An American Werewolf in London (1981)

User Review

• 

  TheMovieDiorama

  6 / 10

  An American Werewolf in London is a tonally inconsistent horror classic. The blurb says, and I quote: "One of the most gripping horror films of all time...with a touch of humour". The only thing gripping about this was the porn film that was shown near the end...I wanted to know what happened next!! Anyway, this 'classic' is about two American guys travelling around the North of England where they get attacked by a creature. One of them then slowly becomes an American werewolf...in London. I wasn't engaged at all. Sorry, but there was nothing compelling here. We went from a horror flick, to an investigative crime story, to a dark comedy and then back round again. None of it mixed well in my opinion, they all contrasted each other too much for me to be invested in the story. Any scares that were built up were diminished by our main character running around naked asking a boy to approach a bush...it was a different time back then ladies and gentlemen. Then these humorous scenes were instantly forgotten as soon as the narrative started to become frightening again. Maybe I just didn't get it, or just call me old fashioned. What I can appreciate though are the technical aspects. The make-up and prosthetic work was outstanding, particularly the famous transformation scene which blew my mind (and this is a first time watch). Ground-breaking back in 1981. I liked John Landis' camera techniques, particularly the werewolf point of view chase scenes. It felt fresh and genuinely created some tension. David Naughton gave an incredibly charismatic performance, although the romance between him and Jenny Agutter was horrendously forced. Oh, and the ending was completely abrupt which, unfortunately for the film, cemented by thoughts perfectly. I will admit, I was entertained and could probably see myself watching it again but the constant tonal shifts did not work for me.

  Like?

  0 member like this review.