the night. The viciousness of the attacks were way ahead of their time, and there's something immensely unnerving about that huskey, throaty howl. For 1981, this movie was, I'll say again, way ahead of its time and still terrifies people to this day.
Speaking of CGI, is _An American Werewolf in Paris_ considered the sequel for this? Made in the CGI era with a rocking soundtrack from _Bush,_ I thought it a passable attempt at a sequel.
"Maybe she can turn him back with her love". Never change Cassie.
LOL OMG Classic Cassie.
And she was right, in the end.
@@mwflanagan1 No, it was the bullets that did that. 😁
LOL, I knew somebody was going to comment on this line from her reaction. That's what those twilight movies will do to you though. This movie is painfully realistic for a supernatural flick.
Her comment and how sincerely she meant it literally made my whole Halloween week!
The makeup effects won Rick Baker a well deserved Academy Award
they got an oscar!
Baker deserved it. The effects were howling good. Now, I'll just see myself out.
@@darthken815, pass me my coat before you go, mate!😁😂😂
Rick Baker's makeup effects and the power of Elmer Bernstein's score are awesome, such powerhouses!
@leeeastwood
Lol. Here ya go. And remember: stay on the road.
This movie transformed me when I was 11 and made me want to make monsters for a living, years later I got to work with my childhood hero and makeup creator for this movie, Rick Baker. It was a dream come true.
Good for you it inspired you and led you to a career that would give you a great opportunity
That's awesome, Rick is so cool!
DUDE. Amazing.
That's brilliant, well done you x
Such an inspiring story, Congratulations!
The guy with the glasses in the hospital room is none other than Frank Oz, the voice of Kermit the Frog, Yoda, Miss PIggy and many, many more voices.
Kermit? You need to go check your sources because Frank Oz never voiced Kermit.
My favourite werewolf movie ever. It combines genuine fright and horror with humour, and the SFX are just phenomenal given when it was made.
I use it to talk about media in a class I teach at a college (the first official Best Makeup winner and the reason why it became a category).
the SFX phenomenal even today. No Werewolf movie has surpassed it.
This film and The Howling both had fantastic effects.
“It’s weird seeing no one recording this on their cell phones” What a unique observation, yet at the same time truly honest.
@rudy2fat No it just means people wanted to witness things themselves, which is why they were gathering around.
Pretty much as soon as video cameras became widespread people began recording things.
TV was limited to what your antenna could pick up (4 good 3 bad/fuzzy for me) and then your stuck with whatever programming there was for those channels. Same with radio. Staying at someone's house, whatever books, newspapers or magazines they had. That was it for entertainment, oh wait forgot about records, records were very important. No VCR yet, no CDs, no computers, phones were physically wired with rotary dials and you might be sharing with your neighbors as they were expensive. Board games and puzzles were options as well. Otherwise you had arts, crafts, other hobbies and cooking. Don't forget smoking!
Funny thing is no one sits with a cell phone im their hand for more than say 5 minutes a day here. So the scene in London would be the same in Denmark if it was filmed today. It can take years to catch a person with a cell phone in their hand. Americans always talk about that on youtube. That no one walks around with them outside. Or have them out at a restaurant. Phones is only something 8-9 year olds have in their hand.
How is it "truly honest"? What would be the purpose of lying about it?
@@SalvableRuin he's saying that SHE is very dipsy and that shes very honest about it. She could erase all her dumb coments but she always leaves them in, so in that regard she's very honest about herself.
"A naked American man stole by balloons"
"Whaaat?"
Fav line in any movie.
" I didn't mean to call you meatloaf Jack !!! "
I'll not argue that being a stand-alone classic line, but I HAVE to note that The Big Bang Theory had my all-time fave TV line, delivered by Stewart after Penny mistakenly (while making out) called him by Leonard's name. Leonard: "That has to be the last thing you wanted to hear." Stewart: "Well, it beats 'you know I'm a dude, right'? "
"If you come over here I'll give you a pound."
@@heteroclitus, that line will never be used in any film ever again!
because of inflation!!😁
Funny how that's the line we all remember from this 1981 movie.
Jenny Agutter is STUNNING - my first cinema crush ❤
Oh, she was simply stunning. An all American British girl. :)
@@dan_hitchman007 she still is - grace and beauty at 69.
Agree. For me it was her and Jane Seymour. I remember seeing Jane Seymour in “Live and Let Die”. I was smitten.
She was also in Logan's Run and another where she appeared topless; just can't recall the name of the movie.
@@tonyulriksen6532 the other one was WALKABOUT - everything was shown in that. I didn't see either of those until much later.
I used to go into the pub where the slaughtered lamb's internal shots were filmed as kid. There is a fake wall which was never there in real life, pretty cool. The pub is still there in Surrey! Shout out to Rik Mayall who can also be seen in the early pub shots. The man was comedy royalty (and still is) here in the UK - He sadly passed away in 2014 😔
For real? That’s awesome. I bet they serve food now. I’m from Canada 🇨🇦 Surrey here (Vancouver, BC) is not great. I understand it’s a lovely area there.
Glad someone mentioned Rik Mayall. Haven't seen this movie since it came out, and it was a pleasure to see Rik in it, since becoming a big fan of The People's Poet.
I thought that was Rik! Thanks for confirming. I think that every time I watch this flick. My top 3 horror.
@@jasonm8017 Heard Surrey BC is full on skankville.
Funnily enough, I believe they filmed the scene on the moors near where I live in Mid Wales.
The beginning's supposed to be set in Scotland, right? It's funny that the film crew would travel all over the UK for their Scot scenes, except to Scotland.
When you said, "The Slaughtered Duck" I nearly fell off my chair laughing! Great video.
I scrolled to find this comment 😉👍
Me too!@@LanceSolo72
1981 and the transformation scene is STILL one of the best ever filmed. And the whole issue of dealing with the AFTERMATH of being a werewolf is one of the LEAST used story arcs being used. Finding another werewolf movie that actually sends the MAIN character into a downward spiral of insanity AND remorse is almost unheard of.
Outside of a handful of werewolf movies, the themes that this one stepped outside the 'horror genre' to touch on are amazing. No wonder that this is a 40 year old CLASSIC that still stands up to most movies, even if the acting/direction is obviously dated.
I know you did it for emphasis, but due to how often it was used, when I read your post I pretended like you had the hiccups or some sort of tourette's every time you used caps lock lmao
For real, though, this movie is gold. Pure gold.
The transformation scene was used similarly in Michael Jackson's 'Thriller.' Same director, John Landis and same make-up artist, Rick Baker.
It set off the wolfish in his lovemaking.
Stay as a werewolf by jailing himself during full moons, allowing scientists to observe and analyze.
Why didn't his parents fly to london to see him after 4 weeks?
@@globextradingsystemsllc1740 Because airfares were a crapload more expensive then and they had other kids to look after. The embassy might have assured his parents he was expected to recover or maybe they had planned to fly over or get him a ticket home. Phone calls were a lot more expensive and he may have only called home every week or two, plus there is no telling how quickly the embassy might work to notify his parents. It could have easily been two weeks before his parents even found out.
Having said that...
Maybe it was initially scripted as a faster recovery, say one week, when he calls his parents from the phone booth, but then Jack would have appeared two weeks sooner and he might have had time to think about his predicament and form a plan.
This way he only has a few days before the full moon, and rightfully doubts Jack's appearance as an hallucination or bad dream. Then he is panicked and doesn't know how to handle it after the first killing. He is distraught and guilt ridden and just not thinking straight. He really only has a few hours to contemplate his situation before transforming again.
Often story inconsistencies are missed in the editing.
After watching a couple of reactions, it seems to me Jack deteriorates too quickly.
His first appearance is meant to be three weeks after his killing, and he looks like a freshly washed corpse, (though he seems to have too much colour for a corpse).
A day or two later he is green from decomposition, then the following afternoon his flesh is falling off and he is skeletal.
28:11 min, Such a sad love story.
This is a horror film with moments of dark comedy. The ending is properly abrupt, as it's David's story (and, essentially, a tragedy). I appreciate the risks taken with this movie and how it subverts expectations/formulaic tropes.
Alot of film tropes that we know today wasn't really a big thing back then as alot of movie tropes were in their infancy.
@@calvinwilliamsjr.6612 I’m referring to the film tropes that were already developed by 1981 (after 73 years of filmmaking, by that point) rather than the ones of today. This movie was unique, even for its time.
Avoiding expectations and common tropes of the era is why the film does not seem dated. It really stands up well and I think that is because it is such an atypical film of its time period.
I don't see what the problem is. It's his story, when he dies it's over for him and it releases his victims. There's really nothing more to say. Why there's a place in the Yorkshire moors where there are werewolves isn't really the point.
Yes. We don’t find out about the Slaughtered Lamb because it does nothing to forward David’s story.
My favorite part is when David is at the adult movie theater with the ghosts of his friend and his victims and they're all telling him to kill himself and he asks if he needs a silver bullet and Jack tells him to stop being ridiculous and please be serious as if everything else that is happening somehow made more sense than that. It was such a great choice of dialogue. Also the fact that the huge werewolf in Picadilly Circus causes more deaths by car accidents than by actually directly attacking them was a touch of genius.
I definitely agree with the collateral deaths. Not many movies touch on that: they tend to portray people as unrealistically sensible in such situations.
Years ago I was at one of those professional haunted houses where people in costumes try to scare you. You go into it knowing the whole thing is fake. I was lumped in with a group of about 20 strangers and we went through the thing together. About 2/3 of the way through, we were in a passageway narrow enough that it was single file only. I was towards the back of the group, and there was a group of 3 women behind me. Suddenly, I hear them scream and they pushed me out of the way to move up the line. I turn around and see a guy in a clown costume with a chainsaw coming at us from behind.
The point of the story is those three ladies knew the whole thing was fake going into it, and they still lost control of their actions when they got scared (one of them did apologize after she calmed down, so there is that). I shudder to think what they would have done had the danger been real.
@@Tantalus010 - This is a great point (well illustrated by your story), in any given crowd of random people there's enough diversity of life experience; levels of composure; mental illness; hero complex; bystander effect; etc. to basically cover every type of human reaction imaginable to a scenario as insane as the films climax. We're a strange bunch, us humans!
A few years ago, just down the road from here, a guy with mental/emotional issues turned up at his ex-wife's front door in an agitated state carrying a Samurai sword. Funnily enough, she didn't let him in and called the police instead. The resultant mad, movie-esque chase through multiple streets and gardens left ten policemen injured before the guy was arrested. The thing is though, he never touched any of them: the nearest he came was smashing a police car windscreen. A few of the injuries were falls and sprains incurred as they chased him, but the vast majority happened when police cars crashed into each other as they arrived at the scene from different directions, in a situation where normal traffic rules obviously didn't apply. The cars were literally the most dangerous element in the entire situation...
Truly, the dialog within the 'adult' movie is another piece of genius, as is the grunting and groaning with the second transformation, which is a BLATANT spoof on other noises one might hear at such a movie.
That was laugh out loud worthy when he said that.
This is a comedy/horror. I was a kid when this came out. Won a heap of awards in special effects. Dark humour. A classic.
It's only a horror movie but it needed the comedy between transformations that's what happens im werewolf movies
So your like Uhm 1951 it came out so your? 1010?
It's sort of implied that she really did get through to him in the end and that he simply chose to force the cops to shoot him, because he knew there was no other way. Which, if that's true, would be even more dark and tragic than than this story already is on the surface.
Yes, fits with the dream sequences and the joke about sacrifice at the start of the movie
I’ve thought that was the case too
When she says she loves him, the wolf's aggressive expression softens into almost a look of sadness for a moment. Rick Baker and the animatronic designers and puppeteers really knocked it out of the park.
@@thegamingcook785 that's more a trauma block (psychologically and physically) it happens with military members, firefighters, cops and trade workers and medical professionals
Or someone who goes through alot of excruciating pain to the point they even repress it
Plus David saw his friend murdered and felt guilty for it, which added to his block , you can even see his pause when he speaks about reading and then waking up at the zoo
He didn't forget it he intentionally psychologically blocked it out
He could have forced the cops to shoot him at anytime since he was trapped.
I think it was just a scene to create some tension and have Jenny there for the ending, playing on the "love conquers all" trope.
"Please tell me he's not going to turn into a werewolf". He's going to turn into a werewolf. Spectacularly.
Indeed
“This is a weird movie. Sometimes it’s vibe is serious, sometimes maybe being funny, sometimes it’s….gross.”
- Ryan George Pitch Meeting quote for this video
There's a pitch meeting for this??
"What if she walks in?"
"This isn't the nice 'Twilight' kind of werewolf."
I can hardly stop laughing.
I always loved how the Twilight werewolf transformation is just quick, light, and painless, as if changing your entire skeletal structure, adding a couple hundred pounds of muscle, growing claws, fangs and fur all in the span of a few seconds could be anything _but_ excruciating.
@@Tantalus010 It depends on the degree of magic, I suppose.
@@Tantalus010John Landis(the director) told Rick Baker(the makeup artist) that he wanted a werewolf transformation that hadn’t been done before. He said it didn’t seem right to him that if you were gonna change into a werewolf or some other creature that you would just sit in the corner of a chair like Lon Chaney Jr in Universal’s The Wolf Man and be perfectly still except each time you’re in a slightly different position when you do the lap dissolves. He thought it would be painful and wanted to show the pain. He also wanted the character to be able to move around, and have the scene shot in a brightly lit room.
@@Tantalus010 they aren't werewolves in Twilight, but shapeshifters. Very different thing.
Also, "The slaughtered duck".
Brilliant!
What timing...just as you said " The Slaughtered Duck" I was taking a swig of coffee...about near choked to death laughing !!!
I could hear Donald and Daffy Duck complaining. : )
Lol
@@NPNN-xt4otThat's despicable 😂.
Whoever told you this movie is "not so scary" LIED to you. This movie scared the crap out of me when I saw it for the first time.
The scariest scene, IMO, is when they're out on the moors and hear the wolf slowly, steadily approaching. Just like the scene of David's restlessness the night before he transforms, he/you know it's coming, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. THAT is how you do scary.
@@hanburgundy4317 Totally agree with you! Although the entire movie scared me, the scariest scene for me was when they were on the moors - and the howling got closer and closer...
The transformation scene gets me the most. The music, the screams of pain. The grotesque changes. It all just feels cursed as all hell.
Depends who you ask. By today's standards in Gore and slasher pics it's not, but it was a huge step up from the older style horrors film which were based on suspense and often just a guy with a bit of makeup, and many times you didn't see the creature well if at all.
Of course there are plenty of horror movies that are solely suspense driven - the latest one that comes to mind is Blair Witch.
Since Cassie hasn't seen this film before and she has avoided them for years, she is likely more sensitive.
Where she was reeling in horror, myself and others were in awe of the great effects.
“Maybe she can turn him back with her love.”
Ummm, this isn’t beauty and the beast, you know.
I liked the ending. It linked back well with how the first werewolf was killed on The Moors.
I also think sometimes it is better when films don't try and explain things in too much detail as answering questions you might be thinking can dispel the spookyness.
Yes except id say "usually better" rather than "sometimes better". Sherlock Holmes movies where after the finale wheres theres a kind of "outro" scene where Sherlock explains everything and ties it all up in a neat bow are all very well but too.... manufactured. Real lifes not like that and being left with questions is perfectly natural. i dont understand the need for "closure" and to immediately move on - "Next!".
@@ravenmasters2467 yeah but sadly a lot of the time if you don't explain every little thing at the end or throughout the movie even if mystery or being left up to interpretation is part of it then people will complain and call all the unexplained parts "plot holes" and the movie will get panned leaving the fans who do understand it with an obnoxious cross to bare, that being that they will be explaining the movie to people for the rest of their lives
The quick sharp ending without a long denouement is a trait that John Landou and his director friends followed and preferred: "to end it and get out of there" is what he said in one interview on the Masters of Horror series.
"It doesn't look like the nice Twilight werewolves"....that quote should totally be on this movie's marketing.
There should NEVER, in ANYTHING, be NICE Werewolves!!!
@@23chdavis Not quite. The killing machine type of werewolf is pretty much a Hollywood creation in its most base form.
"Please tell me he's not going to turn into a werewolf." Hehe.
"Slaughtered Duck" LMAO!!!!
I will forever remember the first time I saw this movie, in 1983. We rented it and watched it during dinner. The point before he changes, when he looks in the fridge and says "I'm not hungry", at that very moment my stepmother told me to eat my peas and I said "I'm not hungry" right along with him on the t.v. My stepmother and I laughed, and for once I did not have to eat my peas. :D
Jenny Agutter is underrated today. Many great films, perfect diction.
I confess to having had a MAD CRUSH on her after watching this movie when it first came out...!!
That was her? She was very, VERY, alluring in this movie.
@@KennethSorling Indeed. If you haven't seen them I would recommend The Riddle of the Sands, Walkabout, Logan's Run and The Man in the Iron Mask.
Jenny Agutter was really great in this film. She would then be involved in Child’s Play 2 as Joanne Simpson and two Marvel films (2012’s Avengers and Captain America: Winter Soldier) as one of the council members.
What is she rated today? I think you mean less known, which is not the same thing.
Cassie's reacton when the guy's head rolled on the hood... Priceless!
I do kind of miss the days when not every film required a denouement. Story Climax! Cut. Goodnight.
You don't always get closure.
Yeah I think people forget this is how it used to be. I mean, if you go back even further to stuff from the 30's, 40's and 50's you'd usually have a character just say a line that kind of summed up the mood and you'd immediatley cut to a THE END title card and that was it. Thanks for coming. Many films, especially horror movies were still ending pretty abruptly in the 70's and 80's. If you've said what you needed to say, why drag it out? Let the audience think about it and fill in the gaps if there are any.
@@jowbloe3673 The victims got closure. They are no longer in limbo.
@@carpetfluff35 Just rewatched Halloween and it ends in the same abrupt wtf manner. Never noticed this trend among older horror movies but I do now lol
Today, they would "cheat" and do the transformation using CG. This was spectacular for its time and to my mind, still holds up well.
Today's CG would not match the credibility of the special effects in the transformation scene
100%
Practical effects > CGI.
Practical effects rules!
Ugg, have you seen the latest Suicide Squad?
They can easily do a similar transformation.
I just saw on IMDB, seems Landis is planning a remake.
21:30: Tottenham Court Road underground station. I used this station a lot during the 1980s on my way to and from work. After I saw this movie in 1981 the station never seemed quite the same.😉
"How did they do that?"
Rick Baker is a master at practical effects. And as good as these are, those in "The Thing" (1982) are just as good, if not better.
Rick has a youtube channel and he puts up videos on how he does make up effects. The transformation effects you see in this movie are the same ones that were used in the music video Michael Jacksons Thriller.
@@wolfen26 also directed by John Landis. Rick Baker also created most of the aliens for the cantina scene in Star Wars:A New Hope.
I'm torn between wanting Cassie to watch The Thing because it's a masterpiece and not being sure if she's ready for it.
@@DerMoerpler same thing with The Fly. The performances are great along with the tragic love story, but it is REALLY gross in parts.
@@DerMoerpler Oh she's very NOT ready for it! For her own stress levels, I'd advise her to avoid it.
it was a perfect ending. this was the time before Hollywood decided everything had to be neatly explained. this is the only way it could end - he had to die. and since he left no survivors of his bite, the line of werewolves that he is a part of has ended. also his friend and the other people he killed can now move on from limbo.
what more do we need? we can easily fill in the blanks ourselves and mourn for David and the woman he loved, who loved him back.
Wholeheartedly agree, and what makes these types of ending all the more perfect is when you get to laugh at the other viewers reactions who are just left dumbfounded! Absolutely brilliant
Exactly. He lunged at her because he knew the cops would kill him and end the suffering. Great stuff.
@@doughyjoey_8742 the good news is they're not gonna remake this as reported they're gonna focus on the people at the slaughtered lamb in a prequel series
It will reference the David and Jack attacks at the moors and the Piccadilly Circus attacks but will be centered around them
The producers of the walking dead are starting production next year
I think that's the right choice
Just avoid the atrocious in Paris at all costs
"Jack" is played by Griffin Dunne,
who starred in a very strange,
dark comedy directed by
Martin Scorsese, "After Hours".
One of my all time favorites.
An underrated Martin Scorsese flick! My favorite Scorsese film!
40 years later and still some of the best practical effects and makeup in any movie.
this and The Thing are still better than any CGI
@@rockero1313Depends on how cgi is handled
When this movie was released in 1981, my mom would not let us see it. Ironically, the next year she took us to see The Thing. Anyway, love your reactions. Keep it going.😀
For the purpose of storytelling, werewolves will generally change for three nights in a row. I found this the perfect blend of comedy and horror. Love the friendship, the best transformation scene, the sexy nurse, and the grand finale finish. He's dead, his girlfriend is crying, the pub keeps its secret. The 'true love will save' trope is ignored. To me, one of the best out there. Thanks for reacting to this one. Maybe the wrong time of day?
And now you will always remember "A naked American man stole my balloons."
It's not just storytelling; it's real astronomy: each phase of the moon lasts 3 nights.
*For the purpose of storytelling, werewolves will generally change for three nights in a row*
Yeah, cuz if it was only once per month the other characters would have no time to catch on
Also because casual viewers can't actually tell a full moon from an almost-full one anyway
It could be perceived that his true love did, in fact, "save him". She was the catalyst in the last scene of his being shot. Or some would say... ;-)
@@Tantalus010 I was gonna say that! I don't know why people seem to be under the notion that there's only every one night of full moon per month. Admittedly, many werewolf movies seem to go by that idea too...
Great use of music as well with all the songs involving the moon
Why does this rarely appear on lists of best films? It's excellent - horror, comedy, romance, great effects & a hot nurse!
A lot of people don’t like the abrupt ending
It actually is for many people the best werewolf movie ever, and yes, a great movie in general, but of course when it comes to best movie among all, a terror/comedy movie wouldn’t be one of them, but yes, as a terror movie and a cult movie: it’s VERY important.
@@oscarexcan Not true, look at Cabin in the Woods, which is a horror comedy lampshading all the horror genres.
For some reason, this movie bores me out of my mind. It always has, and I've never been able to watch it without fast-forwarding. I also don't like the acting at all. This movie just doesn't do it for me, I guess, so I would not put it on any "best films" list.
It does. At least on horror film lists. It is regarded as a horror classic , and generally regarded as the absolute best werewolf film ever made.
Excellent horror films almost never get the wide recognition that they deserve.
Jenny Agutter is at her most beautiful to me in this movie, even more than in Logan's Run. I remember David Naughton going on to act in the sitcom "My Sister Sam". it only lasted 1 season because the actress Rebecca Schaeffer, who played the younger sister Patti was shot and killed in front of her apartment by an obsessed fan in 1989. RIP Rebecca.
I first saw this movie when I was like 6 years old back in 1984. I never get tired of that transformation scene, hands downs, the best ever shot.
Totally agree, Jenny Agutter was a beautiful woman back in the day
That costume in Logan’s Run. 🦁
She's currently playing Sister Julienne on Call the Midwife.
Remember, she changed costumes in the ice cave, great scene. She’s physically beautiful but her type of English accent combined with her acting style also make her sexy.
Jenny Agutter in Logan's Run gave me really naughty thoughts as a 10 year old boy!! Lol!! I've seen that movie a couple times since and I really can't say things have changed very much to do with that!
I actually have always found this to be an excellent movie for a number of reasons. The setup of the friendship between David and Jack makes everything feel just so REAL. As you noted, their conversation and the way they interacted was just so natural, so believable, that you start to like the two of them very quickly. The initial panic when they are attacked and David runs - then turns to go back - seriously felt like a reaction you might see someone do. And while the ending was shocking and sad - it made sense. What made the ending so uncomfortable was that they had done such an excellent job of making us care about the characters!
The special effects were also something rather special. This was "pre CGI" and they came up with some totally new techniques, with hair actually "growing" right on camera The body changes pretty much happened on set and they filmed them. I remember reading about it back when the movie came out and being impressed.
Yes, it added a real human dimension to everyone involved. David who didn't want to kill anyone but also didn't want to die, his victims whose families lost loved ones and were now doomed to suffer eternal limbo. combining it with a psychological approach of the doctor who thought he might think he was a werewolf and start acting out.
Much of it felt "organic", as they say.
The low level comedy, like the Frank Oz character and the Scotland Yard detectives, the cheezy porno, take you away from the horror element so the contrast becomes much sharper when something does happen.
As a Yorkshireman & someone who’s lived in the Yorkshire Dales most of my life, I can confirm that all our pubs are like that; yes, even the pentagram!! 😂
Trivia time: the pub scene features two sadly missed legends of British stage & screen. Brian Glover (the man telling the joke) & Rik Mayall (the chess player).
The village which doubled for East Proctor isn’t in Northern England/ Yorkshire Dales. It is in fact located in Wales.
The initial attack on the moors was actually filmed in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
The US Embassy Official is played by none other than Frank Oz; the man who puppeteers & voices Yoda, Cookie Monster, Grover, Sam The Eagle & countless other Muppets.
Director John Landis is seen in the Piccadilly Circus scene; he’s the man who’s hit by a car & knocked through the window.
He also directed Michael Jackson's Thriller video.
And the film showing at the cinema - "See You Next Wednesday" is a phrase that appears in many John Landis movies: it's on a billboard in the Blues Brothers and is heard in the soundtrack to the movie Michael Jackson goes to at the start of the Thriller video.
And FOZZIE BEAR. (Frank Oz ...Foz )
This was the movie that inspired Michael Jackson to ask John Landis to direct his 'Thriller' music video. A lot of the same growls, howls and screaming that are in this were also featured there where the werewolf is concerned.
11:59: "Life mocks me even in death." I love that line. 😁
Cassie, whatever your final rating of this movie would be, the reaction was FANTASTIC! (also: excellent edit! Who ever edited this did a really great job on it). PS: Thanks for letting us vote in the brackets poll!
The Joke at the beginning.
Frog is British slang for Frenchman, (as frog legs was a dish in some parts of France).
The Yank, says "Remember the Alamo!", which was a famous location in the Mexican-American war, popularised by the 1960 John Wayne movie, creatively called The Alamo. *(In Britain any US person might be referred to as a Yank, (from Yankee), but in the US it generally meant someone from the northern states. An old term. maybe came from the Civil War?)
The joke itself plays on the perception that British and French were more self sacrificing and threw themselves out of the plane to save the others, but the American threw someone else out, and it was the Mexican due to the battle of the Alamo.
Could be a movie for your classics.
The location at the beginning is rural England, the equivalent to backwater or a small town in the Southern US, and even in the 1980s they were socially isolated. They tended to be places of work and not really where people went for holidays.
If you ever watch the British TV show Midsomer Murders, it plays on these isolated villages where everyone is a bit potty and they all have some kind of deep dark secret to keep hidden.
The two Americans are probably seeing the world on the cheap, walking, hitching rides and staying either in a private rented room, (in Britian called Bed and Breakfast or BnB), camping, or sleeping in the lounge room at a new found friends house. Possibly doing some temp work along the way.
In those days many people would have been much more interested to meet someone from another country, since they didn't have the internet etc.
Werewolf is singular, werewolves is plural.
Also John Landis directed this, he made a lot of popular movies in the day, Blues Brothers, Animal House, Trading Places and the Michael Jackson Thriller video. Some of his films might come up in your polls.
I've been watching this movie for over 40 years and never get tired of the Alamo joke, thank you for including it❤❤❤❤❤
I remember when I first saw this film (way back in the 80s). That scene in the cinema where he's chatting with all of his victims and they're suggesting different ways for him to kill himself, that scene was just so british! It stuck with me for many years.
The droll British wit and humor played out whilst a silly porno (made for the movie) is playing in the background. Sheer brilliance.
Yes, the perky woman.
"Is that a real movie he's referencing?"
Yes. "The Wolf Man" (1941). It's part of Universal's Classic Monsters series with "Dracula" (1931), "Frankenstein" (1931), "Bride Of Frankenstein" (1935), "The Mummy" (1932), "The Invisible Man" (1933), "The Phantom Of The Opera" (1925), and more.
Creature From the Black Lagoon never gets any love :(
@@Eidlones Yeah, I could have listed it as well. It's a good flick. Universal had some groovy 50's sci-fi flicks as well.
@@Eidlones The Black Lagoon Creature was Awesome!
Ever since I first saw this movie back in the 80s, I've always thought that there was a bit of recognition for Alex in the final scene. Then David charges her knowing they will shoot him, so that's basically his way of committing suicide. Watching tons of reaction videos to this movie leaves me thinking I'm one of the few that thinks this as no one ever mentions it. Still, the close up of the eyes and the furrowed brow (of David as the wolf) makes me feel I'm not totally wrong at least. Anyway, great reaction Cassie!! I was looking forward to seeing/hearing you shriek your way through this one and you didn't disappoint!!
I'll go with you on that good theory no fault
If your hypothesis is correct, that David charged his girlfriend purposefully to draw fire, then one would have to conclude that David's consciousness was not entirely blotted out by the transformation. He could still rationalize, and by extension, also choose not to kill.
So, if what you is true, then David would, in fact, be guilty of multiple murders.
@@sophistichistory4645 Or its just a case of John Landis hinting that maybe love can conquer all. It could be just a matter of his human self being able to break through at the sight of a woman he had feelings for. Like his human sense of love being stronger than an animalistic hunger. I mean, I understand its all open to interpretation but the close up right before he attacked just seemed to show some sign of thought or contemplating something. Regardless of all that, you're correct that (even though it was the wolf form that did it), from a technical standpoint, David did still murder those people. If the Lycanthropy could have been cured without killing David, the best he could hope for is an insanity defense of sorts. Wow, never thought I'd dive this deep into consequences of being a werewolf, lol.
I've always thought the same thing. David recognizes Alex and then charges her to draw fire from the police.
@@michaelb8317 kind of the end of the Exorcist sort of thing. He’s aware just long enough to make one action
In '81 I was 17 and just old enough to get into this movie. This movie was a great example of there are no happy endings. I know recently monster movies have gotten...softer, but when I was a teen this was the kind of stuff we loved. Monsters were monsters, even the ones who didn't want to be and monsters don't get happy endings.
I was 5 when I saw this at a drive-in in ‘81.
My sister was 3. She threw up during the Nazi werewolf nightmare scene.
The abrupt ending with an upbeat doo-wop version of Blue Moon just adds to the surrealism of the preceding 5 minutes.
It won the first ever Oscar for "Best Makeup".
"Did you ever see The Wolfman?"
Cassie - "Is this a real movie he's referencing?
Oh... Oh Cassie you poor thing... Have you NEVER watched the old Universal Horror classics? I guess that would explain a lot...
Maybe they can be your theme for next October?
On a side note: LOVE your Evenstar pendant!
Actually that would be a great theme for reactors in general. I think anything black & white scares them off.
I'm reading this comment in the voice of Hannibal Lector.. it seems appropriate somehow.
Definitely see some Bella Lugosi and even Christopher Lee…
@@nicknewman7848 LOL, same!
"A census taker once tried to test me whilst wearing that very same pendant. I ate her liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti! _(slurp, slurp, slurpslurpslurpslurp!)_ "
@@nicknewman7848 RoFL Coincidentally, I JUST got my copy of the new Silence of the Lambs remaster in the mail and am planning on watching it tonight.
"Now it puts the 4K in the basket..."
‘An American Werewolf in London’ will always hold a special place in my heart. John Landis and Rick Baker played a huge part in helping a young Michael Jackson. Together they created the greatest piece of musical theater ever made for a pop song: “Thriller.”
A video clip isn't theatre - theatre is theatre.
I believe this is the first movie with the double dream. Still to this day, the scariest werewolf howl I've ever heard.
I love how she got just SO embarrassed during the love scene.
One of my all-time favorites. That is the perfect way to end it. The wolves bloodline was severed, the whole story ends. The people in the pub were just that obviously small village and didn't want people to think they were crazy or have the place become overrun by people wanting to "see a werewolf." Probably afraid this very thing would happen, that the werewolf line would possibly grow and spread. Plus, really, there would be another month to play out without him ever turning into a werewolf again. How boring would that have been? I mean, that was the whole reason for a 3 week coma. No more werewolf...no more movie.
Probably one of the best edits of any of the reactions I've seen so far!
Agreed. That’s the only way it could end. She had no chance in saving the Dr Pepper guy.
American Werewolf is one of my favorite movies of all the time(Top 5) but I always hated the ending or the last act. It's as if like it ended in the second act. Just when the movie gets really good it ended. I wished it would have had another 20 minutes to explore things further.
@@johnnyskinwalker4095 I would have liked the last part of the movie to take place in the hospital where he could have changed, eaten Nurse Gallagher, still bitten the Inspector's head off and maybe eaten the orderly if he was still hungry. Imagine if david had survived that night, what would the Inspector look like as an undead person? Jack luring him to the cinema made no sense as he'd know there was 100% chance he would kill people so all those deaths are on Jack lol
@@ilovevegimite ah ha ha the pissed off inspector as an undead with his head under his arm following David around would have been awesome. But you are right that Jack bringing David to the theater just before David went there made no sense. It was to show him all the people he killed so he would kill himself but the full moon was right away so he could not possibly kill himself. If anything going to theater created more unneccesary victims.
"The man in the subway turns around right next to a poster for the XXX movie "See You Next Wednesday" playing in the theater they go into. "See You Next Wednesday" is a recurring gag in Landis' work appearing in many of his projects.
“Maybe she can turn him back with her love”.
Thanks a lot Twilight 😂😂😂
Haha! I caught that too! I guess love ain't all its cracked up to be!
Well, maybe, she could rub his belly!
@@TheNordicVoyager no this needs to be ear scratching
@@gdiaz8827
He just needs to hear that he's a good boy.
The reference to the 1941 film "The Wolfman" was one of the original werewolf movies and had a great old school makeup transformations that was considered to be a part of the old Universal Pictures monsters, like that of Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Mummy. "Wolfman" starred Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, and Claude Rains. I recommend it highly.
Wonderful reaction as always!
I reckon that when he looked straight at the camera when transforming(generally a no no in movie land), It was a nod to the original.
Also, Popcorn wins the 'Biggest Scared-y Cat' reviewer award. :)
The original wolfman did have a good transformation sequence too, but this one is obviously some of the best makeup and effects in film history.
Agree it's a horror classic for it's time.
@Historian2113 Interesting to bring that up , this is one of my faves and the old Universal horror films were always great fun to watch as well in fact another great Werewolf movie and one with the second best transformation after this one is The Howling which references the Wolfman throughout and in fact ends with a scene sampled directly from said movie .
Cassie should react to that one she may like the ending better . keep good horror movies alive
CHEERS.
"The police report said they were attacked by an escaped lunatic"... "Lunatic" derives from the Latin word lunaticus, which originally referred mainly to epilepsy and madness, as diseases thought to be caused by the moon (luna). The police report was literally spot on!
I grew up with this film in the late 80S... John Landis did an absolute amazing job mixing scares gore and comedy all in one film. Not many directors back in the day could do what he did. I guess this is why Michael Jackson hired John Landis to do the Thriller video. What a legend...........................
Landis is one of those filmmakers who has a questionable rep. After what he allowed to happen in the Twilight Zone Movie, he should never have been allowed to work in Hollywood again. That said, he did bring us this masterpiece.
For an early 80s movie, the special effects are amazing. Best werewolf transformation ever in my book. Always a pleasure to watch your reactions.
I prescribe the movie "Lost Boys" for you, Cassie. It's fun and just a little scary too! American Werewolf was the beginning of a whole genre of Special Effect movies. And yes, it was all done with Prosthetics in those days, my best friend did some of the Freddie Crugar films. The great thing about those days in Special FX was that when it was done well it was really good stuff. This was probably one of your best reactions in my opinion!
It's not "Freddie Cruger," it's Freddy Krueger. You could just say Nightmare on Elm Street.
@@SalvableRuin I think people will get the idea..
"An American Werewolf In London" (1981) and the 1986 remake of "The Fly" are two classic horror films that also double as tragic love stories.
I've watched this hundreds of times since the early 80s and the ending always makes me cry, as it's a love story and you have sympathy for him. On my original VHS copy it said the special effects expert deserves an Oscer, and the reply was he got one in the 1982 a acadamy awards. Rick Baker is his name.
I saw this when it first came out at 15. 40 years on and it is still a great combo of horror and comedy. Nine years later when l first visited Britain l walked around some of these scenes with a frisson of delight, expecting to bump into a werewolf on my way home late at night on the London Underground. Much affection for this movie. Love to see your reactions Cassie.
“He did sprint the other way”,top quote for this one
The Wolf Man is a real movie starring Lon Chaney, Jr. Came out in 1941. It also stars Claude Rains who was in his own Universal horror film: The Invisible Man (1933) which also stars Gloria Stuart (Old Rose in Titanic)!
Those are both great choices for Spooky Month.
The 2010 remake of THE WOLF MAN with Benecio Del Toro had the same special effects artist from AN AMERICAN WERE WOLF IN LONDON, Rick Baker.
the bald guy you wanted subtitles for was Brian Glover. he was from my home town and is best known as the prison warden in Alien 3. unfortunately, he died in '97. his first film role was in the film Kes by Ken Loach based on the book by Barry Hines, he played the role of a PE teacher, which was his real job at the time
Doubt you'll get a reply to that one pal.
He was also a famous pro-wrestler back in the day.
The transformation took months to plan and shoot but man it was so worth it. You will never forget it.
An American werewolf in London will blow your mind with the special effects and this movie was made in 1981
Hey, when the main character's dead, the movie's over! It's always fun seeing people get all WTF?! at the end 😁
This movie does jump around a bit, and certain scenes feel a little too long while other things feel skipped over, but the unconventional tone and plotting are probably one of the reasons why people still keep coming back to it (well, that and the creature FX/ make-up!). It really is one of its kind.
"Can't she turn him back with her love?" - Cassie 🤣. This is when horror meets fairy tales.
You know, I really want her to watch BERSERK, But that will have to wait, she has a LOT of things to watch before she gets to that hellhole.
The guy that got knocked thru the window at Picadilly square was the movie's writer and director John Landis.
Definitely a favorite of mine. Always loved that there were three versions of the song Blue Moon in it.
Star David Naughton later turned up in an episode of Psych called Let’s Get Hairy.
All the songs in the movie have the word Moon in it
Werewolf? There wolf.
"Why are you talking like that?"
"I thought you wanted to. Suit yourself, I'm easy."
"There castle."
It was on last night. Hysterical no matter how many times I've seen it.
@@TheMerryPup We put it on to watch just this past Friday night (well, Saturday morning really). Love it, especially the scene with Gene Hackman as the blind man, and "Puttin' on the Ritz," of course!
"What knockers!"
I love the ending this movie and how abrupt and delightfully cruel it is. The main character is lying dead in the street, after killing many people, as his lover weeps over his body. And then: Bom-Bom-Bom-Bom-Bom-Bom-Bom A Dang-Dang-Dang-Da-Dang-Da-Dang Fi-Ding-Ding-Dong Blue Moon! Credits! How many movies end like that?!
I think it's more like: "Bom-bobobom-bobom-bobom-bom!
Bobobom-bobobom-bodanga-dang-dang!
Ba-dingi-dang-ding Blue moon..."
;)
But yes, that ending is hilarious in different levels. It's great.
@@Vesohag Possibly but hey I did my best
The best werewolf movie ever is an understatement...also its the 80s, they knew how to do horror & that's why I love it😎
My 3rd favourite film ever!
This one and I liked the Howling too.
The music and the title are both real straight foward.... Every song is about the moon... "Beware the moon"
Also... He's an american, who's now a werewolf, and he's in london...Great classic movie... It never gets old... One of the greats that one just has to go back and watch whenever in the mood... 👍🏼
When Jack was in the cinema, the puppet that played Jack was voiced by Jack himeslf and operated by Jack, such fun. :) The director was in the film as well, he was one of the guys going through the window in the city.
This is gonna be fun. The transformation scene traumatized me as a kid. ^^
First thing I thought about lol
The damn thing wild,
"How did they do that?"
Magic, creativity, and a whole lotta latex.
All the latex
Your reaction was first class. I'm glad it had that effect on you. I once had that howl as a ring tone but almost had a heart attack when I finished my shift late at night when my phone went off. I first watched this movie when I was 4 years old in 1988, 7 years after it released in 1981.
Over forty years later, these still stand as some of the best practical effects ever put on film.
The Werewolf transformation in this film is got to be one of the best werewolf transformations with practical effects I’ve ever seen even to this day
This one is a bit of a nostalgia trip. And it's so clearly a Landis film -- the blend of genres recalls the same style used in The Blues Brothers.
That and the extensive collateral damage.
Thankfully there were far less casualties in this film. I think.
It'd be even more clearly a Landis film if he'd murdered a few people while making it.
It is always so funny seeing people’s reactions to the end. I can see why some would be frustrated, but the movie tells you it’ll all be over if David dies, and it is.
This David's story, told from _his_ vantage point. Hence, when he dies, it ends. THE END
@@trhansen3244 Man, would your film suck. No wonder you like The Howling more.
@@trhansen3244 that'd be horrible!
(1) she bit him, he didn't bite her so wtf are you talking about?
(2) it needs to be a wound, not some love bite that didn't even break skin! lycanthropy is a _disease_ , not something that magically occurs through the act of biting/nibbling
@@trhansen3244 boinking someone with lycanthropy definitely seems like a good expansion of the mythos
Although I'm still not sold on nibbling being a prerequisite (only my opinion), the act of sex fits well due to the fluid transfer
The practical effects in this film are AMAZING.
I actually think they’re all practical effects, no? In other words, no CGI. I agree, they’re the best.
@@djendick Yes, excellent even by today's standards.
@@djendick As a general rule, if you're watching a movie made before 1990, you shouldn't use the term "CGI" to describe special effects. CGI didn't become a standard FX tool until T2 in 1991 and Jurassic Park in 1993. Prior to 1990, CGI (at least CGI that wasn't used to depict actual computer screens) was exceptionally rare.
Perfect ending!........... Wonder where the Slaughtered Duck pub is?
Of all the reactions to films, you are the best! No CGI just practical affects just like in the film THE THING.
I love the ending. As far as i'm concerned, everything is concluded.
Agreed. This is _his_ story, not hers or the villagers'.
We still don't know what happened to gang "The Slaughtered Duck".
@@neuvocastezero1838 late reply, but I just watched American Werewolf in London. I think the story resolves well - you can understand why the villagers were trying to drive the American youths out of the pub at the beginning, because it was their chance to move the 'curse' of the werewolf away from their village. And it worked. So they just got on with their lives and stopped having to worry about full moons.
This was one of the first movies I ever bought on VHS tape back in the early 80s when I got my first VCR. Movies on tape were very expensive in those days, but owning an entire movie to watch whenever I wanted to was still an incredible novelty. A copy of this cost me 80 bucks.
That's one of those thing I'm glad have changed, including Blockbuster's rental system if you couldn't afford buying a movie.
Wiser folks recorded movies off the TV for the cost of a blank VHS tape ($15).
19:19 First of all, he's turning into a werewolf. Not a vampire. And second, I think having David not only look into the camera, but reach out to it was a brilliant touch. It's like he's begging with the viewer for help.
Another movie that was filmed around the same time and released close to this one is "the Howling". It too has arguably the best transformation scene ever of a werewolf, as good as or better than an American werewolf in London. What made it better for me was the context. Worth a watch my lady.
I love this movie. One thing I appreciate about your reactions is that you don’t always have the same point of view. I’d argue that the movie did have closure. David died and the line of the lycanthropes ended. There was no mystery about the town. They knew about the werewolves but didn’t want the rest of the world to get involved, so they covered it up. It’s not complicated, but I can see how the simplicity of it can be dissatisfying. It’s ok to not know if you should laugh. It’s a dark comedy, which aren’t for everyone.
I love the simple ending, you just now dipping your toe into 80’s horror it gets weirder and yes horror comedy is a thing
You should watch Fright Night (the original 80s one), that has some great special effects too. Awesome movie as well.
Very funny too.
This movie and Watership Down are what I call "Parent trap" movies. Parents think, "Oh it's funny! It'll be OK to show the kids!" Cue kids scarred for life.
Watership Down should be one of Cassie's movies. What could go wrong in a movie about bunnies?
Soo many dead little animals.... the mice in the thorn bush still haunts my dreams
How is "American Werewolf" and "Rated R" a parent trap?
Greatest horror movie I’ve ever seen, way ahead of its time
still is
This truly was the beginning of the modern Werewolf movie. Rick Baker's special effects are spectacular and still hold up to this day. The atmosphere of the mis en scene and lack of music throughout the suspense scenes gives us a real sense of helplessness. It's so real and authentic. The scene in the subway is where its at for me. Just one guy, alone, trapped in a station with no escape, with a vicious creature chasing him down. And when he's on the escalator and the Werewolf is inching menacingly towards him, my god it makes my skin crawl. It's one of those movies that genuinely make us scared to walk through the night. The viciousness of the attacks were way ahead of their time, and there's something immensely unnerving about that huskey, throaty howl. For 1981, this movie was, I'll say again, way ahead of its time and still terrifies people to this day.
The FX scenes especially the werewolf transformations were the most brilliant done in the early 1980s. NoCGI
the Howling has also great transformation effects. From same year
Speaking of CGI, is _An American Werewolf in Paris_ considered the sequel for this? Made in the CGI era with a rocking soundtrack from _Bush,_ I thought it a passable attempt at a sequel.