20 Horror Monsters That Were Scarier Before You Saw Them
9. Serafine - An American Werewolf In Paris
The transformation sequence in An American Werewolf in London is a work of art, earning the film the first-ever Academy Award for Best Makeup. Over 40 years later, it's still considered to be among the greatest practical effects in cinema.
It's not just Rick Baker's physical labour that made this scene iconic, though, but also the editing and directing, as director John Landis knew what to show, how to light the character, what angle to use, and when to cut in order to leave the biggest impression possible.
Sadly, the people behind An American Werewolf in Paris didn't consider any of this.
Firstly, this 1997 sequel decided to use CGI instead of practical effects for its big transformation scene. Even though special effects had come a long way in the 16 years between the two movies, computer-generated imagery wasn't quite there yet, as this scene demonstrates.
The ropey CGI isn't the only thing that ruins this sequence, mind, for instead of using careful editing, Serafine's transformation is shown in an unbroken 25-second shot, with the camera zooming in on every unconvincing polygon of her digital body.
Despite the fact that Serafine is intriguing at first, this goofy transformation completely soured Julie Delpy's character.