If I'm looking for a horror movie to get me in the spirit, more often than not, I turn to An American Werewolf in London, writer/director John Landis' love letter to classic monsters. From the foggy moorland scenes in the beginning of the film, to Rick Baker's awesome practical effects, it's simply a perfect movie for the season. It also works well as a horror comedy and continues the long-standing tradition of the werewolf as an outcast.
An American Werewolf in London follows two young American travelers, David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne), who traverse across Europe with nothing more than their backpacks. This film works so well, in part, because of Naughton and Dunne's performances. You get a sense that they're actually friends and like each other. Their banter is sharp, funny, and well-written. In that regard, this film can be considered a buddy movie, too.
Not long into the film's runtime, David and Jack escape the constant rain and cold weather. They seek shelter in a pub called The Slaughtered Lamb, and they're absolute outsiders. Feeling unwanted, they leave. The townspeople know they shouldn't go out under a full moon alone, but no one warns them. David is bitten by a werewolf, which viciously mauls and kills Jack. The rest of the film focuses on David's transformation. Oh, and Jack returns as a rotting corpose, warning David he's going to endanger everyone he loves, including his new sweetheart, Jenny (Alex Price), who, for whatever reason, takes David into her London home like some lost puppy.
The film's opening moorland scenes were shot in Wales, and they set the perfect autumn vibe. Fog billows and rolls across the land and dirt paths. There's a real dreariness that foreshadows what David and Jack will eventually encounter. Not only does the setting and atmosphere set the right tone, but it also depicts Jack and David as utter outsiders, two Americans wandering lands in which they don't belong.
Like Universal's 1941 The Wolfman, An American Werewolf in London is also a not-so-subtle metaphor about the Other and the Jewish experience. This is especially apparent when David has a horrific nightmare about werewolf Nazis that open fire against him. It's also evident when everyone in The Slaughtered Lamb view David and Jack as outcasts and talk about them under their breath over pints of beer. They also have the mark of the werewolf on the wall, which resembles the Star of David and also shows up in The Wolfman. Like the Universal Monster movies, Landis maintains a sympathetic tone for the monster.
An American Werewolf in London also features one of the best practical effects and transformation scenes in any horror movie. When David first turns into the werewolf, it looks and feels utterly painful. He cries out in agony as his fingers and toes lengthen, his limbs contort and stretch, and his teeth sharpen into fangs. Baker's effects still hold up to this day, despite all of the advances in technology.
Meanwhile, as David deals with his dual personality, Jack keeps resurfacing throughout the runtime, and again, the effects look fantastic. Each time he reappears, his skin looks browner and hangs off his bones. He appears more corpse-like with each visit. A lot of Jack's lines are funny, but his character also serves a moral compass of sorts, constantly reminding David that if he doesn't act, he's going to kill people. It's an interesting take on the traditional monster movie that hasn't really been repeated. Jack's words and visits constantly gnaw at David, reminding him of the repercussions of his transformation.
Lastly, An American Werewolf also works as a horror comedy with meta aspects. Long before Scream, the film was aware of other horror movies and references previous monster movies, specifically The Wolfman. It lives in a universe where these movies exist, and people have seen them. This is a credit to Landis' script.
An American Werewolf in London has a great atmosphere, impressive special effects, and notable performances by its leads, Naughton and Dunne. It's a buddy movie. It's a monster movie. It's a horror comedy with meta aspects. It's one of my go-to movies during the month of October.