20 Greatest Horror Movies Of The 80s
9. An American Werewolf In London
1981 was a great year for horror fans with a taste for werewolf movies: Joe Dante teamed up with special effects whiz Rob Bottin for The Howling, while John Landis got together with stars David Naughton, Jenny Agutter and Griffin Dunne for An American Werewolf In London.
While The Howling is a thoroughly entertaining horror film, An American Werewolf in London has the edge over it, not least because of the incredible werewolf transformation sequence, which shocked audiences and left an indelible impression on the minds of horror fans. But the film works as so much more than an effects-driven shocker, with solid performances and a keen sense of humour lurking beneath the gore.
Landis's direction is predictably solid, especially considering he was working outside of his comedy comfort zone (his other movies include The Blues Brothers and Trading Places), but special praise goes to Rick Baker for his effects work, revolutionary for the time and just as effective today.