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| Jim Dembkoski's Horror Review #3 - An American Werewolf In London (1981) |
 "Stick to the road...stay off the moors..." is easily one of the most foreboding and frightening lines ever uttered in a horror film. That's because it is from the werewolf movie through which all others have, at one time or another, been compared to. An American Werewolf In London is quite simply one of the greatest werewolf movies ever made. Rick Baker's makeup and special effects for the werewolf transformation scenes are still a benchmark of the industry and digital effects technology is still struggling to catch up. Two young Americans, David and Jack, are hiking through the English Countryside when they are attacked by a werewolf. Jack is brutally killed. David survives, but is bitten by the beast, and thus bears the curse of the werewolf. Come the next full moon, he will become a monster. Jack, having been killed by the wolf in an unnatural death, is stuck in limbo until the werewolf's bloodline is severed. Since David is the last remaining werewolf in the bloodline, a decomposing Jack appears to David constantly, begging him to kill himself. David must cope not only with his new-found madness of being a lycanthrope, but also his dead best friend's ghost constantly showing up. One of the few movies that succeeds in making the audience feel pity for the werewolf, as it shows lycanthropy as a true curse and disease. The acting is top-notch for a horror movie, and this film has some genuinely funny parts, to offset the extremely frightening ones. No matter how many times you see this film, you will always be scared. This movie did for the English moors what Jaws has done for the ocean. A true classic.
The Good: From start to finish, this film is the cream of the werewolf crop. Truly scary, and at times very heartfelt. The special effects are legendary, and said to be makeup mogul Rick Baker's finest hour. The first 15 minutes of the film has to be the greatest build-up to an attack ever seen, especially the scene in the pub.
The Bad: The weather. The sun never shines in London.
The Ugly: The werewolf attacks are brutally gory, but not gratuitously. Perfectly nasty.
Pictures:
 
 
 
Rating:  ...out of 5 Silver Bullets. A must see. |
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