An American Werewolf In London is an odd case because it does manage to exhibit a lot of the wry humor John Landis excels at. But at its core, this is assuredly a horror movie. Two American guys in rural England are attacked by a werewolf and one of them transforms and (spoiler alert (for a 34-year old movie)) kills the other. What follows is a nightmarish and murderous trek through London, including some of the best practical effects work in the history of therianthropic cinema. John Landis, meanwhile, remains one of the undisputed early kings of comedy. Hell be remembered and revered forever for Animal House, Blues Brothers, Three Amigos, Coming To America, and more. His comedies always had an emotional heart, though, and he was a skilled craftsman beyond the art of making people chuckle. An American Werewolf In London proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Landis was no one-trick-pony, even if it was a helluva trick.
Joe Sippy grew up in Chicago and now resides in Los Angeles. He enjoys corn dogs, rap music, and horror movies. On weekends you can find him in the ocean, surfing very poorly.
