Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Universal Studios Home Entertainment – 97 mins  – 1981 – Rated R – 1080p Widescreen 1.85: 1 – DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1

We’ve all seen Michael Jackson’s Thriller video, but do you know what film was the inspiration for that historical video? If you’re a fan of horror films you know that it was the 1981 film An American Werewolf in London. What made this film stand out was that this was the first time audiences got to see a man painfully transform from human to a massive werewolf right before their eyes. Up until then, the classic werewolf movies would just show the actor fall behind something and then rise up after a cut to already be in full make-up, or the actor would transform using editing tricks like dissolves to get the effect. After the success of An American Werewolf in London every proceeding werewolf movie has attempted to up the anti on transforming a man to a wolf, and CGI has made it easier, but twenty eight years ago it was all done via old fashioned make-up effects, and it was so mind blowing that it won an Academy Award. An American Werewolf in London finally arrives on Blu-ray from Universal Home Entertainment, so get ready to watch this one during a full moon.

THE MOVIE

The plot for An American Werewolf in London is as simple as it gets, but also keeps in line with the werewolf legend. Two American students, David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) are backpacking in Europe venture through a desolate region, and are warned by locals to stick to the roads when they travel, and stay off of the moors, particularly at night. Being wacky Americans, the boys do the opposite and walk through the moors, leading to a vicious attack by a hairy beast that leaves Jack dead, and David brutally wounded.

David wakes up in a hospital weeks later under the care of a nurse, Alex (Jenny Agutter), where he learns what has happened. As he attempts to deal with it, he begins to have horrific nightmares and it gets worse when he is visited by Jack’s decaying corpse that tells him he will become a werewolf and continue to kill unless he takes his own life. Obviously, he just thinks he’s just going insane from grief, but then realizes it’s true when during a full moon he painfully transforms in a mammoth hairy werewolf, goes out to hunt prey, and awaken naked in a zoo. Alex, who has now fallen in love with him, wants to help David, but nothing can stop his destiny now, because he knows he can never control the beast that will overtake him every full moon.

Written and Directed by John Landis, who also directed Michael Jackson’s Thriller video, An American Werewolf in London still holds up as one of the definitive werewolf movies, and is always referenced. It’s not that film is necessarily phenonimal; it’s just that it came out at the right time at the dawn of the 80’s, which was about to be flooded with slasher films. One debate about the film has always been is it a comedy or a horror film. Well the only way to answer that is how many comedies have you seen that display a man transforming into a werewolf and biting someone’s head off? Make no mistake, this is a horror film; there may be a laugh or two, but when the ending credits role, you know you’ve seen a horror flick.

By today’s standards it may feel slow paced, (which explains to so-called remake of the film that’s in the works) but being that it was shot in England, it doesn’t look like a typical 80’s film that usually gets locked in fashion hell, because this film could have been made five years ago and besides the effects you wouldn’t have noticed the difference. The film has no real star power behind it, with a B-list cast at best, but you will remember these unique characters, especially the gang of oddballs at a pub called the Slaughtered Lamb. But the main reason to watch An American Werewolf in London is for its money shot, where David first transforms into the beast. Rick Baker, who is now an icon in the industry, raised the bar tenfold, and even the CGI werewolves in the Underworld films can’t hold a candle to what he accomplished. If you’re a fan of the film, this one is for you, and newbies will appreciate the movie that made Michael Jackson’s Thriller video possible.

VIDEO

An American Werewolf in London has always been cursed with having a bad transfer in previous formats, even the DVD looked too dark for my taste. This Blu-ray offers a full 1080p image in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, and to date it is the best looking version of the film, but it’s also far from perfect. This is a very grainy transfer, but being that it’s set it London, you may forgive this because we also think of a small town in Europe to be a dreary place. One image from the film I remember when I saw this as a kid was David’s bright red jacket, and this transfer shows you the brightest version of it you’re going to see as it stands out in total darkness of the opening scenes. The make-up effects really look better than in previously releases, such as the movie theater scene where Jack sits in the dark theater with his face deteriorating. Before you could barely make out any details, but now you can see a lot more of Rick Baker’s work, because the image has been lightened. Overall, this is the best it’s going to get, for now anyway.

AUDIO

This Blu-ray offers a Doby Digital DTS-HD Lossless 5.1 audio track that is far more superior than the previous DVD release. The minute you hear Blue Moon over the opening credits, you’ll appreciate everything that went into this mix. All speakers are balanced well, particularly in sequences such as when David and Jack first encounter the sounds of the werewolf tracking them on the moors. And the finale sequence when the werewolf is attacking everything in its path as people are running, screaming and crashing cars, the sound design definitely heightens the chaos. Basically, you won’t be disappointed, and it will creep you out in all the right places.

EXTRAS

This blu-ray is labeled the Full Moon Edition, which is appropriate because the disc is packed with bonus features that should keep all fans of An American Werewolf in London happy. Most of the material has been carried over from the previous DVD release, but there is an all-new Beware the Moon documentary that is worth the price alone.

The film’s stars, David Naughton and Griffin Dunne, provide an audio commentary track, which is pretty cool since they’re doing it over twenty years since they made the film. They actually remember plenty of the day-to-day events that went on during filming, and seem to be having a lot of fun reminiscing about it all. This is a good audio commentary that will definitely be enjoyed by fans.

Beware the Moon is an all-new feature length documentary that goes into every aspect of the film, from its origins, release, and its continued following by fans. This documentary includes interviews with writer-director John Landis, effects creator Rick Baker, stars

David Naughton , Griffin Dunne and Jenny Agutter. It even goes so deep that they actually found the creepy guy who played darts in the Slaughtered Lamb scene to talk about the film. How can you ask for anything more? This is definitely the definitive tribute to this film

Also included is a collection of interviews from the previous releases of the film that runs about a half an hour. This is fine for purist, but after watching the Beware the Moon documentary, this one instantly feels dated and obsolete. But kudos to Universal for including it, because if they didn’t someone would have probably complained.

A storyboard-to-screen comparison displays the artwork for the sequence in the top box, and the actual final footage in the bottom box to give you and idea of how the scenes were envisioned.

And for the hardcore fans the originally trailer for An American Werewolf has been included and it’s been bumped up to HD.

BOTTOM LINE

If you love this film and you own a blu-ray player, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the equation of how long it will take you to buy it. Do date this is the best looking version of film with a solid sound mix and a pleasing pile of bonus features, in particular, the all new Beware the Moon documentary. An American Werewolf in London has held its place in cinema history and will go into the horror film archives. This one is highly recommended.

SCORES: (out of 5):

The Movie: 4.0

Video: 3.5

Sound: 4.5

Extras: 4.5

Bottom Line: 4.0