An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Directed by John Landis
Written by John Landis
Starring David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne
Horror is probably the trickiest genre to get right. It's usually panned by critics universally because they judge horror films on the same meter as the hoity toity classics and art films they masturbate furiously to.
Horror fans will forgive faults of a horror movie if it's at least entertaining, or fun in a "so bad it's good" kind of way.
An American Werewolf in London appealed to both sensibilities. It's well written, has a sharp story and great characters.
Notice a theme yet? Regardless of the genre, a film will not work if the characters are completely unsympathetic or portrayed in a way that they aren't relatable. Someone can be a total scumbag on screen, but if he or she is given depth and understanding it will come off much better.
The real star of London is the makeup. Before SFX went digital, makeup was king especially in horror films. As unrealistic as it looks from time to time, it beats the hell out of a CGI monster any day of the week.
The transformation sequences may look a little hokey at first, but it doesn't remove the human aspect, the terror David Kessler (Naughton) goes through when he discovers that "holy crap, I'm a werewolf".
Landis, who directed Animal House, sprinkles in humour to balance it out, but it's never awkward. Jack Goodman's ghost, the friend hiking through the Moors with Kessler, haunts him as he slowly decomposes in the afterlife.
Sprinkle a little love story and voila! A well rounded horror-comedy hybrid that will entertain critics and horror buffs alike.
Harmony is nice.
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