American Werewolf in London

Wow, my third favorite werewolf movie.  Third, you ask!  Yes,  I know this is an Oscar-winning masterpiece that delivers on all levels, but I stand by The Howling 1 and 2.  Anyways, I digress, American Werewolf in London has everything: great acting, humor, unbelievable special effects, and a few legitimate scares.  This tried-and-true film is truly, one of the greatest werewolf movies ever made.

From the very beginning, this film is awesome.  The opening sequence is priceless as well as scary.  I mean, who can forget the Slaughtered Lamb Pub and its peculiar occupants?  The concept of the film for this particular genre is great: werewolf is cursed to be stalked by the ghost's of the people he kills.  This concept is truly original and has not been repeated in another werewolf movie, to my knowledge. The musical soundtrack is also another neat detail that Mr. Landis added.  Every song in the movie involves the word, "moon" in it.  Very clever, sir!

I could go on and on about this film,  let's start with the director; the legendary John Landis.   The visionary of such films as Animal House, Innocent Blood, and Thriller.  I salute this man for his extreme attention to detail, atmosphere, humor, casting, and SFX.  This guy is truly a legend.  His genius puts together an awesome cast of actors that never did that much more than this film. (save Frank Oz)

And how about the special effects?  From zombies to Nazi zombies to werewolf to gore, this film lays it down proper.  The werewolf in this film is, bar none, the most original and terrifying, werewolf on film.  Finally, let's not forget the epic transformation sequence.  While not as terrifying as the one in The Howling, this scene is mind-blowing from a technical stance.  I love this film and you should to.  If you have not seen it or have not seen it in a while, it's a great date movie.