Movie · 1981 · Comedy, Horror · 1h 37m · R · English
Curator score: 6.3/10 (420.7K ratings)
From the director of Animal House... a different kind of animal.
Overview
American tourists David and Jack are savagely attacked by an unidentified animal while hiking on the Yorkshire Moors. After retiring to the home of a beautiful nurse to recuperate, David soon begins experiencing disturbing changes to his body and mind.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.3/10
IMDb: 7.5/10
Letterboxd: 3.83/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Metacritic: 55
TMDB: 7.4/10
Director
John Landis
Production
Lyncanthrope Films, Polygram Pictures
Cast
David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, John Woodvine, Don McKillop, Brian Glover, David Schofield, Lila Kaye, Rik Mayall, Sean Baker, Frank Oz, Paul Kember, Joe Belcher, Paddy Ryan, Anne-Marie Davies, Colin Fernandes, Albert Moses, Michele Brisigotti, Mark Fisher, Gordon Sterne
Where to watch
fuboTV, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, funny, and genuinely nasty horror-comedy with one of the great practical-effects transformations in genre cinema. It balances deadpan British humor, romantic melancholy, and body-horror dread in a way that still feels fresh.
Best for
fans of practical-effects horror
viewers who like horror with dark comedy
werewolf movie completists
1980s genre cinema fans
people who enjoy tragic monster stories
Skip if
you want a purely scary horror film
you dislike graphic body horror
you prefer fast-paced modern comedy
you want a light or cozy supernatural movie
Overview
An American Werewolf in London is one of those rare genre hybrids that actually commits to both sides of the equation. The comedy is dry and often absurd, but the film never lets you forget that the central story is about pain, isolation, and a body turning against itself. That tension gives it real bite.
Worth noting
The transformation sequence remains the movie’s defining achievement: ugly, prolonged, and unforgettable. Even now it feels physically distressing in a way that digital effects rarely match. Just as important, the film uses that spectacle to deepen the tragedy rather than interrupt it.
Bottom line
What makes it endure is the tonal control. It can be funny, romantic, and grotesque within the same scene, and the ending lands with a strange mix of sadness and release. It’s a landmark werewolf film and a high point for practical creature effects.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Lucy (4★) · 7466 likes
"A NAKED AMERICAN MAN STOLE MY BALLOONS"
mollie (4★) · 6626 likes
bro.... what if i were a slowly rotting corpse and you were a werewolf and my soul couldn’t be at peace until you were dead... and we were both boys...
amaya (4★) · 6284 likes
the people making this movie: *cracking knuckles* aight how many songs about the moon can we fit into 97 minutes
matt lynch (5★) · 4243 likes
bom ba ba bom ba bom ba bom bom ba ba bom ba ba bom ba danga dang dang ba dinga dong ding
Madison 🎭 (4★) · 2702 likes
"y'all hear sumn?"
-the men in the pub when american tourists are being eaten