2. An American Werewolf in London
A couple of backpacking Yankee college kids, David and Jack, decide to take a hike on the Yorkshire moors only to be torn apart by a ravenous werewolf. David survives the assault but finds himself turning into a murderous lychanthrope when the full moon rises. To make matters worse the rapidly decaying reanimated corpse of Jack begins haunting David and pleading with him to commit suicide before more innocent lives are lost. The fact that director John Landis can play such grim material for laughs is a testament to his skill as a director. The rapport between the two old friends never ceases to be amusing and makes the downer ending of the film more tragic than it would have been if everyone had played it straight. Many outlandish moments brings American Werewolf nearly to the top of our list including David's increasingly bizarre dream sequences that culminate in a warped vision of machine gun toting Nazi werewolves shooting up David's family:
The werewolf transformations also raise the bar -- in my opinion they are the most convincing ever put on film (the makeup effects wowed the folks at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences too; they honoured the film with the first ever Oscar for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup). An American Werewolf in London cements its stature as a great horror comedy with its no holds barred climax in which a fully transformed David runs amok on the streets of jolly old London town. David's rampage causes signature Landis car pile-ups and unbridled, unabashed chaos ensues. Eventually, a crew of Bobbies gun David down but not before An American Werewolf in London has chomped and howled its way to number 2 on our list.