AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON Review On "Violent Maniac's Cage"

AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON

(1981, USA)

DIRECTED BY: John Landis.

My favourite werewolf film of all time, this masterpiece blends humor with extreme shocks and some impressive, very impressive special effects. So impressive that the efx man Rick Baker won an oscar for them (It's a shame he's doing pussy films now like The Nutty Professor). Simple but effective story has a couple of college buds (David Naughton and Griffen Dune) on a hiking holiday where they cross the British Moores and end up victims of a werewolf. Naughton becomes a werewolf after the incident and is occaisonally warned by the corpse of his dead friend Jack (Dune) that he should kill himself or he will kill as a werewolf.

Well Naughton transforms in a scene which I must say is an example of the best werewolf transformation sequance I have ever seen in a film, it is amazing how this scene is done and even today I have not seen anything better. Naughton writhes in agonizing pain as he transforms into a savage Lycanthrope, then he hunts during the night while his love interest Jenny Agutter who is a nurse is working. A rampage in downtown London leads to a not so happy ending. A more humorous scene in the film has Naughton with his rotting friend Jack in a porno theatre where he introduces David (Naughton) to his victims he killed as the wolf. an utter masterful work in horror that must be witnessed. Great classical music score too including songs like Blue Moon and Bad Moon Rising. The sequal is titled An American Werewolf In Paris.

Rating: 5 Skulls

Review by: Richard J. Taylor

Email: rtaylor@roadrunner.nf.net

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