An American Werewolf in London

An American Werewolf in London is a horror film released in 1981, written and directed by John Landis. It stars David Naughton, Griffin Dunne and Jenny Agutter. Although there are several straightforward horror elements to the plot, it is also knowingly funny and ironic, an example of a tongue-in-cheek humour.

Plot synopsis

Two American college students, David Kessler (Naughton) and Jack Goodman (Dunne), are backpacking on the Yorkshire moors when they are attacked by a large animal. Jack is killed. David, although mauled, survives and is taken to a London hospital. When he wakes up some time later, he does not remember what happened and is told of his friend's death. Things get stranger when Jack visits David in the hospital. David's friend Jack (now an animate corpse) explains that they were attacked by a werewolf on the moors and David is now a werewolf. Therefore, urges Jack, David must kill himself before the next full moon to avoid turning into a monstrous killer werewolf.

Related Topics:
Yorkshire moors - London - Werewolf

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Upon his release from the hospital, David moves in with his pretty young nurse, Alex Price (Agutter). He is in Alex's London apartment when the full moon rises and he turns into a werewolf. The transformation sequence, designed by Rick Baker, is often held by special effects enthusiasts as the greatest special effect of its kind. In the form of a werewolf, David prowls the street and subways of the city, and slaughters a handful of innocent Londoners. When he wakes in the morning, he is naked and sleeping in a wolf cage at the zoo. He has no memory of his nocturnal lupine adventures. His trip home provides some much-needed comic relief.

Related Topics:
Nurse - Full moon - Rick Baker - Special effects - Subway - Zoo

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David eventually realises that Jack was right about everything and he is responsible for the murders of the night before. He is haunted by visitations of his victims. Jack (in progressive stages of decay) appears again, telling David that he must commit suicide before he turns into a werewolf again. This David fails to do and consequently he again he turns into a werewolf and kills. Following a chase through London, the police shoot him as a werewolf and he turns back into a human when he dies.

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