The 1981 horror-comedy has endured as a result of its gnarly effects and goofy comedy but it’s the film’s surprising restraint and satirical humour that remains most impressiveForty years on from its release, An American Werewolf in London is not a film best remembered for its subtlety.
John Landis’s then-unique, much-imitated horror-comedy hybrid built a cult following on its gnarly makeup effects, goofy sense of humour and discordant soundtrack of perky, on-the-nose pop songs – if it had “moon” in the title, it was good to go – but these are broad, brash virtues: a cheeky adolescent sensibility realised with all the toys in the playroom.
Roger Ebert, for one, was not a fan: “Landis spent all his energy on spectacular set pieces,” he grumbled, “and then didn’t want to bother with things like transitions, character development, or an ending.”Related: Blow Out at 40: Brian De Palma
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