An American Werewolf in London

Guide Note

An American Werewolf in London is a comedic horror film written and directed by John Landis. Released on August 21, 1981, American Werewolf in London grossed $3,786,512 on opening weekend. An American Werewolf in London is considered to be a cult classic by some fans.

When two students are taking a tour in London they are attacked by a werewolf. One of the students dies while the other is severely hurt. The student that survived starts to have nightmares of hunting like a wolf on four feet. Also, his friend and other recent victims of the werewolf appear to him insisting he find a way to die to relieve them of their curse of being trapped between two worlds because of the unnatural way they died.

Fast Facts

1. Director: John Landis
2. Screenwriter: John Landis
3. Release Date: August 21, 1981
4. Starring: David Naughton, Griffin Dunne, Jenny Agutter
5. Domestic Total Gross: $30,565,292
6. Distributed by Universal Pictures
7. Run time: 97 minutes
8. Follows by An American Werewolf in Paris

We never get a real feeling for the characters, we never really believe the places (especially that awkwardly phony pub and its stagy customers), and we are particularly disappointed by the ending. I won't reveal the ending, such as it is, except to say it's so sudden, arbitrary, and anticlimactic that, although we are willing for the movie to be over, we still can't quite believe it. — Roger Ebert