An American Werewolf In London (1981) *****

More than just a superb horror film, more than just a gore fest, more than just a dark comedy—An American Werewolf In London (1981) is a true classic that features revolutionary makeup f/x by Rick Baker, affecting performances by David Naughton, Jenny Agutter and Griffin Dunne, endlessly quotable dialogue, and a memorable score by the prolific Elmer Bernstein (plus clever use of "moon" songs)—all directed to perfection by John Landis.

Even though two other high profile werewolf horror films (The Howling (review) and Wolfen (review)) preceded AWIL earlier the same year, and while I like both of those films, they don't hold a candle to AWIL, which rightfully earned a spot on my Top 100 Films list and my Top 10 Horror Films list. AWIL won the first ever Academy Award for Best Makeup—well deserved for Baker's incredible transformation scene alone. The blood and guts and mayhem (that Piccadilly Circus scene!) in this film are peerless.

AWIL has astounding replay value, thanks to its brilliant and unusual pacing. It effortlessly runs the gamut of emotions—from funny to terrifying to thrilling to romantic to somber to devastating (that gut punch of an ending). Our protagonist David sees his best friend torn to shreds before his eyes, suffers PTSD, falls in love, withstands the painful ordeal of transformation, and unknowingly inflicts great pain upon others (and himself once he's made aware of the suffering he's caused). That’s a big part of what makes this film work so well for me—it cares about its characters and their predicaments, and it's impossible for the audience not to care for them as well. It's one of my very favorite films, period.

You can find my John Landis Feature Films Ranked list here.