675. An American Werewolf in London

An American Werewolf in London
1981
Directed by John Landis

I left England in mid December and still miss it everyday.  It has been a hard adjustment and it is great watching a film where I can revisit favorite places and say "hey, I was standing where that man got his head ripped off."

David and Jack are American college students who venture to the North York Moors on a backpacking trip.  They are warned by the locals to keep to the road and beware the full moon but of course horror film characters are incapable of listening.  They encounter a werewolf and disgusting transformations occur.

The most famous element of this film is obviously the make up and special effects which are rather impressive even after thirty years.  Still, I am not super into gore and that was probably the least intriguing feature for me.  I thought this film blended comedy and horror remarkably well which, as many cringe inducing movies can prove to us, is a difficult feat.  How creepy are the English moors anyway?  The beginning of the movie reminded me of The Hound of the Baskervilles in the best way.

Definitely an exciting development in the horror genre and worth a watch.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

First film to win Best Make Up at the Academy Awards, a category invented in 1981.