🤩OMG I absolutely LOVED the PRACTICAL EFFECTS in this movie! I loved the horror mixed with comedy, made for a really great viewing experience! Definitely going to add this to the list as one of my favorites weeeee😄
Stan Winston did all the special effects and John landis Genius director my favourite werewolf film! Stan Winston done the aliens and Jurassic Park as well he was a genius sadly passed away a few years ago rest in peace Stan Winston.
An American Werewolf in London set the bar high for lycanthropic transformation sequences and demonstrated how to approach a horror-comedy, emphasizing both the laughs and the scares in equal measure. More importantly, the stunning special makeup effects design and creation earned Rick Baker the first-ever Academy Award for Best Makeup !
Personally, I like The Howling better. Eddie Quist's transformation is a lot more terrifying...... especially since he enjoys it to where David doesn't.
The guy from the US Embassy is Frank Oz. He voiced Yoda as well as many of the Muppets. Him saying the line about "God damn kids" was meant to be ironic at the time. The writer/ director , John Landis, did direct the Michael Jackson Thriller video. He directed part of "Twilight Zone The Movie" ( I highly recommend) that came out around the same time as this movie. It's an anthology movie with segments taken from classic Twilight Zone TV episodes. There was a very tragic on set death during his segment. Actor Vic Marrow and 2 child actors were killed while filming a scene involving a helicopter. One of the pyrotechnics caused the chopper to crash. It came down on the 3 actors, decapitating 2 of them and crushing the third. It was all caught on camera and is disturbing to watch. Knowing the details of the incident, John Landis was totally at fault and deserved to go to prison. The YT channel Horror Stories has a good 7 min video on the incident complete with footage.
Landis also directed Blues Brothers and Frank had a role in that as the prison quartermaster item collector type guy. Like they are warching muppets in ine scene here, a random shopper asks about a Ms Piggy doll just before the start of the shopping mall sequence.
@@thomasgriffiths6758 Not quite, you misheard. At that time the US embassy was in Grosvenor Square. I do think it's funny that you heard it as Grover Square. I'm not saying that to make fun of you, it actually made me smile thinking how good that would've been if that had been what the director really did. 😄
u seen the Kevin Smith yt video where Rick visited the bar, he mentions 2 movies where studios changed their minds to spend more money on his talent?!!! The Grinch and the Nutty Professor!he filmed Eddie Murphy in about 3-4 family members in make up and sent it to the studio,the studio just wanted different actors to play his family members!they also just wanted to paint Jim Carrey in green make up for the grinch!
No surprise there that they came up with a new category for the awards , great effects for it's time, and still holds up well now, you can see how much work they put into it, and it shows
the 'sequel' An American Werewolf in Paris (that involved pretty much nobody from this film) used CGI and well, yeah, it was... fine... for it's time (compared to say, Mortal Kombat Annihilation's embarassingly poor CGI) but yeah, it still wasn't as good as Baker's practical effects from this one.
This is obviously the best. The only cgi wearwolf transformation I liked was in van helsing movie, the wolf rips of its human skin to travel the beast beneath
Best Werewolf movie of all time. Rick Baker won an academy award for makeup, amazing transformation scene. Btw the guy in the hospital with the funny voice was Frank Oz, he did the voice for fozzy bear and miss piggy! :)
I always like this transformation from human to werewolf best because it shows extreme amount of pain and suffering. what i imagine the transformation would feel like is like breaking every bone in your body all at once.
Definitely the best, most uniquely creepy werewolf howl ever. Like a demon wolf shrieking from the depths of Hell! It gives me shivers every time I hear it! That's when you know the sound designers nailed it 👍
Haven't seen anyone else mention this, so the bald American ambassador who comes to talk to David (who you can also see playing the cop that finds Angel Dust on Dan Ackroyd in Trading Places) is Frank Oz. The puppeteer and voice of Fozzy Bear and Yoda.
Loved the practical effects back then. Imagine what people could do nowadays if they pushed the art a little bit more. It'd be insane. But let's give credit where it's due: best werewolf transformation EVER. Loved your reaction. It put a smile on my face 🙂👍
I love that they were so confident in the practical effects that they stuck with them for long shots and had a fully lit room. No dark, quick cuts here.
When the nurse gets stabbed by the monster soldier that was a great jump scare. Apart from the transformation scene the shear violence of Jacks death as the werewolf rips his throat out, makes this movie stick in your memory.
This is a cult classic! And to this day in my view, has some of the best practical efforts in a film, the werewolf transformation is still brilliant. Thank you for spoiling me by re-acting to one of my all time favs!
not a drop of CGI.....all done by a FX genius named Rick Baker...the transformation scene took weeks to shoot...and in my mind one of the best effects scene ever put onto film
Glad you finally watched this. I remember first watching this when I was like 5-6 back in 1984 or so. I loved it and still do. It is hands down the best werewolf transformation ever. You can't beat practical effects. "The Howling" comes close and is worth watching not only for being a horror movie but a good story. One of my all time favorite werewolf movies is "Silver Bullet" and i highly recommend it. Great reaction as always.
The Howling is good. Not as good as this but it has the best werewolf transformation in any werewolf movie to this day. Silver Bullet and Dog Soldiers are also good.
@@hissatsu4937 best werewolf transformation? Maybe of its time, the practical effect era, the 80s What about Ginger Snaps, Skinwalkers, Underworld. Those are some contenders for sure.
This movie traumatized the sh*t out of me as a kid! I saw what I wasn't supposed to see, after I sneakily got under the hide-a-bed in our TV room and watched after being put to bed by my two teen aunts at grandma's. I have never again attempted to watch this as a grown man. But thanks to Laurenn I am now inspired to not be a wuss for a change. This reminded me alot of the way the lycans transformed in the Underworld saga, and gave me childhood flashbacks - I couldn't find the courage to make it all the way through those werewolf movies either. Here goes nothin!
Dude as i kid I was the opposite. At 3 or 4 iwas constantly asking my uncle to put this movie on. I used to pretend i was a werewolf and run after people like in that subway tunnel. That scene and the transformation scene were awesome to me like seeing Godzilla
@@h.donnellgrayiii4276 Yeah i never got scared of horror movies until adults started teasing me theirs monsters in the woods (I used to just run into the dark) and then started to jump out and scare me when i passed by then i was afraid alltogether.
@Nebulous Prowler it is definitely a Halloween staple for me and yes indeed the best werewolf movie imo as well , the make-up effects are still amazing to this day RICK BAKER won the first ever OSCAR in that new category for the all the bone crunching transformation effects . and of course our un dead friends . enjoy Halloween is just up ahead CHEERS .🎃😃🙏
I had only seen clips of An American Werewolf in London out of context, so watching your movie reaction was pretty much my first time watching the movie. An American Werewolf in London was a lot more wild than I thought it would be, and it had a comedic element which I didn't expect. It was genuinely funny. I can definitely see the connection to Thriller. I also noticed that they reused some of the werewolf sound effects when making Thriller. The practical effects were absolutely insanely good like you said. I don't know if it was intentional, but I thought the romance was hilarious in this movie lmao P.S. This was a real fun watch, and your reactions were great 💯
The '80s was when practical effects hit their peak, movies like this and the thing exemplify the high water mark of the art-form. For more insane practical effects, May I suggest Videodrome.
I saw this in the theater when it was released. The change into a werewolf was awesome. That is all everyone talked about. A few years later, The Howling came out and I loved that change as well. This movie was basically an updated version of the classic The Wolf Man (1941) starring Lon Chaney Jr.
When I was 10 when this movie came out, our local theatre at least paid zero attention to age/rating restrictions. My brother and I watched the movie and I was both terrified and fascinated. The practical effects blew me away and they’re still some of the best.
A great reaction to a great film, Laurenn. This film was ground breaking when it was released, and the Werewolf transformation sequence has seldom been bettered, Rick Baker did the effects and, yes, he went on to do, Michael Jackson's Thriller.
The interesting bit at the end you see the rage leave the wolfs face then he lunges as he knows the police will shoot him and end his life in other words he killed himself to end the bloodline.
Make-up became recognised by the Academy Awards in 1981. An American Werewolf make-up artist Rick Baker was the first to receive an Oscar in the new category, he then went on to win 7 oscars for makeup including 2010's The Wolfman. Unlike most films this one was shot in sequence and every song in the move mentions the moon. I have most of the locations documented the Adult cinema (only the outside was used in the move, the inside was a set) was later converted into a Gap cloths store until it closed in 2020 as of now it is undergoing redevelopment again with an opening in Q1 2023. The interior of the Slaughtered Lamb pub was shot in the The Black Swan, Martyr's Green Surrey no where near the North of England, they have had the decorators in since the film was made, it's unrecognisable now, but worth a visit.
Best intro montage of you reacting to scary parts!!!!!! Brilliant! No one has ever done that, as far as I know! /// Two seconds into the reaction and you crack a grin, recognizing that they're starting with "Blue Moon". This is going to be a FANTASTIC reaction. // Wow, I was not wrong. I can't believe it but I actually got misty eyed at the end when you gave your verdict! I LOVE this movie, since it came out. It's a full meal! You get everything! Comedy, drama, horror, romance, trippy surreal dream sequences, fantastic rock & roll soundtrack, fantastic score......and unsurpassed makeup effects, holy crap. PS: Ok, now you've got this singular classic under your belt, for 80s comedy-horror: "Creepshow" (1982 - written and co-starring Stephen King, directed by George Romero of NOTLD) Just as I knew you'd love THIS movie, I almost positive you will love THAT movie. An anthology of five Stephen King stories told comic book style with a fantastic cast. A one-of-a-kind horror movie. LOVE LOVE LAUREN!!!! Oh man, when "Blue Moon" came on and you broke into a grin.....I almost got goosebumps. THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THIS ON YOU TUBE!!!!!
weeeee thank you so much Melody, I'm so glad you enjoyed my reaction🥺This movie knocked my socks off, the practical effects, rom-com, the overall little bits of comedy really made me enjoy this movie so much. The practical effects are what really won me over, blew me away with how amazing it looked! The soundtrack for this was definitely on point they picked the best songs😂by far the best werewolf movie I've ever seen🤩I've still got Creepshow on my watchlist so I will definitely be watching that one in the future. I used to read Stephen King as a kid so I must see it! Thank you for the kind words Melody, it warmed my heart🥰
Maybe it's just my perception, but for a brief moment as she spoke to him in that dead end, there was this close-up of his eyes and I think I realized that he recognized her, that he was trying to understand her. As I said, only a split second before he attacked her and was shot in the process. But for a tiny moment she was about to get through to him. That makes his death even more tragic than it already was.
I always thought it was because of something David said to Alex earlier in the film. Referring to Lon Chaney Jr.'s Wolfman being killed by his "dad" Claude Rains, David tells Alex, "maybe a werewolf can only be killed by someone who loves him." He'd already tried with the knife in the phone booth, but couldn't go through with it. When Alex tells David she loves him in the alley, there's that glimmer of brief understanding, then he lunges... not to kill her, but knowing he'll be shot to death. Either way it's sad, because SOMETHING happens in that moment.
@@LoveLaurenn As someone who had a bit of a weird date with a woman whose bedroom was full of Twlight crap mostly favouring Jacob, I don't think it's unrealistic for a woman to have a bit of a werewolf fetish...
John Landis is both the director for this and thriller - Rick Baker - also did the makeup effects for both. This one is his masterpiece tho. His make up work is legendary tho - super amazing dude too.
Greatest transformation in movie history first movie to win best makeup award oscars and was the inspiration for thriller same director and makeup artist rick baker
In my opinion, this movie, and Legend have some of the best practical effects I've seen. In Legend, Tim Curry's look and portrayal of Darkness is absolutely awesome. Great video, as always.
I really enjoy your "s" sounds. The character Caitlin Bree in Clerks had the same sort of speech. I don't know if it's the way your mouth is shaped, but it is cute.
Loved this movie since I first saw it as a kid. The practical effects in this are as good as any other. The word was Lycanthrope, an old world for a werewolf. The bit that frightened me the most was the part down the tube station, that view down the escalator as it walks towards the man was terrifying was a kid.
YEESSSS!!!! Excellent reaction! Loved it! Knew it was going to be great after your reaction to hearing the "wolf howl" for the first time! Easily my top 5 favourite horror films! Best is that it's not a straight up horror film but this weird perfect blend of a rom-com and a buddy film sprinkled with terror! The "nightmare within a nightmare" when Alex opens the curtains is still the best jump scare to this day! And of course the practical effects still hold up over 40 years later! BTW- Jack said they were attacked by a "Lycanthrope" which is also the folklore term for a werewolf. "Lycanthropy" is the old folklore name for the disease of surviving being bitten by, and subsequently becoming a werewolf. "Clinical Lycanthropy" is an actual mental disorder in which the patient believes they can transform into a wolf or other wild animal. Probably why Dr. Hirsch was willing to entertain the possibility that David believed he was a werewolf. Again- absolutely loved this!
This is indeed the film that inspired Michael Jackson to seek out both director John Landis and special effects master Rick Baker for his landmark music video. It's no coincidence that I first watched it after being thoroughly enthralled by the makeup and filmmaking techniques of "Thriller." Rented it with dad, and as usual was down on the floor just amazed at how the transformation and gore effects were accomplished while dad was grimacing on the couch. ~His own words summed it all up nicely: "Yeee, gruesome." It's no wonder this remains a Halloween standard to this day.
So the opening scene was filmed in Wales but is supposed to be Yorkshire. And it shows a lack of geography on the part of the writers as it makes no sense for him to be taken to London after the attack. But I love this movie. It was the first horror movie I saw when I was 11, thanks late night BBC 😂 Edit: just had a thought, if they’d taken him to a major city in Yorkshire, it might have been Leeds which would have likely mean he went to St James Hospital which had something far worse than a werewolf stalking its corridors
> "makes no sense for him to be taken to London after the attack" - i don't know .. isn't London the only city in England that has sophisticated folk that can read and write and modern medical facilities?
@@mijmijrm shows what you know. We’ve got indoor plumbing in Leeds AND Bradford as well as a number of street lights some of which are not burnt as witchcraft
Yeah, just south of Hay-on-Wye, on the English-Welsh border is where they filmed much of the moor/road parts. Crickadarn, Wales the village and pub exterior, interior of the pub was the Black Swan in Effingham, Surrey. I believe the point where they walk off the road onto the moor was filmed on The Long Walk in Windsor Great Park. An American Werewolf in Leeds wouldn't have had the same ring to it ha. Maybe the Yorkshire Ripper thing would have been a bit too close to home. A monster roaming the streets killing people.
Loved your reaction to this. It's one of my favorite movies. The Halloween after this came out, people were horrified. It was the scariest and best Halloween of my life. All these years I've been confused why Alex would fall for him like she does. I assumed it was that Nightingale Syndrome. Most people did. But recently a reactor said that it's more than likely David's new, stronger, animal pheromones that cause it. Maybe a combination of both?
The young guy playing chess in The Slaughtered Lamb is none other than Rik Mayall. Check out The Young Ones(sitcom), Bottom (sitcom), The New Statesman(sitcom), and Drop Dead Fred. He also made appearances in Blackadder as Lord Flasheart. A worthy investment of your time.
Landis cast Rik after seeing him in the comedy club, unkown to Landis, Rik Mayall also stared in The Comic Strip and Kevin Turvey Investigates both of which aired on UK TV during 1981. Rumer has it, that on witnessing the hoards of screaming girls who'd shown up to see him on opening night Landis apparently commented that had he known how famous Rik was he'd have given him a bigger part.
I don't know why but when David angrily says 'Put that down' to Jack after Jack says 'Hi David' with the Mickey Mouse, is one of my favorite comedy scenes.
Favorite line in the whole movie is when Jack comes back and he says beware the moon David gives me chills every time he says that line when I watch this movie I saw this movie when I was like 10 years old petrified of the dark and walking home at night or going out to the garbage to take the garbage out when I was 10 years old but now I've gotten older the practical effects the transformation phenomenal practical effects this movie is a freaking masterpiece for that and then of course the storyline is quite interesting and that dream sequence out the window on how terrifying that was in a couple other scenes they were really terrifying
Thank you so much, #LoveLaurenn, for uploading this awesome movie reaction. I love your content very much because it's so cool, and I really enjoy watching you react to different movies.
Another great werewolf movie to check out is Dog Soldiers - its got a similar feel to this movie and some great comedic moments. Highly recommend it if you enjoyed this one!! xx
The radio-play is pretty interesting because it includes two additional segments that answer our questions about that village. If you're interested in a fun but wild Griffin Dunne film, go find AFTER HOURS (1985) about one long overnight adventure in Manhattan. It's probably not popular enough for a 'reaction' but it's another nearly lost treasure of the '80s.
I had that Slaughtered Lamb reaction on too many occasions for my liking when I've walked into a pub in small towns in England...it's fricking creepy...! 🫣
Lauren, When you said "What a helluva nightmare." it instantly reminded me of Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny saying, "Oh my gawd! What a fuckin' nightmare!" lol
Best use of practical effects ever to this day. Love it when movies use practical effects. Though we live in a world of CGI thank god there are still some movies out there already made with practical effects and costume use!
Thanks for reacting to this classic. I've seen it many times over the years, but seeing your reaction brings points out I've overlooked. CGI doesn't hold a candle to practical effects does it?
They couldn't remake this movie today without clicking a mouse button. What they did in 1981, it's simply a lost art form. Classic movie. Great reaction-review! You got me, I subscribed.
Still the finest Werewolf movie ever made, great cast and damn those practical effects have never been bettered. RIP Brian Glover ("Remember the Alamo!") and RIP to his chess playing pal played by a very young Rik Mayall (a cult favorite British comedian). If you like the dark humour you may want to give Brit werewolf flick 'Dog Soldiers' a watch, a very underrated little gem of a film.
Wahey!You've just watched one of my favourite horror films ever.Equal parts funny and scary!40 years since I first watched it and it scares me and makes me laugh to this day!!!!Great reaction!🐺
“Ha! Life mocks me even in death!” I’m showing my age but I first saw this on video tape back in the late eighties. It’s a movie that cracked me up just as much as it freaked me out. When Jack gets attacked the viciousness of that scene still bothers me and that werewolves howl? Cold blooded and still terrifying to this day. 6:15
I've just given this a rewatch for you, Laurenn. I hope that life is treating you well? I miss your reactions, I hope that you might return someday. Take care and much love from the U.K.
The guy that made the special effects for this movie was also working on another werewolf movie the Howling, but when he got hired to do American werewolf in London alot of the werewolf special effects was unfinished so his assistant had to finish the work on the Howling while he went to do American werewolf in London. And I gotta say his assistant did a good job.
@Angelo Brewster his assistant was Rob Bottin and went on to become a make-up effects master in his own right , working on films like The THING , The Howling as you mentioned , and Total Recall . 😎 Rick Baker is the make-up artist who worked on this and it was so innovative they had to invent a new category in the Oscars for it for which he won the first award ever presented for it . love the HALLOWEEN Season keeping 80's horror alive beware the moon CHEERS. 🎃🌙🙏
Great reaction as per usual Laurenn. Trivia - when making the scene where the cop gets his head bitten off, the crew didn't understand John Landis when he said he wanted a shot of the head rolling across the cars hood. Eventually after a demonstration by him they figured it out. "oh, you mean the bonnet."
I saw this in a big theater with Dolby surround sound whn I was in high school. To this day I remember the way that wolf howl would come through different speakers at different parts of the movie. It was really something.
Best Werewolf-Movie ever. Rick Baker's Effects are still insane today. The Transformation will be unbeaten forever. I can recommend "The Descent" for a Halloween-Watch - one of the best Horrormovies ever made
I love this movie and love seeing new people discover it and enjoy everything I enjoy about it as well ...Rick baker did amazing effects and john Landis did a great job writing and directing
Great reaction! John Landis was an excellent director. Unfortunately his career went South after the deaths that occurred on Twilight Zone: The Movie. The early 80's was the time of the werewolf. The Howling, Wolfen and Silver Bullet are also pretty enjoyable watches.
🤩OMG I absolutely LOVED the PRACTICAL EFFECTS in this movie! I loved the horror mixed with comedy, made for a really great viewing experience! Definitely going to add this to the list as one of my favorites weeeee😄
Yeah this movie still goes hard for it to hold up vs the same genre films of today. Very arcane and creepy. I don't like the monster on here 😒
You should see The Howling which came before this and had the first breakthrough on-screen transformations.
I love your reaction to this movie Lauren I wonder what the next horror movie you'll be seeing do you know what next one you'll be seeing?💜❤🤗✌
Stan Winston did all the special effects and John landis Genius director my favourite werewolf film! Stan Winston done the aliens and Jurassic Park as well he was a genius sadly passed away a few years ago rest in peace Stan Winston.
practical effects > CGI
"a naked American man stole my balloons" 😆😆😆 The way that kid delivers that line always cracks me up.
Whaaaaaaaaaaat?
I also like the fact that when David takes his balloons the kid is clearly trying hard not to crack up.
An American Werewolf in London set the bar high for lycanthropic transformation sequences and demonstrated how to approach a horror-comedy, emphasizing both the laughs and the scares in equal measure. More importantly, the stunning special makeup effects design and creation earned Rick Baker the first-ever Academy Award for Best Makeup !
Rob Bottin learned a lot from Rick. Bottin went on to create all of the creature FX for The Howling.
Yes I agree
Personally, I like The Howling better. Eddie Quist's transformation is a lot more terrifying...... especially since he enjoys it to where David doesn't.
The guy from the US Embassy is Frank Oz. He voiced Yoda as well as many of the Muppets. Him saying the line about "God damn kids" was meant to be ironic at the time.
The writer/ director , John Landis, did direct the Michael Jackson Thriller video. He directed part of "Twilight Zone The Movie" ( I highly recommend) that came out around the same time as this movie. It's an anthology movie with segments taken from classic Twilight Zone TV episodes. There was a very tragic on set death during his segment. Actor Vic Marrow and 2 child actors were killed while filming a scene involving a helicopter. One of the pyrotechnics caused the chopper to crash. It came down on the 3 actors, decapitating 2 of them and crushing the third. It was all caught on camera and is disturbing to watch. Knowing the details of the incident, John Landis was totally at fault and deserved to go to prison. The YT channel Horror Stories has a good 7 min video on the incident complete with footage.
When I Frank Oz talks in his "normal" voice for some reason I always hear Fozzie Bear.
Landis also directed Blues Brothers and Frank had a role in that as the prison quartermaster item collector type guy.
Like they are warching muppets in ine scene here, a random shopper asks about a Ms Piggy doll just before the start of the shopping mall sequence.
Don't forget Landis also directed Trading Places, with a cameo from Oz as the booking officer.
In his comments he said he is from Grover Square, which was another one of the voices that he did on The Muppet.
@@thomasgriffiths6758 Not quite, you misheard. At that time the US embassy was in Grosvenor Square. I do think it's funny that you heard it as Grover Square. I'm not saying that to make fun of you, it actually made me smile thinking how good that would've been if that had been what the director really did. 😄
They created a new Oscar category due to this film in 1982 for which Rick Baker received the first award for special make up fx. Legend.
16:36 16:38 😅
u seen the Kevin Smith yt video where Rick visited the bar, he mentions 2 movies where studios changed their minds to spend more money on his talent?!!! The Grinch and the Nutty Professor!he filmed Eddie Murphy in about 3-4 family members in make up and sent it to the studio,the studio just wanted different actors to play his family members!they also just wanted to paint Jim Carrey in green make up for the grinch!
No surprise there that they came up with a new category for the awards , great effects for it's time, and still holds up well now, you can see how much work they put into it, and it shows
That Werewolf Transformation is still the best I've ever seen in a movie. Always will be better than full on CGI like we see now
the 'sequel' An American Werewolf in Paris (that involved pretty much nobody from this film) used CGI and well, yeah, it was... fine... for it's time (compared to say, Mortal Kombat Annihilation's embarassingly poor CGI) but yeah, it still wasn't as good as Baker's practical effects from this one.
This is obviously the best. The only cgi wearwolf transformation I liked was in van helsing movie, the wolf rips of its human skin to travel the beast beneath
The Howling is a close second. All practical effects too.
Best Werewolf movie of all time. Rick Baker won an academy award for makeup, amazing transformation scene.
Btw the guy in the hospital with the funny voice was Frank Oz, he did the voice for fozzy bear and miss piggy! :)
Frank Oz --- also the voice of YODAAA!!!
Landis liked working with Oz, he's also in 'The Blues Brothers', 'Spies like us' and 'Trading Places' with similar small cameos.
The Miss Piggy cameo is great
Lauren's face during the wolf transformation scene was priceless.
I always like this transformation from human to werewolf best because it shows extreme amount of pain and suffering. what i imagine the transformation would feel like is like breaking every bone in your body all at once.
80s practical effects were amazing, this movie and The Thing still look better than anything made today with modern digital fx
the Thing, yes, its the fact its not CGI it what makes that film so good. The slightly ropey mutation scenes are what make the Alien seem an Alien.
I still think to this day the werewolf howl in this film has been the creepiest I've ever heard in werewolf films.
Yeh, its the best ! Its haunting, but also declares a large and powerful beast.
It's like a fusion between a wolf howl and a human anguish scream.
Definitely the best, most uniquely creepy werewolf howl ever. Like a demon wolf shrieking from the depths of Hell! It gives me shivers every time I hear it! That's when you know the sound designers nailed it 👍
Jenny Aguter ( Alex) instantly became my number one crush from this film and Logan's Run. I dont blame David for falling for her.
the practical effects from this and Company of Wolves are some of the most fantastic work ever seen in werewolf horror.
Haven't seen anyone else mention this, so the bald American ambassador who comes to talk to David (who you can also see playing the cop that finds Angel Dust on Dan Ackroyd in Trading Places) is Frank Oz. The puppeteer and voice of Fozzy Bear and Yoda.
Loved the practical effects back then. Imagine what people could do nowadays if they pushed the art a little bit more. It'd be insane. But let's give credit where it's due: best werewolf transformation EVER. Loved your reaction. It put a smile on my face 🙂👍
I love that they were so confident in the practical effects that they stuck with them for long shots and had a fully lit room. No dark, quick cuts here.
You need to see some Lycans (Lycanthropes) vs Vampires in Underworld.
I saw "An American Werewolf in London" in 1981 when it premiered! This film freaked the audience out!! Lot of fun!
Rick Baker won the 1981 Academy Award for his effects on American Werewolf. The Academy created the Best Makeup Effects Oscar after his win.
When the nurse gets stabbed by the monster soldier that was a great jump scare. Apart from the transformation scene the shear violence of Jacks death as the werewolf rips his throat out, makes this movie stick in your memory.
What really burned Jack's death scene into my brain was his screaming.
The worst nightmares are the double ones where you think you have woken up. Then you really wake up but you are not quite sure.
This is a cult classic! And to this day in my view, has some of the best practical efforts in a film, the werewolf transformation is still brilliant. Thank you for spoiling me by re-acting to one of my all time favs!
not a drop of CGI.....all done by a FX genius named Rick Baker...the transformation scene took weeks to shoot...and in my mind one of the best effects scene ever put onto film
The werewolf transformation was on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments.
Glad you finally watched this. I remember first watching this when I was like 5-6 back in 1984 or so. I loved it and still do. It is hands down the best werewolf transformation ever. You can't beat practical effects. "The Howling" comes close and is worth watching not only for being a horror movie but a good story. One of my all time favorite werewolf movies is "Silver Bullet" and i highly recommend it. Great reaction as always.
That transformation is still one of the best werewolf forms.
The Howling is good. Not as good as this but it has the best werewolf transformation in any werewolf movie to this day.
Silver Bullet and Dog Soldiers are also good.
@@hissatsu4937 Oh, "Dog Soldiers" is awesome. Lauren should definitely check that out.
@@McPh1741 Definately. Oh and Ginger Snaps is another one to check out.
@@hissatsu4937 best werewolf transformation? Maybe of its time, the practical effect era, the 80s What about Ginger Snaps, Skinwalkers, Underworld. Those are some contenders for sure.
At lot of the guys in the "Slaughtered Lamb" pub are cast members in Aliens 3...they work on the prison planet and are inmates.
Not Brian Glover, he was Superintendent Andrews.
This movie traumatized the sh*t out of me as a kid! I saw what I wasn't supposed to see, after I sneakily got under the hide-a-bed in our TV room and watched after being put to bed by my two teen aunts at grandma's. I have never again attempted to watch this as a grown man. But thanks to Laurenn I am now inspired to not be a wuss for a change. This reminded me alot of the way the lycans transformed in the Underworld saga, and gave me childhood flashbacks - I couldn't find the courage to make it all the way through those werewolf movies either. Here goes nothin!
The effects of this movie bury the effects of every other werewolf movie ever made.
Dude as i kid I was the opposite. At 3 or 4 iwas constantly asking my uncle to put this movie on. I used to pretend i was a werewolf and run after people like in that subway tunnel. That scene and the transformation scene were awesome to me like seeing Godzilla
Sounds awful stinky.
@@fatty1040 that shit is wild
@@h.donnellgrayiii4276 Yeah i never got scared of horror movies until adults started teasing me theirs monsters in the woods (I used to just run into the dark) and then started to jump out and scare me when i passed by then i was afraid alltogether.
One of my all-time favorite movies and still the best werewolf movie ever made! 🐺
@Nebulous Prowler it is definitely a Halloween staple for me and yes indeed the best werewolf movie imo as well ,
the make-up effects are still amazing to this day RICK BAKER won the first ever OSCAR in that new category for the all the bone crunching transformation effects . and of course our un dead friends .
enjoy Halloween is just up ahead
CHEERS .🎃😃🙏
I had only seen clips of An American Werewolf in London out of context, so watching your movie reaction was pretty much my first time watching the movie. An American Werewolf in London was a lot more wild than I thought it would be, and it had a comedic element which I didn't expect. It was genuinely funny.
I can definitely see the connection to Thriller. I also noticed that they reused some of the werewolf sound effects when making Thriller. The practical effects were absolutely insanely good like you said.
I don't know if it was intentional, but I thought the romance was hilarious in this movie lmao
P.S. This was a real fun watch, and your reactions were great 💯
Well that's sad. Watch the whole movie.
The '80s was when practical effects hit their peak, movies like this and the thing exemplify the high water mark of the art-form. For more insane practical effects, May I suggest Videodrome.
I saw this in the theater when it was released. The change into a werewolf was awesome. That is all everyone talked about. A few years later, The Howling came out and I loved that change as well. This movie was basically an updated version of the classic The Wolf Man (1941) starring Lon Chaney Jr.
one if not the best werewolf films ever made
"wherewolf" not to be confused with "whenwolf".
There! There wolf!
(points in a direction 👉)
@@QuantumCat76 There Castle👈
@@QuantumCat76 what wolf? 🐺🤷
This is such a gem with some wonderful directions and actors. Thank you for reacting to this classic!
When I was 10 when this movie came out, our local theatre at least paid zero attention to age/rating restrictions. My brother and I watched the movie and I was both terrified and fascinated. The practical effects blew me away and they’re still some of the best.
30:20: I like "his fiancee, Judith Brown." She's so psychotically cheerful and helpful --given her circumstances and all. 😄
A great reaction to a great film, Laurenn. This film was ground breaking when it was released, and the Werewolf transformation sequence has seldom been bettered, Rick Baker did the effects and, yes, he went on to do, Michael Jackson's Thriller.
This movie is the reason that there is now an Academy Award for Best Make-up Effects.
Checkout Fright Night 1985, great prax effects, Great Reaction!
The interesting bit at the end you see the rage leave the wolfs face then he lunges as he knows the police will shoot him and end his life in other words he killed himself to end the bloodline.
Great reaction to one of my favorite movies.The Howling is another great werewolf movie from the eighties.
"Moondance" (Van Morrison) great tune for this movie .
Make-up became recognised by the Academy Awards in 1981. An American Werewolf make-up artist Rick Baker was the first to receive an Oscar in the new category, he then went on to win 7 oscars for makeup including 2010's The Wolfman. Unlike most films this one was shot in sequence and every song in the move mentions the moon. I have most of the locations documented the Adult cinema (only the outside was used in the move, the inside was a set) was later converted into a Gap cloths store until it closed in 2020 as of now it is undergoing redevelopment again with an opening in Q1 2023. The interior of the Slaughtered Lamb pub was shot in the The Black Swan, Martyr's Green Surrey no where near the North of England, they have had the decorators in since the film was made, it's unrecognisable now, but worth a visit.
Best intro montage of you reacting to scary parts!!!!!! Brilliant! No one has ever done that, as far as I know! /// Two seconds into the reaction and you crack a grin, recognizing that they're starting with "Blue Moon". This is going to be a FANTASTIC reaction. // Wow, I was not wrong. I can't believe it but I actually got misty eyed at the end when you gave your verdict! I LOVE this movie, since it came out. It's a full meal! You get everything! Comedy, drama, horror, romance, trippy surreal dream sequences, fantastic rock & roll soundtrack, fantastic score......and unsurpassed makeup effects, holy crap. PS: Ok, now you've got this singular classic under your belt, for 80s comedy-horror: "Creepshow" (1982 - written and co-starring Stephen King, directed by George Romero of NOTLD) Just as I knew you'd love THIS movie, I almost positive you will love THAT movie. An anthology of five Stephen King stories told comic book style with a fantastic cast. A one-of-a-kind horror movie. LOVE LOVE LAUREN!!!! Oh man, when "Blue Moon" came on and you broke into a grin.....I almost got goosebumps. THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THIS ON YOU TUBE!!!!!
weeeee thank you so much Melody, I'm so glad you enjoyed my reaction🥺This movie knocked my socks off, the practical effects, rom-com, the overall little bits of comedy really made me enjoy this movie so much. The practical effects are what really won me over, blew me away with how amazing it looked! The soundtrack for this was definitely on point they picked the best songs😂by far the best werewolf movie I've ever seen🤩I've still got Creepshow on my watchlist so I will definitely be watching that one in the future. I used to read Stephen King as a kid so I must see it! Thank you for the kind words Melody, it warmed my heart🥰
Maybe it's just my perception, but for a brief moment as she spoke to him in that dead end, there was this close-up of his eyes and I think I realized that he recognized her, that he was trying to understand her. As I said, only a split second before he attacked her and was shot in the process. But for a tiny moment she was about to get through to him. That makes his death even more tragic than it already was.
I always thought it was because of something David said to Alex earlier in the film. Referring to Lon Chaney Jr.'s Wolfman being killed by his "dad" Claude Rains, David tells Alex, "maybe a werewolf can only be killed by someone who loves him." He'd already tried with the knife in the phone booth, but couldn't go through with it. When Alex tells David she loves him in the alley, there's that glimmer of brief understanding, then he lunges... not to kill her, but knowing he'll be shot to death. Either way it's sad, because SOMETHING happens in that moment.
@@EchoPenumbra Maybe you're right. I haven't thought of that before. But it makes sense.
And remember, no CGI and all practical effects, 41 years ago.
16:53 that nurse is thirstyyy lmfao this was a great reaction Laurenn
she was something else lmao, dude over here talking about being a werewolf and seeing dead people and she's like "Come home with me"😂
@@LoveLaurenn As someone who had a bit of a weird date with a woman whose bedroom was full of Twlight crap mostly favouring Jacob, I don't think it's unrealistic for a woman to have a bit of a werewolf fetish...
This movie ranked at #42 in the 100 scariest movie moments on Bravo, cool reaction as always Laurenn, you take care sweetie 🥰🥰
I live next door to the Slaughtered Lamb pub and no one talks to visitors.
John Landis is both the director for this and thriller - Rick Baker - also did the makeup effects for both. This one is his masterpiece tho. His make up work is legendary tho - super amazing dude too.
Yeah, him & Stan Winston.
Greatest transformation in movie history first movie to win best makeup award oscars and was the inspiration for thriller same director and makeup artist rick baker
In my opinion, this movie, and Legend have some of the best practical effects I've seen. In Legend, Tim Curry's look and portrayal of Darkness is absolutely awesome.
Great video, as always.
I love this movie, and all the old creature features. Maybe try the Howling
I really enjoy your "s" sounds. The character Caitlin Bree in Clerks had the same sort of speech. I don't know if it's the way your mouth is shaped, but it is cute.
Loved this movie since I first saw it as a kid. The practical effects in this are as good as any other. The word was Lycanthrope, an old world for a werewolf. The bit that frightened me the most was the part down the tube station, that view down the escalator as it walks towards the man was terrifying was a kid.
YEESSSS!!!! Excellent reaction! Loved it! Knew it was going to be great after your reaction to hearing the "wolf howl" for the first time!
Easily my top 5 favourite horror films! Best is that it's not a straight up horror film but this weird perfect blend of a rom-com and a buddy film sprinkled with terror! The "nightmare within a nightmare" when Alex opens the curtains is still the best jump scare to this day!
And of course the practical effects still hold up over 40 years later!
BTW- Jack said they were attacked by a "Lycanthrope" which is also the folklore term for a werewolf. "Lycanthropy" is the old folklore name for the disease of surviving being bitten by, and subsequently becoming a werewolf.
"Clinical Lycanthropy" is an actual mental disorder in which the patient believes they can transform into a wolf or other wild animal. Probably why Dr. Hirsch was willing to entertain the possibility that David believed he was a werewolf.
Again- absolutely loved this!
This is indeed the film that inspired Michael Jackson to seek out both director John Landis and special effects master Rick Baker for his landmark music video. It's no coincidence that I first watched it after being thoroughly enthralled by the makeup and filmmaking techniques of "Thriller." Rented it with dad, and as usual was down on the floor just amazed at how the transformation and gore effects were accomplished while dad was grimacing on the couch. ~His own words summed it all up nicely: "Yeee, gruesome." It's no wonder this remains a Halloween standard to this day.
So the opening scene was filmed in Wales but is supposed to be Yorkshire. And it shows a lack of geography on the part of the writers as it makes no sense for him to be taken to London after the attack.
But I love this movie. It was the first horror movie I saw when I was 11, thanks late night BBC 😂
Edit: just had a thought, if they’d taken him to a major city in Yorkshire, it might have been Leeds which would have likely mean he went to St James Hospital which had something far worse than a werewolf stalking its corridors
> "makes no sense for him to be taken to London after the attack"
- i don't know .. isn't London the only city in England that has sophisticated folk that can read and write and modern medical facilities?
@@mijmijrm shows what you know. We’ve got indoor plumbing in Leeds AND Bradford as well as a number of street lights some of which are not burnt as witchcraft
Yeah, just south of Hay-on-Wye, on the English-Welsh border is where they filmed much of the moor/road parts. Crickadarn, Wales the village and pub exterior, interior of the pub was the Black Swan in Effingham, Surrey. I believe the point where they walk off the road onto the moor was filmed on The Long Walk in Windsor Great Park.
An American Werewolf in Leeds wouldn't have had the same ring to it ha. Maybe the Yorkshire Ripper thing would have been a bit too close to home. A monster roaming the streets killing people.
Loved your reaction to this. It's one of my favorite movies. The Halloween after this came out, people were horrified. It was the scariest and best Halloween of my life.
All these years I've been confused why Alex would fall for him like she does. I assumed it was that Nightingale Syndrome. Most people did. But recently a reactor said that it's more than likely David's new, stronger, animal pheromones that cause it. Maybe a combination of both?
I used to be a werewolf but I'm alright now..now..Nowwwwellll!
The young guy playing chess in The Slaughtered Lamb is none other than Rik Mayall. Check out The Young Ones(sitcom), Bottom (sitcom), The New Statesman(sitcom), and Drop Dead Fred. He also made appearances in Blackadder as Lord Flasheart. A worthy investment of your time.
Landis cast Rik after seeing him in the comedy club, unkown to Landis, Rik Mayall also stared in The Comic Strip and Kevin Turvey Investigates both of which aired on UK TV during 1981. Rumer has it, that on witnessing the hoards of screaming girls who'd shown up to see him on opening night Landis apparently commented that had he known how famous Rik was he'd have given him a bigger part.
A definitive classic.
When Nurse Price brought David home, he was no longer a patient. He had been discharged so, green light for naughty time! 😂😂😂
Your facial expressions are everything lol
Here are some other awesome werewolf movies that you should watch next: Bad Moon (1996), The Howling (1981), Lobo (1994) and Dog Soldiers (2002).
13:06 'Lycanthrope', basically derived from the greek term for 'Werewolf'.
'Lykos' for 'wolf', 'anthropos' for 'man'.
I don't know why but when David angrily says 'Put that down' to Jack after Jack says 'Hi David' with the Mickey Mouse, is one of my favorite comedy scenes.
Lauren, the cop from america who came to see him in the hospital was frank oz, he was the voice of miss piggy and bert and yoda and others
This movie was nominated for an Oscar for its special effects. I cant remember if it won or not. It should have for sure
Favorite line in the whole movie is when Jack comes back and he says beware the moon David gives me chills every time he says that line when I watch this movie I saw this movie when I was like 10 years old petrified of the dark and walking home at night or going out to the garbage to take the garbage out when I was 10 years old but now I've gotten older the practical effects the transformation phenomenal practical effects this movie is a freaking masterpiece for that and then of course the storyline is quite interesting and that dream sequence out the window on how terrifying that was in a couple other scenes they were really terrifying
Thank you so much, #LoveLaurenn, for uploading this awesome movie reaction. I love your content very much because it's so cool, and I really enjoy watching you react to different movies.
Another great werewolf movie to check out is Dog Soldiers - its got a similar feel to this movie and some great comedic moments. Highly recommend it if you enjoyed this one!! xx
Factastic movie, my favorite scene definitely Jacks first dream appearence. Enjoyed your reaction :D
I've never been able to explain why, but the subway scene always freaked me out the most.
Because there are no alternate routes but to run as fast as you can… straight ahead. 😂
Definitely one of my favorite creature features. The transition is the best. Man to beast.
The radio-play is pretty interesting because it includes two additional segments that answer our questions about that village.
If you're interested in a fun but wild Griffin Dunne film, go find AFTER HOURS (1985) about one long overnight adventure in Manhattan. It's probably not popular enough for a 'reaction' but it's another nearly lost treasure of the '80s.
8:00 You might recognise that voice. It's Frank Oz AKA Muppet Fozzy Bear. He's often in John Landis movies.
I had that Slaughtered Lamb reaction on too many occasions for my liking when I've walked into a pub in small towns in England...it's fricking creepy...!
🫣
The howling is another great werewolf movie with top notch practical effects from the same year
Lauren,
When you said "What a helluva nightmare." it instantly reminded me of Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny saying, "Oh my gawd! What a fuckin' nightmare!" lol
I cry every time I watch this movie
Best use of practical effects ever to this day. Love it when movies use practical effects. Though we live in a world of CGI thank god there are still some movies out there already made with practical effects and costume use!
Laurenn is the best of the best. This is a phenomenal movie. It is a honor to hear her beautiful voice. You're the best Laurenn!🥰❤
Great reaction video to the absolute best werewolf movie ever made, John Landis and Rick Baker really made a Masterpiece.
Thanks for reacting to this classic. I've seen it many times over the years, but seeing your reaction brings points out I've overlooked. CGI doesn't hold a candle to practical effects does it?
They couldn't remake this movie today without clicking a mouse button. What they did in 1981, it's simply a lost art form. Classic movie. Great reaction-review! You got me, I subscribed.
Still the finest Werewolf movie ever made, great cast and damn those practical effects have never been bettered. RIP Brian Glover ("Remember the Alamo!") and RIP to his chess playing pal played by a very young Rik Mayall (a cult favorite British comedian). If you like the dark humour you may want to give Brit werewolf flick 'Dog Soldiers' a watch, a very underrated little gem of a film.
Practical effects in this movie rank right below The Thing IMO. The transformation scene is absolutely captivating! Totally agree with you there!
Wahey!You've just watched one of my favourite horror films ever.Equal parts funny and scary!40 years since I first watched it and it scares me and makes me laugh to this day!!!!Great reaction!🐺
“Ha! Life mocks me even in death!”
I’m showing my age but I first saw this on video tape back in the late eighties. It’s a movie that cracked me up just as much as it freaked me out. When Jack gets attacked the viciousness of that scene still bothers me and that werewolves howl?
Cold blooded and still terrifying to this day. 6:15
I've just given this a rewatch for you, Laurenn. I hope that life is treating you well? I miss your reactions, I hope that you might return someday.
Take care and much love from the U.K.
I saw this movie in the theater! Can you imagine? It is just as great now and really enjoyed watching this with you!
The best werewolf film ever made.
Man, I remember seeing this in the theater back in the day. Great movie, its a classic.
The guy that made the special effects for this movie was also working on another werewolf movie the Howling, but when he got hired to do American werewolf in London alot of the werewolf special effects was unfinished so his assistant had to finish the work on the Howling while he went to do American werewolf in London.
And I gotta say his assistant did a good job.
@Angelo Brewster his assistant was Rob Bottin and went on to become a make-up effects master in his own right ,
working on films like The THING , The Howling as you mentioned , and Total Recall . 😎
Rick Baker is the make-up artist who worked on this and it was so innovative they had to invent a new category in the Oscars for it for which he won the first award ever presented for it .
love the HALLOWEEN Season keeping 80's horror alive
beware the moon
CHEERS. 🎃🌙🙏
@@harveylee51 thanks, I couldn't remember his name
Great reaction as per usual Laurenn.
Trivia - when making the scene where the cop gets his head bitten off, the crew didn't understand John Landis when he said he wanted a shot of the head rolling across the cars hood. Eventually after a demonstration by him they figured it out. "oh, you mean the bonnet."
Watched this on Patreon. It was a great reaction. Will probably watch it on UA-cam again
I saw this in a big theater with Dolby surround sound whn I was in high school. To this day I remember the way that wolf howl would come through different speakers at different parts of the movie. It was really something.
Best Werewolf-Movie ever. Rick Baker's Effects are still insane today. The Transformation will be unbeaten forever. I can recommend "The Descent" for a Halloween-Watch - one of the best Horrormovies ever made
I love this movie and love seeing new people discover it and enjoy everything I enjoy about it as well ...Rick baker did amazing effects and john Landis did a great job writing and directing
Great reaction! John Landis was an excellent director. Unfortunately his career went South after the deaths that occurred on Twilight Zone: The Movie. The early 80's was the time of the werewolf. The Howling, Wolfen and Silver Bullet are also pretty enjoyable watches.
the Howling was great effects too
All great horror is either tragedy or adventure. This is tragedy, made all the more powerful by also being a comedy.