An American Werewolf in London, perhaps the best known werewolf movie of modern times, was one of the first 80s-style horror movies to attempt to move beyond the genre. It is (unlike Halloween, which was simply an attempt to make Psycho bloodier and faster) fiercely original, a cultural comedy (it parts off shots on both Americans and Brits), a crazy romance, and a somewhat contrived tragedy (unlike An American Werewolf in Paris, there is no happy ending to this tale).
Admittedly, An American Werewolf in London faces the same problems horror flicks have always faced bad gore and worse acting. However, it deserves credit for being able to overcome the script and directorial problems that normally plague such films. The wolf itself is not revealed in action until shortly before the end. One scene in particular, where the wolf chases a man in the underground, brings to mind pleasant memories of such movies as Jaws, Alien, Aliens, and Alien 3.
An American Werewolf in London is one of those rare horror movies that make you put faith in the genre. In retrospect, however, its presence allowed the green lighting of several very bad horror movies down the line (not to mentioned the deplorable Teen Wolf), and thus Werewolf should be taken with a grain of salt. It’s inspiring but look what it inspired.
Still, An American Werewolf in London is a horror classic. It’s ten times better than its follow up, An American Werewolf in Paris, and about fifty times better than Halloween.
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