An American Werewolf in London
Horror|Romance
TrailerPossibly one of the most self-explanatory movie titles ever, so I shouldn't have to detail what this is about.
I'd seen the remake(or at least I'm assuming An American Werewolf in Paris is a remake), and knew it was based on this, but just never got around to checking it out. Being that it's that time of the year, I've been making a concerted effort to acquire more horror movies, especially older ones I may have missed, so I decided to give this one a go. And it's a shame it took me so long, because not only did I really enjoy this, but it's considerably better than the remake(no surprise there, right?)
The story is pretty straightforward, but it's executed really, really well. It's genuinely scary at times, but it also manages to be pretty funny, with just a pinch of raunchiness. One of my favorite scenes was when the main character was on a crowded London street trying to get himself arrested by yelling out various ridiculous things such as "QUEEN ELIZABETH IS A MAN! PRINCE CHARLES IS A ******[slur for homosexual men]! WINSTON CHURCHILL WAS FULL OF ****!"
The acting is solid, and the photography is pretty good. Tasteful. The woman playing the nurse/love interest was very charming(and sexy), though, I did think the whole romantic aspect of it felt a bit forced, and rushed. There's only so much you can do in an hour and a half though, I suppose. The beginning with the people at the pub also felt a bit jilted.
The effects hold up well, and are really impressive for their time. You tend to only see brief flashes of the werewolf, but what's there is convincing enough. Here's a shot of the main character's friend in corpse-ghost form:
Unfortunately, there
is one occasion where the effects -- TODAY -- look borderline laughable, and not surprisingly it's during the sole werewolf transformation scene we see.
Certainly won't ruin the movie, and I've seen movies of today with worse effects, but it's worth noting. Due to when it came out, it won't effect the rating I give it.
If you like horror movies, I'd say this is a must-see. Otherwise, it's a really entertaining flick, and a great way to spend an hour and a half this Halloween season.
8/10
