I'm no connoisseur of werewolf movies. In fact I believe this may be the only werewolf movie I've ever seen. It seems to me that this sub-genre of monster movies isn't generally that well received, seeing as the only other one I've heard of is The Howling.
I suppose Teen Wolf counts but that isn't really a horror movie.
An American Werewolf in London works on several levels. Obviously, it works well as a body-horror movie. The scene where we witness the transformation is pretty difficult to watch. Being a werewolf sounds cool until you realize that the sudden rearrangement of your bones and organs is going to be excruciatingly painful.
On the other hand, this is also a supreme example of a dark-comedy. An American Werewolf in London was directed by John Landis, who you may remember from the classic, Animal House. While certainly not a pure comedy, there is a good deal of wacky stuff that you can pick up on in the midst of the chaos, and similar to Animal House, this is a movie about the experience of young, college-aged adults in a world that is new to them. For this reason, An American Werewolf in London is a classic movie.
Sounds like a good place for a drink
At the beginning of the film we are following our protagonist, David, and his longtime friend, Jack, as they backpack through the northern England countryside. It's safe to assume that these two are freshly graduated from either high school or college, enjoying a summer abroad before real life picks up. They are young. Not children but not yet adults. They lack the responsibilities and the experience that comes with being an adult, and in their youthful foolishness, they ignore the advice given to them to stick to the road, realizing their blunder far too late. For these two young men, even when the shit hits the fan it appears that the seriousness of their situation doesn't dawn on them. They continue to kid each other even as they are aware that they are being hunted by something in the night.
And then they are attacked. Jack is killed, David is wounded and the werewolf is killed by the local townsfolk. This werewolf attack marks the beginning of what becomes a coming of age story in which transforming into a werewolf acts as a metaphor for the transformation into adulthood.
Let's look at what happens after the attack. I'll stick to the relevant bits.
In the hospital, David flirts, and falls in love, with his nurse, Alex. He goes to stay at her flat once he has been discharged and they make love. David becomes a man, in the sexual sense. Certainly, I may be making a bit of an assumption that David hadn't already reached this point in his life, however, it's never stated whether or not this is the case and it's sort of implied early on that Jack may be a virgin and since Jack and David are such good friends I am assuming they are practically interchangeable at the beginning.
After being left alone in the apartment, we witness the most iconic moment of the film. The transformation.
Oh god. It's happening again!
As I said earlier, this scene is NOT for the squeamish. This may not be the first time that the werewolf transformation was presented in such a manner but it was certainly the most affective. I'll just say, they earned that Oscar for best makeup. In fact, they created the category because of this movie. So, anyways, David endures an excruciating transformation into a werewolf (metaphorically, he becomes an adult) and goes out in the night and brutally murders and eats six people. Likely for the first time in his life, David's actions have real and lasting consequences.
In the end, David takes responsibility for what he is and what he has done and dies so that his victims can rest in peace. Some people may also think this is a bit of a stretch but I like to think that he purposefully gets himself cornered, and, at the very least, knowingly moves to attack Alex as she is pleading with him so that the police kill him instead of possibly trying to capture him.
This film stands out as a great darkly humorous horror film, but also as a story about being forced to grow up. Great fun to watch but with further meaning underneath the surface, and I recommend everyone see it at some point.
