Max’s Drive-In Movie – An American Werewolf In London

An American Werewolf In London

Most of the time a comedy-horror doesn’t work but in this 1981 film, it works perfectly. I always come back to this movie. It’s not a parody…but a horror movie that happens to have funny moments. When the movie came out on VHS I bought it. It was also the first movie I bought on DVD. It has aged very well.

If you like horror movies you should like this. I would not recommend the sequel An American Werewolf in Paris…that one doesn’t stack up against the original. This one does have violence, blood, and gore and it’s very effective. The scene in the pub is worth watching the movie. I’ve never felt as uncomfortable for two people in a movie when David and Jack walked into that pub.

Two Americans (David and Jack) are traveling through Europe. They go to a pub (The Slaughtered Lamb) and it’s strongly hinted for them to stick to the main roads on their way out by the unfriendly locals…well guess what? They don’t and soon Jack is ripped to shreds and David is badly scratched by a werewolf. David wakes up in a hospital with Nurse Alex Price taking care of him. That is the nurse I would want.

David starts having horrific nightmares. In the hospital, Jack reappears to David as a decomposing corpse. He keeps telling David that he should kill himself because David will turn into a werewolf and kill others. David goes home with Alex and Jack keeps reappearing and eventually, David does turn into a werewolf.

John Landis had just finished The Blues Brothers and Animal House when he directed this. In two years he would hit again with Trading Places. Rick Baker did the special effects for this movie. The transformation is great and the wolf is perfect. It is the best transformation scene I’ve ever seen. The effects worked very well for me because it felt real.

The music is great. Bad Moon Rising, Blue Moon, and  Moondance are featured. Supposedly Max Landis, John’s son is planning to remake this movie. Personally, I don’t think it needs it. It’s hard to remake a classic.

Plot IMDB

Two American college students are on a walking tour of Britain and are attacked by a werewolf. One is killed, the other is mauled. The werewolf is killed but reverts to its human form, and the local townspeople are unwilling to acknowledge its existence. The surviving student begins to have nightmares of hunting on four feet at first but then finds that his friend and other recent victims appear to him, demanding that he commit suicide to release them from their curse, being trapped between worlds because of their unnatural deaths.

Quotes

  • Dart Player: Go. Stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors.
  • David: Yeah. Thank you.
  • Chess Player: Beware the moon, lads.

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  • Gerald Bringsley: [accusing David of his murder] Whereas I am a victim of your carnivorous lunar activities.

..,

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

28 thoughts on “Max’s Drive-In Movie – An American Werewolf In London”

  2. Pingback: Max’s Drive-In Movie – An American Werewolf In London – MobsterTiger

  3. I reviewed this understated gem at ‘Friday’s Finest’ and we went back and forth on it. Glad to see you did your own piece on it Max. As you infer, the way the comedy – horror works is as bizarre as the subject matter, but somehow works marvellously well. Also the transformation scene is about the best I’ve ever seen too.

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  4. I’ll never forget how excited that we were to go to see that movie our sophomore year in high school. We all loved David Naughton’s Dr. Pepper commercials…”Be a pepper drink, Dr. Pepper” & it freaked us out that he was in such a serious movie like that…I loved it. Warren Zevon’s song was awesome & I still turn up my car radio (XM) when it comes on. Great stuff Max! “Ahh ooooooh”

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    1. Oh yes! Thank you Carl…. I forgot about the Dr Pepper commercials.
      I’m howling with ya Carl!!!! The soundtrack was awesome and I loved the placement of Bad Moon Rising as he was changing in the Werewolf.
      I’m jealous….I wish I could have seen it on the big screen.

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  5. Lots of good moon songs to choose from for it. I’ve never seen it but did see ‘Silver Bullet’ in the ’80s , the Stephen King-based one, and at the time thought it was quite good back in the day.

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    1. This one you would like I think Dave. Other than the classic Wolfman….this is my goto film. It was actually funny while being scary…very good film. I’ve seen Silver Bullet but it was probably in the 80s…I need to watch it again.

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    2. My wife felt the same! I was chuckling maniacally away, she was doing her her best not to upchuck in the popcorn bucket. Sooooo, she chose the movies for the next couple of months, and it was I that had to suffer through the interminable horrors of rom coms like ‘Gregory’s Girl’ and ‘9 To 5.’ Even now I shudder. I feel scarred for life.

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  8. I’m happy to report that’s a movie I’ve watched and enjoyed. Yes, it’s gory at times, but as you pointed out it also has some pretty funny scenes. David’s transformation from human to werewolf includes some of the most amazing effects I’ve seen in movies.

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    1. I agree with the transformation. With modern CGI things like that look bluish or dark, but this was in bright light. It was awesome. It’s one of my favorite horror movies.

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