"Beware the moon, David."
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981)
Directed by John Landis
I must have been about 13 when I first saw this movie and that was just the right age as far as I'm concerned. I already loved comedy, was just beginning to appreciate horror films and here was a movie that was both in almost equal measure. ( I say "almost" because I think, ultimately, it is a horror movie, and a tragic on at that.) It had so much for me too enjoy, including two appealing leading performances, some great scary moments, lots of good funny lines, a fantastic monster and naked Jenny Agutter. No wonder this is one of my favourite movies.
Anyway, David Naughton and Griffin Dunne have a great rapport as the two unfortunate young Americans who encounter a werewolf on the moors of Northern England with predictably dire consequences. I particularly like the way Dunne maintains his sense of humour after death and decomposition set in. (Watch the movie and the previous sentence will make sense, I swear.) The film is beautifully paced and always entertaining as we follow the poor doomed character, played by Naughton, towards his inevitable horrible transformation.
And what a transformation! Thirty years later it is still unmatched in it's power and believability. You feel every cracking bone and each stretching tendon. The great makeup artist, Rick Baker, achieved a masterpiece that no cgi has ever come close to matching. This is not an opinion; it's a fact.
An important movie in my development as a film fanatic and one I cherish to this day.
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