An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Release date: 1981-08-21
Country: UK|USA
Language: English
Director: John Landis
Production Co: Polygram Pictures, Lyncanthrope Films, American Werewolf
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Rating: 7.5/10
Length: 1h 37min

Storyline

Two American college students are on a walking tour of Britain and are attacked by a werewolf. One is killed, the other is mauled. The werewolf is killed but reverts to its human form, and the local townspeople are unwilling to acknowledge its existence. The surviving student begins to have nightmares of hunting on four feet at first but then finds that his friend and other recent victims appear to him, demanding that he commit suicide to release them from their curse, being trapped between worlds because of their unnatural deaths.

Plot Keywords

werewolf, college student, london england, monster as victim, pentagram, london underground, contemplating suicide, full moon, nurse, american, character says i love you, cleavage, scantily clad female, topless female nudity, breasts, bare breasts, nudity, sex in shower, pubic hair, female nudity

Short Review

David's writhing discomfort in his own skin marks not just the monstrous metamorphosis in and of genre, but also that deep sense of estrangement experienced by any well-meaning if gauche tourist tripping up on local lore and mores.