Review of An American Werewolf in London (1981) by Fred V — 30 Jan 2012

Wow, absolutely brilliant.

There are so many amazing things about this movie it's just mind blowing that it doesn't get talked about more often. I honestly probably would have never watched it if it wasn't for seeing it in a list for best use of pre-existing music in a film. Which is also a great place to start when talking about this movie. The musical choices are so genius and well placed it is pretty much near impossible to describe. The list I read chose the moment where we witness the first transformation but I think the song during the credits is the best and most well placed. Honestly though, the score is fantastic.

Besides that, the sound in general is a work of art. Watch the movie with your volume turned way up and I can almost guarantee some genuine scares.

The first transformation of man into wolf is probably one of the coolest transformation scenes ever made. It really showcases what is possible with very minimal CGI, and how good makeup and camera work can make a very effective werewolf. Besides the transformation, there is a scene in a subway where you see the wolf prowling and it is genuinely haunting, shocking, and just really well done.

This movie is really brutal too. It really doesn't take it easy anywhere and compared to many movies that we see in theaters today, this one is actually kind of jarring to watch (which is weird to say because you think of modern movies being very gruesome, but I feel like this movie is more gruesome to people who don't deserve to be gruesomed which makes it worse/better. I am also officially coining the word gruesomed). This movie is also really fun and funny but when bad things happen, the movie makes sure they are really bad. I don't know a good way to explain it that won't take away from the fun of experiencing it so I'll stop at that but really, this movie is brutal.

And one final thought, the movie has a great build. It's fun to watch it progress and even though you know it's about a werewolf, waiting for the attacks and the change is really captivating and the use of humor to ease some of the tension coupled with really gruesome imagery during the attacks is extremely well done.

I honestly can't recommend this movie enough. I went into it expecting something really boring but got the complete opposite. Actually, maybe you shouldn't read this review and go into it expecting the same and you'll enjoy it as much as I did. Yeah, go back and unread this review. Then watch it.

Note: Incase you have read about this movie before and know what happens in the beginning, or if your decent at predicting, this is one time where a spoiler isn't so bad because it's kind of interesting to watch knowing whats going to happen but still feeling a little tense about it. Great movie. Go see it.