An American Werewolf in London (Full Moon Edition) – Blu-ray Review

The Film:

So few films can claim genre dominance as An American Werewolf in London. While most films would just be happy even being compared to a said genre’s top dog (pun intended), An American Werewolf in London is the film, that all other werewolf films will be compared too. Take the vampire genre for a second. All vampires films since Nosferatu (1922) are constantly being compared and ranked up against that film, with maybe the exception of Dracula (1931). It was the first and the best, and while it’s not always appropriate to compare all vampire films to Nosferatu, we do.

In the genre of werewolves, the category is filled with some fun films, but hardly any great ones. The Wolf Man (1941) is a genre classic, but we rarely compare other werewolf films to that, even though a lot of the mythology stems from that film. An American Werewolf in London isn’t compared to it, as it side-steps that discussion. I think it’s because of the small werewolf movie genre, when compared to over-abundance of films on vampires, zombies, or masked killers. In a way also, is that Landis’ film sort of transcends the werewolf genre, and is a benchmark of the horror genre, a higher ranking position.

Whatever the case, the film is a horror classic and one of the key reasons outside of the fantastic Rick Baker make-up, is Landis’ visuals. Surprising too, because I don’t think one would ever consider Landis a visual director. While the film is a werewolf film, along with the conventions of such, we remember David’s dream of the Nazi monsters killing his family, or the undead watching a porno, or the humor, more than the werewolf action. Don’t’ get me wrong, the transformation sequence is pivotal for the film’s success, and it is still-30 years later-remarkable. It’s the type of scene that is a benchmark of FX, all film’s with FX work are compared too. But I think it’s Landis’ visuals, like what I’ve mentioned before that makes the film, the classic it is today.

I guess it is pointless to rattle on what makes this film so universally recognized as a classic. I know this topic of discussion irritates The Howling fans, and I consider myself one of The Howling fans. But the reason why this film wins out as a whole, is the characters. David is likable and sincere, Alex (the immortally gorgeous Jenny Agutter) is sweet and strong, so combining them together, along with the undead secondary characters, creates this vast world of personalities we can identify with. It’s a perfect marriage of horror and humor, and while the humor is always talked about on how funny An American Werewolf in London is, take a second to think how scary the film is. One scene in particular is when the Nazis kill his younger siblings. In a split second we see the bloody body of his younger brother, a sharp and sickening image.

A 100 minutes of humor, horror, werewolves, and Creedance Clearwater Revival makes for one insanely watchable film. I see a bad moon risin’…

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: For those that are foaming at the mouth to see Rick Baker’s awesome FX in stunning HD, don’t get to excited. It’s a decent transfer, with reservations. The film looks not very good in the opening scenes. Dark, grainy, undefined. But as soon as we leave the moors, the film looks better oddly, with finer details, especially in the transformation sequence. Colors and detail are high, which is a plus, and while this is a great improvement over the older DVD version, it’s not as superb as one wishes. But remember it’s 30 years old, so with that in mind, we get a decent Blu-ray transfer.

The DTS track is pretty solid. Even though the original sound design was superb, it’s now dated, so don’t expect much bass or low end, but the rear speakers get a little workout.

Commentary: David Naughton and Griffin Dunne reunite for a conversation on the film. They haven’t seen the film in a long time, which forces them to watch the film, and as these come up they make comments. Their take on the film is light and fun, but I recommend listening to this if you’ve exhausted all other of the extras, and are still in need of a fix.

Beware the Moon: Running 97 minutes, this is an incredibly well-made documentary, by a long time fan of the film, Paul Davis. He plays host, traveling to some of the real locations Landis shot at, but he has collected all participants from in front and behind of the camera. It’s as thorough as they come, worthy for film school kids, horror and film fans. If this was sold separately, I would still buy it. It’s that good.

I Walked with a Werewolf: This is the disc’s only HD filmed extra. Baker sits down and talks for a bit about his love of make-up FX, Universal horror, and the upcoming Wolfman remake. Light and fluffy, but worth seeing just because of Baker and his natural love for the genre and art form of FX.

Making An American Werewolf in London: This is the original 1980 EPK for the film, and it’s a little bit cheesy but highly nostalgic.

An Interview with John Landis: Even though most of his stories on the creation of the film are well-known, Landis’ attitude is upbeat and contagious. This was on the older DVD disc, so a lot of it is repeated in the Beware the Moon documentary.

Makeup Artist Rick Baker on An American Werewolf in London: Again, this was an older extra from the DVD. Most of it is repeated in the Beware the Moon documentary, but it’s worth having and watching.

Casting the Hand is a quaint FX piece, Outtakes that are in rough shape but are still worth watching, Trailers, Storyboard stills, and some Universal BD-Live features are included and round out the extras.

Conclusion: It’s a simple fact: An American Werewolf in London is a classic. But I’m preaching to the choir here. Most are curious on the Blu-ray, and as a whole it’s worth owning. The new fan-made documentary is superb, the transfer has issues, but looks decent enough in HD.

The Film: Rating:

The Blu-ray: Rating: