Just wanted to pop on and say thanks for all of the kind comments and support. I started this channel because I love movies and have a special place in my heart for horror. It seems I’m not alone!!! Great to find kindred movie lovers! Thank you!
the rules are way more consistent than vamps: tied to the cycles of full moons, silver, decapitation, or the hand of someone who loves the wereperson or suicide...that's about it. With the rare liberty, around form and consciousness. 'WER' is a werewolf film I finally caught. Pretty good, but this is THE BEST
@Michael Shaughnessy There are moments when the black riders are very ominous. A lot of the time, in true horrror movies, the 'monsters' really don't convey the right gravitas to be truly scary.
40+ years later and nobody has matched the practical effects of Rick Baker or Rob Bottin, his understudy that did The Howling same year because Baker was obligated to to AWIL. Baker won the first SFX Oscar for this
Rick Baker won the first of seven Academy Awards for Best Makeup. The first makeup artist awarded in that category. He also won for Harry and the Hendersons, Ed Wood, The Nutty Professor, Men in Black, How The Grinch Stole Christmas and The Wolfman.
I like The Howling more than this movie. I like The Howling's werewolf design more and a it has more my type of humor. Another werewolf movie I like is Ginger Snaps, it's a werewolf movie with a different type of approach.
Personally I think the werewolf transformation is pretty underwhelming in the Howling, just lots of bubbling skin and a jaw pushout that isn't as good as AWIL. But the actual werewolf costume is incredible
@@kennethwilliams7731 Wolfen isn't exactly a werewolf movie, although the werewolf/skinwalker myth is the topic of the plot, but no actual werewolf was happening. I do like the movie, though. Those wolves looks vicious!
Among all of its successes, this film really impressed me for just how authentically British it feels - Jonathan Landis has said that he wanted to make a British horror film in the style of Hammer or whatever, and he really succeeds. Seeing it as a teenager I expected the film to 'feel' American, but it nails the way Britain felt in the early 80s amazingly well...
Is she the same girl from Logan’s Run? Ha, right after I typed this she said she was the chick from Logan’s Run. I thought so but she looks a little different here.
I'm happy that this movie is getting seen by more and more people, recently. It's my absolute favourite werewolf movie and the practical effects and makeup can't be beat. Of course, _The Wolfman_ starring Lon Chaney Jr. is a classic that is also great for its time.
Rick Baker is an amazing artist. I saw his werewolf head in a travelling museum exhibit. He put in all the details himself, moles, each and every hair, scars, wrinkles. They displayed it on a clear lucite bust sitting on a clear lucite box, inside a clear plexiglass case. I swear it locked eyes with me and I almost wet myself. I did get cold sweats. Amazing detail, a sense of captured motion, too.
Great reaction and I love that you mention the subtle music in the background when david was talking to jack about being a werewolf, I love how the music was very haunting and sinister and I recommend dog soldiers to you another great werewolf movie!
The early 80's was a groundbreaking period for special make-up effects in horror movies. Apart from Rick Baker a couple of my other favourite special make-up effects creators are Stan Winston and Rob Bottin who both worked on the incredible "The Thing" (1982)
American Werewolf was indeed filmed in England. However, the village used for the location of East Proctor wasn’t in Yorkshire, but in fact Wales. The initial werewolf attack sequence was filmed in the grounds of Windsor Castle. John Landis plays the guy who gets hit by the car & knocked through the window during the Piccadilly Square scene. As someone who’s lived in Yorkshire his entire life, I can confirm all our village pubs have pentagrams on the wall 😂
What a pleasant surprise your reaction was! Watching reactors has been my thing lately- and yours was so refreshing! I was eleven years old when this film came out and first saw it when I was 12 or 13. This is easily in my top five horror films of all time along with Jaws, ALIEN, The Thing (1982) and The Shining. There isn't much I can add that you didn't already touch on- probably the one thing is how the film's universe strays away from the usual Werewolf tropes of needing to use silver and how David is able to change two nights in a row. The thing with "monster" movies is that people tend to accept the "rules" established by the initial author of the monster story. Vampires are killed by sunlight, or a stake through the heart- Werewolves are killed by silver etc. So when a story "changes the rules", the new author is either looked upon as being revolutionary... or a complete heretic. But of course... Werewolves, vampires etc, don't exist. So if a story changes the "rules" the truth is there are no rules to begin with. If the movie is sound and doesn't double back on itself or is full of plot holes, I just enjoy the ride. That and the "nightmare within a nightmare" (when Alex is stabbed to death by the Were-nazi after opening the curtains) is probably one of the best unexpected jump scares of horror history! Nobody sees that coming! Again- loved your reaction- just subscribed and looking forward to more!
I was 13 when this film came out, in Canada at the time it wasn’t a big deal as it is today, we knew the difference between reality and movie magic, I’m still a fan of Rick baker to this day, also went to see The Howling too, it was an amazing time for monster makeup and monsters in general, I’m happy there is a new generation to see this and others, and cheers to you from Canada!
Great reaction. Love seeing horror fans such as yourself watch these films because you can appreciate things others might not pick up on. Nicely edited, as well, and really enjoyed hearing your thoughts. Looking forward to watching more!
I thought it would seem dated but it really does hold up now. It just seems better than movies made today. The story is tighter and the effects are better.
One of my all time fave movies. :D Oh and bit of trivia: John Landis and Rick Baker then worked on the iconic Thriller short film for Michael Jackson because he loved this film. Baker didn't want to repeat the exact same werewolf design and effects so decided to make Jackson into a werecat instead (hence the yellow eyes and whiskers on Jackson's make up) to make it a bit more interesting for himself but also because he felt a cat suited Jackson's dancer physique better than a wolf anyway.
Great movie. Saw it in the theater. Yes, Rick Baker is The Man of modern makeup, his biggest influence was a guy named Jack Pierce, who created Frankenstwin, Dracula, The Mummy, etc. Rick is credited as getting the first Academy Award for horror makeup, but when Pierce left Universal in 1945 and his room was cleaned out, they found an award under the sink. Old story, may be true or not, but Jack started it all (suck it Nosferatu). Fun vid!👍
Superb reaction. A question I rarely see discussed is whether Alex might be carrying David's werewolf-child after their bed-scene activities ... spooky thought. Bumped into this in my Recommended Feed, hopefully that means the RUclips algorithm is promoting your content to more people. Looking forward to checking out some more of your videos :-)
From what I remember, Landis's script for a sequel involved Alex being pregnant by David, thus continuing the curse - and it's *kind of* there in American Werewolf in Paris when we briefly see the werewolf-heroine's mother and she has an English accent... that's as explicit as it gets though.
I really enjoyed your reaction to one of my top favorite Werewolf movies! That first transformation sequence is a real feat in terms of what they did in harsh florescent lighting. John Landis said when it first came out critics didn't like it because they didn't know whether the movie was too funny to be scary or too horrific to be funny. Personally I felt it had a real great balance of injecting ironic and even dark humor during the film. Just absurdity of it all, whether it's talking about ways to commit suicide in a porno theater in Piccadilly Circus, or Jack's first visit to David in the hospital and Jack, who is gory and dead, is like "Have you ever tried talking to a corpse? It's boring!" 😂😂
1981 was a wild year for Werewolf movies, with American Werewolf and The Howling (another one you should definitely watch) but one that was sadly forgotten was The Wolfen. It stars Albert Finney and I highly recommend it. Wolfen also has several scenes filmed in a nearly apocalyptic looking Bronx from 1981 era NYC, which alone makes it worth a watch.
Great reaction.I remember watching this movie when I was 12 in 1986 and it scared the hell out of me. It's been one of my favorite horror movies of all time. "A naked American stole my balloons." Classic. 😆 🎈
This has got to be one of the best reaction videos I've ever seen. I'm subscribing just based on this, and the fact that you've also done "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane"! You obviously know movies, have a GREAT eye, you're intelligent, it was a TOTAL pleasure to see you discover this movie that I've loved since it came out. It definitely made a big splash (Michael Jackson hired Landis and Baker to do the "Thriller" video the following year). In my opinion, it is THE werewolf movie, bar none. (although the Universal "Wolfman" is classic! Just rewatched it recently! I know you were mentioning rewatching it, it definitely holds up!) ("Werewolves of London" is also good, early 1930s). I've seen other reaction videos to this movie; this is the best one. I can't wait to see your others! PS: What I love about you is that you know movies already. You knew who Rick Baker was. You knew what time period the music was from. I've been dying to find a reactor who has the balance of being a movie buff....but who hasn't seen something like this one, or "Baby Jane". PS: I'm sure you've seen these already, but if you haven't, I search for reactor videos on "Creepshow" (1983) and the second "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers" (1978). Also: The Stepford Wives (the original) and "Rosemary's Baby"! Lastly: the guy who plays Jack is Griffin Dunne. He's the star of "After Hours" (mid 80s), an incredible Scorsese film that is ALMOST a horror movie. Definitely worth seeing, and no one has done a reaction video for it, inexplicably!
An American Werewolf in London is an amazing film. One of my favorites. I went through the house at Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando that was just as amazing.
I'll tell ya why the bald guy with the mustache sounded so funny: that's Frank Oz from the Muppets. Landis put him in a bunch of his movies. That's why a few scenes later, they're watching the Muppets during the Mutant Nazi Werewolf dream.
Yeah, he was in The Blues Brothers as the officer who returned Jake's belongings to him when he got out of prison at the beginning. "One unused prophylactic...One soiled..."
Man, what a classic! Y'know, something I never thought of before...it's clear that the townspeople in the village were aware of werewolves and were trying to keep it secret, but wouldn't that mean they knew WHO the werewolf was? It must have been someone local. So, what kind of relationship did they have with him on the non-full moon days of the month? I dunno...maybe on the days of the full moon they would all gather at The Slaughtered Lamb for safety and just let the guy turn into a werewolf and kill some sheep or something. And then back to normal once the full moon was over? (It's been a while since I've actually seen the whole movie, so I may not be remembering if they addressed this in the movie.)
I would imagine that the people who gather at the pub are a large amount of the locals , but not ALL of them. It may be that there is a significant amount of farmers or ranchers that refuse to hunker down in the pub. Enough of them to make it impossible to pin down one specific person as the werewolf.
Logan's Run is one of my all time fave movies, I think Jenny Agutter has sadly been very underated as an actress, she was stunningly beautiful and talented. For a horror movie I'd like to recommend 'Thesis' (1996), a spanish movie about this college girl who finds a snuff film. Very creepy and awesome.
Great reaction. I too would recommend two other werewolf films from the 80's, The Howling and Wolfen. Howling shares the tongue in cheek humor of AWL, Wolfen is a straight horror/thriller.
This was a great reaction video 👍 🎥 I seen this movie when it first came out... Werewolves being my favorite within horror films. The dream sequences jump scares were the only part of the film that actually put me on edge. I didn't see "The Shining" or "Sinister" on your video reaction list so maybe you may want to add them into your schedule... Both are outstanding suspense/horror films that rank extremely high on the "creepy" 😆 👍
1981, had 2 of my favorite werewolf movies: this one and The Howling. Rick Baker did an outstanding job in both. Also: really like your reaction and appreciation for this film. The humor mixed in with the horror. Excellent analysis, :)
@@ScaredPale I believe you'll like the Howling since u are familiar with and seem to appreciate the skills of Rick Baker. He was working on both films at the same time, if I remember correctly. TH is definitely all horror, except for the occasional comedic relief. Hellraiser II is another of my faves. Look fwrd to watching your reaction :)
“What are these creatures?” Werewolf Nazis It’s symbolism of the werewolf curse taking over and destroying that which he holds dear and loves. Why Nazis? Because he’s jewish. And I think each of Nazi werewolf represents the many that were afflicted with the curse prior to him (but I maybe reading too much in on that one)
Plus hitler was fascinated with Wolves. Naming forward command posts the wolf’s Lair. Plus the small time and largely propaganda creation of the Werewolves. A nazi partisan group that carried out assassinations in American occupation areas before and after the war. Largely ineffective in real terms.
I really enjoyed your reaction. I dig that a lot of your commentary is meaningful and that you also have a solid amount of back knowledge and get references etc. Easy subscribe.
Hi, I'm Albert. Just discovered your channel and I have to say I loved your reaction and your knowledge of old horror movies. You're obviously a savvy viewer and I look forward to checking out your other reactions!
"Practical?" All practical. Anything that isn't in-camera would have to be stop-motion which this production didn't utilize. CG at this time was only used to represent in-universe computer displays. The only CG in original Star Wars were the wireframe displays on their panels and targeting computers and whatnot. The first CG spaceships were in The Last Starfighter (1984), and they looked like crap. CG spaceships didn't completely replace practical miniatures for another decade. The first 2d morphing FX were in Willow(1988), the first 3d morphing would be the next year in The Abyss(1989), and the first photo-real CG creatures were in JPark (1993)
You forgot the legendary Terminator 2. First early motion capture on an actor, first main partial CGI character and first CGI character to speak (helicopter scene).
Always wonderful to see another person discover this great werewolf tale! And I was laughing when you looked away at the scene where David was going to cut his wrist 'cause I've found most horror movie fans can happily set through some quite elaborate gore - but it's the smaller 'real life' injury stuff that makes us shudder! y'know what I mean? lol I find it interesting that just after 'undead' Jack appears for the 2nd time in the apartment, Alex tells David she "heard voices"- plural so, does that mean she could at least _hear_ undead Jack too? I mean I'm pretty sure he must be invisible to everyone else, since no one outside the porn theater seem to notice him or inside? hmm, who knows... And that transformation scene is still up there, no wonder Rick Baker got his Oscar. & your surprise at that abrupt ending was great!, apparently John Landis wanted that cut & dried finish to emphasize the story was done, he told the cast "There will be no sequel." ... but, unfortunately there was :/ Great review! & If you've not yet seen it, another great werewolf movie I'd recommend is 'Silver Bullet' - based on the Stephen King novella, I think you might enjoy that too ;)
Your reaction to this is refreshing. I watch other peoples vids and it is like they have never seen a movie before. One girl was oblivious to who Marlon Brando was. I was impressed that you knew who Rick Baker and John Landis are….!!!
Nice video. 👍😀 I remember watching this movie in the mid-80's and that transformation scene is still impressive. 😄 I see others have already mentioned 'The Howling', so I'll recommend another (more recent) film: 'Dog Soldiers'. I'd love to watch you react to them, if you haven't seen them yet.
Just found your channel through the algorithm. I really enjoyed your reaction. I remember when this movie came out, that next Halloween was horrifying because people were so shook by this movie. It was also the best Halloween I've ever known, and it's my favorite holiday. Seriously, I thought I was the only one who made a Halloween Playlist like that. Any song with even a single, conotative, word or a simply haunting type beat or melody, is on my list. People hear a song from my list and say "this has nothing to do with Halloween." I'd say "listen to that guitar riff. It's creepy AF." After the eye rolls, I just turn up the volume. Lol.
Regarding vampire - not always. In some movies, you don't have to drink the vampire's blood to become one, sometimes getting bitten is enough. For werewolves, the rule is whether you got bitten or scratched is enough to contract werewolf cootie.
As a note, David Naughton (David Kessler) was very popular as the singer/dancer to the late 70s Dr Pepper commercial. "I'm a Pepper - you're a pepper - wouldn't you like to be a pepper too" but after his nude scenes, Dr Pepper dropped him and ended his contract.
I love this film, absolute classic with some of the best practical effects in the history of cinema. My interesting fact : in the Picadilly Circus scene with all the crashes, the hippy with the bandana that gets thrown through the plate glass window is non other than John Landis, the Director, who was a card carrying stuntman.
@@ScaredPale Since you like the comedy in this movie, I’d like to suggest my favorite horror/slasher genre, comic horror. I’m pretty sure you’ve seen Shaun of the Dead, but if you did miss it, it’s a must see. you may have also seen the Sam Raimi Evil Dead series, Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness are fantastic fun. Tucker and Dale vs Evil is amazing. Also, try the Bruce Campbell’s mummy film, Bubba Ho-Tep for a fun evening. For a little beverage fueled Irish monster fun, also try Grabbers. I think those are good titles for loads of laughs and a mild jump scare or two. 😉👍
According to imdb, the entire Picadilly Circus sequence was shot in a single night and at 27:15: the guy in the red sweater? That's Steven Spielberg who was visiting the set that night.
@@ScaredPale I was so proud of your reaction to this film... Even though I don't know you... I was so proud of you and was cheering for you.... Ha ha ha 😝 😝.... Crazy but very true
Great rection vid and great reactor. Respectully, your natural beauty and intelligent commentary deserve a much bigger audience. The music "kills" me in this movie. I saw it one afternoon in an empty theater at the end of its original run and it obviousy lt strongly affected me. Every time I hear Blue Moon or Bad Moon Rising, I'm mentally transported back to that day long ago in that theater. The double combined power of music and cinema!!
Great reaction. Glad I found your channel. Keep it up! You should watch the Nic Cage movie Mandy. It is one of my favorites and can best be described as art house meets grind house. So good.
A great Halloween movie. The effects of the transformation were groundbreaking at the time. It's great fun, scary at times, fun, and the ending was abrupt, but when she says I love you, and he recognises her, but realises he has to get shot to honor and save her, was wonderful I think.
Rick Baker & his team did a great job on the special effects for this movie & especially for it being in the 1980s. John Landis also directed Michael Jackson’s Thrilller video, you can see & hear a lot of comparisons between AWIL & Thriller in terms of the audio & transformations scenes as Baker worked on this project also. For example, when MJ turns into the wolf most of the shots are almost identical to AWIL along with the audio being the same, some parts are switched around though but if you listen carefully it’s exactly the same in both projects. Finally when MJ appears decayed you can see Bakers signature look Jak had when he was decaying. Great stuff from Landis & Baker!
29:38 John Landis also directed THE greatest music video of all time... Michael Jackson's "Thriller" -- which also featured special fx by Rick Baker! Also, the fictional adult film from "An American Werewolf In London" -- "See You Next Wednesday" -- is also mentioned in the "Thriller" video!
John Landis did The Blues Brothers 2000 (the sequel to the original as well as the original movie), he also directed Animal House,Innocent Blood ( a vampire Gangster movie) , he also directed an episode of Masters of Horror ( 2005 TV anthology show that ran for 2 seasons) and he directed Thriller for Michael Jackson
My back garden opens out onto the British Moorland. It's so tranquil and beautiful carved out by the ice age. In the summer kids go out there and get lost wearing too little and then freeze to death overnight. There are lakes and water ways all over.
That transformation scene still is THE BEST OF ALL TIME, and was made ALL with practical effects. Rick Baker won an Oscar for make-up I think that crash scene killed more people than the wolf it self 🤣🤣 The songs are just spot on every time Best werewolf movie ever🤘
Still the gold standard for werewolf films IMO.... The design alone of that wolf is so intensely fierce looking... The fact that it's on all fours makes it so primal... And I love how the film makes it feel like an actual CURSE.... Love this film and that transformation set the bar 40 years ago....it somehow combined humor, tragedy, affectionate, genuine human interactions and 80s gore.... Gotta respect it..... Gotta bow and take your hat off.... it cracks me up when people mention how organic and natural the flow is with dialogue and conversations..... Its because THIS WAS THE 80S!! People weren't digital drones yet... This is HOW we interacted! This is what's been lost..... Cheers.
This is a great film. The transformation sequence in particular. I'd also add Dog Soldiers to the list if you haven't already seen it. Low budget but a good fun film.
John Landis also directed Michael Jackson's "Thriller" as well as "Twilight Zone (1983)". During the filming three actors died in a horrific accident involving a helicopter crash during a dangerous stunt. It was all over the news.
Just wanted to pop on and say thanks for all of the kind comments and support. I started this channel because I love movies and have a special place in my heart for horror. It seems I’m not alone!!! Great to find kindred movie lovers! Thank you!
You should react to this Swedish gothic vampire film: Let the Right One In.
The other great Werewolf movie of the 80's is "The Howling". More serious tone than this one.
You know I always wonder what would've happened if the people at the Slaughtered Lamb Pub didn't let them leave and just told them the truth?
Nov. 1982 Dominique Dunne- murdered in her driveway by strangulation. Griffin Dunne(Jack - An American Werewolf in London ) real life sister...
the rules are way more consistent than vamps: tied to the cycles of full moons, silver, decapitation, or the hand of someone who loves the wereperson or suicide...that's about it. With the rare liberty, around form and consciousness.
'WER' is a werewolf film I finally caught. Pretty good, but this is THE BEST
40 years on and that transformation scene is still incredible.
I think it still sets the standard
Love that Frank Oz has 2 cameos in this.. both as himself and Ms Piggy.
I'm glad that I'm not the only one, who knows he's in this film.
@@misterprickly "And Alan, bless you, you're useless."
"Thank you!"
John Landis also made a cameo, blink and you’ll miss him
@@elapid68 ya. He gets thrown through the glass doors.
Frank Oz is the Monster's puppeteer. Pre Yoda...lol.
This is how we did things in the 80s
We....so you were involved in the film?
Just commented on me being about 5 years old when this came to HBO. Came with a bunch of hype that is well deserved.
You mean walking in the moor and get bitten by a werewolf? Yeah that was a trend for a time.
If you want another great werewolf film Dog Soldiers is highly recommended
Great movie - very underrated!
@Michael Shaughnessy loved it when it came out my ex finacee hated it too scary 😂
@Michael Shaughnessy There are moments when the black riders are very ominous. A lot of the time, in true horrror movies, the 'monsters' really don't convey the right gravitas to be truly scary.
40+ years later and nobody has matched the practical effects of Rick Baker or Rob Bottin, his understudy that did The Howling same year because Baker was obligated to to AWIL. Baker won the first SFX Oscar for this
Rob his work in The Thing gave us the most insane alien ever put on film 👍👍
Rick won the award but poor Rob Bottin got nothing for The Thing. But Rob was given an special achievement award in visual effects for Total Recall.
@@TheHulk2008 he also did great work on robocop.
Now they just do CGI, which is horrible most of the time. This looked realistic at least.
Rick Baker won the first of seven Academy Awards for Best Makeup. The first makeup artist awarded in that category. He also won for Harry and the Hendersons, Ed Wood, The Nutty Professor, Men in Black, How The Grinch Stole Christmas and The Wolfman.
The Howling has another insane transformation from the great Rob Bottin.
I like The Howling more than this movie. I like The Howling's werewolf design more and a it has more my type of humor. Another werewolf movie I like is Ginger Snaps, it's a werewolf movie with a different type of approach.
Monster Squad
I prefer The Howling too. The Howling poster art is awesome too. Check out 1981s WOLFEN it's cool!
Personally I think the werewolf transformation is pretty underwhelming in the Howling, just lots of bubbling skin and a jaw pushout that isn't as good as AWIL. But the actual werewolf costume is incredible
@@kennethwilliams7731 Wolfen isn't exactly a werewolf movie, although the werewolf/skinwalker myth is the topic of the plot, but no actual werewolf was happening. I do like the movie, though. Those wolves looks vicious!
Among all of its successes, this film really impressed me for just how authentically British it feels - Jonathan Landis has said that he wanted to make a British horror film in the style of Hammer or whatever, and he really succeeds. Seeing it as a teenager I expected the film to 'feel' American, but it nails the way Britain felt in the early 80s amazingly well...
My favorite werewolf movie. I feel Jenny Agutter is always overlooked in this movie.
Is she the same girl from Logan’s Run? Ha, right after I typed this she said she was the chick from Logan’s Run. I thought so but she looks a little different here.
I'm happy that this movie is getting seen by more and more people, recently. It's my absolute favourite werewolf movie and the practical effects and makeup can't be beat. Of course, _The Wolfman_ starring Lon Chaney Jr. is a classic that is also great for its time.
The opening scenes and the outside of the pub were filmed in wales.
Nothing better than a woman who knows her horror flicks, Rick Baker Baby! Great video!
I think David's motivation is the same as every 20 something man 🤣🤣🤣 he didn't tell her about Jack because he was enjoying himself too much.
This movie proves John Landis deserves to be on the greatest directors of all times list.
He's hardly ever mentioned among them, but look at the sheer amount of classics he made.
Rick Baker is an amazing artist. I saw his werewolf head in a travelling museum exhibit. He put in all the details himself, moles, each and every hair, scars, wrinkles. They displayed it on a clear lucite bust sitting on a clear lucite box, inside a clear plexiglass case. I swear it locked eyes with me and I almost wet myself. I did get cold sweats. Amazing detail, a sense of captured motion, too.
I think 🤔 the blonde in the video narrating is beautiful she's very beautiful and gorgeous and sexy
After the Princess Diana text at the end they had "Any similarity to actual events or persons, living, dead or undead is purely coincidental" Lol
Great reaction and I love that you mention the subtle music in the background when david was talking to jack about being a werewolf, I love how the music was very haunting and sinister and I recommend dog soldiers to you another great werewolf movie!
The early 80's was a groundbreaking period for special make-up effects in horror movies. Apart from Rick Baker a couple of my other favourite special make-up effects creators are Stan Winston and Rob Bottin who both worked on the incredible "The Thing" (1982)
American Werewolf was indeed filmed in England. However, the village used for the location of East Proctor wasn’t in Yorkshire, but in fact Wales.
The initial werewolf attack sequence was filmed in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
John Landis plays the guy who gets hit by the car & knocked through the window during the Piccadilly Square scene.
As someone who’s lived in Yorkshire his entire life, I can confirm all our village pubs have pentagrams on the wall 😂
What a pleasant surprise your reaction was! Watching reactors has been my thing lately- and yours was so refreshing!
I was eleven years old when this film came out and first saw it when I was 12 or 13. This is easily in my top five horror films of all time along with Jaws, ALIEN, The Thing (1982) and The Shining.
There isn't much I can add that you didn't already touch on- probably the one thing is how the film's universe strays away from the usual Werewolf tropes of needing to use silver and how David is able to change two nights in a row. The thing with "monster" movies is that people tend to accept the "rules" established by the initial author of the monster story.
Vampires are killed by sunlight, or a stake through the heart- Werewolves are killed by silver etc.
So when a story "changes the rules", the new author is either looked upon as being revolutionary... or a complete heretic. But of course... Werewolves, vampires etc, don't exist. So if a story changes the "rules" the truth is there are no rules to begin with. If the movie is sound and doesn't double back on itself or is full of plot holes, I just enjoy the ride.
That and the "nightmare within a nightmare" (when Alex is stabbed to death by the Were-nazi after opening the curtains) is probably one of the best unexpected jump scares of horror history! Nobody sees that coming!
Again- loved your reaction- just subscribed and looking forward to more!
I was 13 when this film came out, in Canada at the time it wasn’t a big deal as it is today, we knew the difference between reality and movie magic, I’m still a fan of Rick baker to this day, also went to see The Howling too, it was an amazing time for monster makeup and monsters in general, I’m happy there is a new generation to see this and others, and cheers to you from Canada!
Great reaction. Love seeing horror fans such as yourself watch these films because you can appreciate things others might not pick up on. Nicely edited, as well, and really enjoyed hearing your thoughts. Looking forward to watching more!
Landis is the director of the Thriller music video for Michael Jackson.
Great movie and review, still holds its own after 40 years.
I thought it would seem dated but it really does hold up now. It just seems better than movies made today. The story is tighter and the effects are better.
One of my all time fave movies. :D
Oh and bit of trivia: John Landis and Rick Baker then worked on the iconic Thriller short film for Michael Jackson because he loved this film. Baker didn't want to repeat the exact same werewolf design and effects so decided to make Jackson into a werecat instead (hence the yellow eyes and whiskers on Jackson's make up) to make it a bit more interesting for himself but also because he felt a cat suited Jackson's dancer physique better than a wolf anyway.
Great movie. Saw it in the theater.
Yes, Rick Baker is The Man of modern makeup, his biggest influence was a guy named Jack Pierce, who created Frankenstwin, Dracula, The Mummy, etc. Rick is credited as getting the first Academy Award for horror makeup, but when Pierce left Universal in 1945 and his room was cleaned out, they found an award under the sink. Old story, may be true or not, but Jack started it all (suck it Nosferatu).
Fun vid!👍
Superb reaction. A question I rarely see discussed is whether Alex might be carrying David's werewolf-child after their bed-scene activities ... spooky thought. Bumped into this in my Recommended Feed, hopefully that means the RUclips algorithm is promoting your content to more people. Looking forward to checking out some more of your videos :-)
Yay hopefully the algorithm gods are on my side haha. But woah what a wild thought!!!! Cool theory!!!
From what I remember, Landis's script for a sequel involved Alex being pregnant by David, thus continuing the curse - and it's *kind of* there in American Werewolf in Paris when we briefly see the werewolf-heroine's mother and she has an English accent... that's as explicit as it gets though.
I really enjoyed your reaction to one of my top favorite Werewolf movies! That first transformation sequence is a real feat in terms of what they did in harsh florescent lighting. John Landis said when it first came out critics didn't like it because they didn't know whether the movie was too funny to be scary or too horrific to be funny. Personally I felt it had a real great balance of injecting ironic and even dark humor during the film. Just absurdity of it all, whether it's talking about ways to commit suicide in a porno theater in Piccadilly Circus, or Jack's first visit to David in the hospital and Jack, who is gory and dead, is like "Have you ever tried talking to a corpse? It's boring!" 😂😂
1981 was a wild year for Werewolf movies, with American Werewolf and The Howling (another one you should definitely watch) but one that was sadly forgotten was The Wolfen. It stars Albert Finney and I highly recommend it. Wolfen also has several scenes filmed in a nearly apocalyptic looking Bronx from 1981 era NYC, which alone makes it worth a watch.
This deserves to be on the biggest screen possible and in Imax
Great reaction.I remember watching this movie when I was 12 in 1986 and it scared the hell out of me. It's been one of my favorite horror movies of all time.
"A naked American stole my balloons." Classic. 😆 🎈
Every time I hear BLUE MOON by the Marcels I get a little smile on my face - and now you understand why. :D
This has got to be one of the best reaction videos I've ever seen. I'm subscribing just based on this, and the fact that you've also done "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane"! You obviously know movies, have a GREAT eye, you're intelligent, it was a TOTAL pleasure to see you discover this movie that I've loved since it came out. It definitely made a big splash (Michael Jackson hired Landis and Baker to do the "Thriller" video the following year). In my opinion, it is THE werewolf movie, bar none. (although the Universal "Wolfman" is classic! Just rewatched it recently! I know you were mentioning rewatching it, it definitely holds up!) ("Werewolves of London" is also good, early 1930s).
I've seen other reaction videos to this movie; this is the best one. I can't wait to see your others! PS: What I love about you is that you know movies already. You knew who Rick Baker was. You knew what time period the music was from. I've been dying to find a reactor who has the balance of being a movie buff....but who hasn't seen something like this one, or "Baby Jane". PS: I'm sure you've seen these already, but if you haven't, I search for reactor videos on "Creepshow" (1983) and the second "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers" (1978). Also: The Stepford Wives (the original) and "Rosemary's Baby"! Lastly: the guy who plays Jack is Griffin Dunne. He's the star of "After Hours" (mid 80s), an incredible Scorsese film that is ALMOST a horror movie. Definitely worth seeing, and no one has done a reaction video for it, inexplicably!
What a great reaction, to one of my favorite ever films .. you’ve got, a real nice channel here!! 👍
Thanks so much for the support! Excited to dive into more films that I’ve somehow missed over the years.
Every song has the word moon in it, love that! Great reaction, (My second time watching with you).
Haha - love the Charlton Heston/Kim Hunter poster behind you!
Thank you! It’s a bold decorative piece for sure haha
An American Werewolf in London is an amazing film. One of my favorites. I went through the house at Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando that was just as amazing.
Wow that would have been so cool to go through!!
I'll tell ya why the bald guy with the mustache sounded so funny: that's Frank Oz from the Muppets. Landis put him in a bunch of his movies. That's why a few scenes later, they're watching the Muppets during the Mutant Nazi Werewolf dream.
Oz played the intake officer in Trading Places, another funny Landis movie.
He's also the voice and puppeteer of Yoda!
Yeah, he was in The Blues Brothers as the officer who returned Jake's belongings to him when he got out of prison at the beginning. "One unused prophylactic...One soiled..."
@@victorsixtythree and in Blues Brothers 2000, because there is nothing from the original which that movie could not destroy.
Man, what a classic!
Y'know, something I never thought of before...it's clear that the townspeople in the village were aware of werewolves and were trying to keep it secret, but wouldn't that mean they knew WHO the werewolf was? It must have been someone local. So, what kind of relationship did they have with him on the non-full moon days of the month? I dunno...maybe on the days of the full moon they would all gather at The Slaughtered Lamb for safety and just let the guy turn into a werewolf and kill some sheep or something. And then back to normal once the full moon was over? (It's been a while since I've actually seen the whole movie, so I may not be remembering if they addressed this in the movie.)
They do not address this but someone else mentioned that in the BBC radio adaptation this is all explained :)
I would imagine that the people who gather at the pub are a large amount of the locals , but not ALL of them.
It may be that there is a significant amount of farmers or ranchers that refuse to hunker down in the pub. Enough of them to make it impossible to pin down one specific person as the werewolf.
Logan's Run is one of my all time fave movies, I think Jenny Agutter has sadly been very underated as an actress, she was stunningly beautiful and talented. For a horror movie I'd like to recommend 'Thesis' (1996), a spanish movie about this college girl who finds a snuff film. Very creepy and awesome.
The American doctor who called in was Frank Oz, the actor who voiced some of the characters in The Muppets, and Yoda in Star Wars.
Great reaction. I too would recommend two other werewolf films from the 80's, The Howling and Wolfen. Howling shares the tongue in cheek humor of AWL, Wolfen is a straight horror/thriller.
Cool reaction . I had to giggle when you said is this practical haha. No CGI in 1981 . Great video you did a good job
The only epic werewolf film I recommend is "Wolfman" with Anthony Hopkins. ❤ 🎥
I loved this movie, one of the biggest reasons was because it was the first werewolf movies that the werewolf wasn’t bipedal
She referenced Evil Dead,…..yes I love you.
Frank Oz who says hi at 7:48 is the voice of Kermit the frog miss piggy and fozzie bear 🐻. Good review btw😃
OH! I love it! That totally makes sense!!!
@@ScaredPale ..and also Yoda. He's also directed quite a few good movies himself.
What a legend!
Kermit the Frog was voiced by Jim Henson.
@@valuedcustomer9614 oh yes your correct lol. But Still voiced a lot of puppets 🐻
This was a great reaction video 👍 🎥
I seen this movie when it first came out... Werewolves being my favorite within horror films. The dream sequences jump scares were the only part of the film that actually put me on edge.
I didn't see "The Shining" or "Sinister" on your video reaction list so maybe you may want to add them into your schedule... Both are outstanding suspense/horror films that rank extremely high on the "creepy" 😆 👍
I really enjoyed your reaction
Thanks!
1981, had 2 of my favorite werewolf movies: this one and The Howling. Rick Baker did an outstanding job in both.
Also: really like your reaction and appreciation for this film. The humor mixed in with the horror. Excellent analysis, :)
I still have The Howling on my to watch list!! Thanks for watching!
@@ScaredPale I believe you'll like the Howling since u are familiar with and seem to appreciate the skills of Rick Baker. He was working on both films at the same time, if I remember correctly. TH is definitely all horror, except for the occasional comedic relief. Hellraiser II is another of my faves. Look fwrd to watching your reaction :)
22:38 FUN FACT: This actor also played Bib Fortuna -- Jabba the Hutt's right hand man -- in "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi"
“What are these creatures?”
Werewolf Nazis
It’s symbolism of the werewolf curse taking over and destroying that which he holds dear and loves. Why Nazis? Because he’s jewish.
And I think each of Nazi werewolf represents the many that were afflicted with the curse prior to him (but I maybe reading too much in on that one)
Plus hitler was fascinated with Wolves. Naming forward command posts the wolf’s Lair. Plus the small time and largely propaganda creation of the Werewolves. A nazi partisan group that carried out assassinations in American occupation areas before and after the war. Largely ineffective in real terms.
I really enjoyed your reaction. I dig that a lot of your commentary is meaningful and that you also have a solid amount of back knowledge and get references etc. Easy subscribe.
Thanks!!
i like the bit where our guys saw the "Slaughtered Lamb" pub sign, and you went "aaWoooo"
😂
I really dig your picture on the wall behind you of Taylor kissing Zira. LOL! Awesome.
Also the actor who was killed on the underground went on to play Bib Fortuna (Jabbas right hand alien) in Return of the Jedi.
Hi, I'm Albert. Just discovered your channel and I have to say I loved your reaction and your knowledge of old horror movies. You're obviously a savvy viewer and I look forward to checking out your other reactions!
"Practical?"
All practical. Anything that isn't in-camera would have to be stop-motion which this production didn't utilize. CG at this time was only used to represent in-universe computer displays. The only CG in original Star Wars were the wireframe displays on their panels and targeting computers and whatnot. The first CG spaceships were in The Last Starfighter (1984), and they looked like crap. CG spaceships didn't completely replace practical miniatures for another decade. The first 2d morphing FX were in Willow(1988), the first 3d morphing would be the next year in The Abyss(1989), and the first photo-real CG creatures were in JPark (1993)
Also the anthropomorphic stained glass window in Young Sherlock Holmes (1985).
You forgot the legendary Terminator 2. First early motion capture on an actor, first main partial CGI character and first CGI character to speak (helicopter scene).
Always wonderful to see another person discover this great werewolf tale!
And I was laughing when you looked away at the scene where David was going to cut his wrist 'cause I've found most horror movie fans can happily set through some quite elaborate gore - but it's the smaller 'real life' injury stuff that makes us shudder! y'know what I mean? lol
I find it interesting that just after 'undead' Jack appears for the 2nd time in the apartment, Alex tells David she "heard voices"- plural so, does that mean she could at least _hear_ undead Jack too? I mean I'm pretty sure he must be invisible to everyone else, since no one outside the porn theater seem to notice him or inside? hmm, who knows...
And that transformation scene is still up there, no wonder Rick Baker got his Oscar.
& your surprise at that abrupt ending was great!, apparently John Landis wanted that cut & dried finish to emphasize the story was done, he told the cast "There will be no sequel." ...
but, unfortunately there was :/
Great review! & If you've not yet seen it, another great werewolf movie I'd recommend is 'Silver Bullet' - based on the Stephen King novella, I think you might enjoy that too ;)
Your reaction to this is refreshing. I watch other peoples vids and it is like they have never seen a movie before. One girl was oblivious to who Marlon Brando was. I was impressed that you knew who Rick Baker and John Landis are….!!!
Nice video. 👍😀
I remember watching this movie in the mid-80's and that transformation scene is still impressive. 😄
I see others have already mentioned 'The Howling', so I'll recommend another (more recent) film: 'Dog Soldiers'. I'd love to watch you react to them, if you haven't seen them yet.
Just found your channel through the algorithm. I really enjoyed your reaction. I remember when this movie came out, that next Halloween was horrifying because people were so shook by this movie. It was also the best Halloween I've ever known, and it's my favorite holiday.
Seriously, I thought I was the only one who made a Halloween Playlist like that. Any song with even a single, conotative, word or a simply haunting type beat or melody, is on my list. People hear a song from my list and say "this has nothing to do with Halloween." I'd say "listen to that guitar riff. It's creepy AF." After the eye rolls, I just turn up the volume. Lol.
I’m 100% with you on the Halloween playlist. Praise the algorithm for sometimes working!
Youre reaction to the ending was priceless. I remember being similarly shocked
7:57 "That guy" is Frank Oz -- voice of Fozzy Bear, Miss Piggy, and Yoda!
Regarding vampire - not always. In some movies, you don't have to drink the vampire's blood to become one, sometimes getting bitten is enough. For werewolves, the rule is whether you got bitten or scratched is enough to contract werewolf cootie.
Classic that happened to be one of Stanley Kubrick's favourite movies. Please also watch greats The Howling, Ginger Snaps and Dog Soldiers :-)
As a note, David Naughton (David Kessler) was very popular as the singer/dancer to the late 70s Dr Pepper commercial. "I'm a Pepper - you're a pepper - wouldn't you like to be a pepper too" but after his nude scenes, Dr Pepper dropped him and ended his contract.
oh no way?! I'm actually a professional dancer as my main career so I gotta check this out! What a bummer they dropped him.
You can find Naughton's Dr Pepper commercial here on RUclips. He also had a couple pop songs.
I love this film, absolute classic with some of the best practical effects in the history of cinema. My interesting fact : in the Picadilly Circus scene with all the crashes, the hippy with the bandana that gets thrown through the plate glass window is non other than John Landis, the Director, who was a card carrying stuntman.
27:16 John Landis cameo.
Is he driving the car?!
@@ScaredPale the car hits him
24:05 Allen Ford. He also played in this comedy gangster film *Snatch* from 2000. He's a very good actor 😎
Great reaction to great and classic werewolf movie!!! Keep up the awesome!!!
Thank you!
@@ScaredPale Since you like the comedy in this movie, I’d like to suggest my favorite horror/slasher genre, comic horror. I’m pretty sure you’ve seen Shaun of the Dead, but if you did miss it, it’s a must see. you may have also seen the Sam Raimi Evil Dead series, Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness are fantastic fun. Tucker and Dale vs Evil is amazing. Also, try the Bruce Campbell’s mummy film, Bubba Ho-Tep for a fun evening. For a little beverage fueled Irish monster fun, also try Grabbers. I think those are good titles for loads of laughs and a mild jump scare or two. 😉👍
According to imdb, the entire Picadilly Circus sequence was shot in a single night and at 27:15: the guy in the red sweater? That's Steven Spielberg who was visiting the set that night.
10:34 That's definitely some nightmare! Werewolf-like mutants disguised as SS Nazi stormtroopers like it was the Holocaust! :(😳😱😳😱😳😱
You restored my faith that there are people out there who think for themselves
Thanks so much!
@@ScaredPale I was so proud of your reaction to this film... Even though I don't know you... I was so proud of you and was cheering for you.... Ha ha ha 😝 😝.... Crazy but very true
Great rection vid and great reactor. Respectully, your natural beauty and intelligent commentary deserve a much bigger audience. The music "kills" me in this movie. I saw it one afternoon in an empty theater at the end of its original run and it obviousy lt strongly affected me. Every time I hear Blue Moon or Bad Moon Rising, I'm mentally transported back to that day long ago in that theater. The double combined power of music and cinema!!
Stop perving
Such a great movie!!! I re-watch it quite frequently. Love how it's got a little bit of everything in it!!
Great reaction. Glad I found your channel. Keep it up!
You should watch the Nic Cage movie Mandy. It is one of my favorites and can best be described as art house meets grind house. So good.
It’s on my watch list!! Will do! Thanks for the support!
@@ScaredPale Fantastic! I am making my way through your recent videos instead of editing...
Movie Trivia! At 27.16 in your video, the guy in the headband getting knocked through the window is John Landis. He started his career as a stuntman.
It won the Academy Award (Oscar) for makeup and special effects for 1981.
A great Halloween movie. The effects of the transformation were groundbreaking at the time. It's great fun, scary at times, fun, and the ending was abrupt, but when she says I love you, and he recognises her, but realises he has to get shot to honor and save her, was wonderful I think.
Rick Baker & his team did a great job on the special effects for this movie & especially for it being in the 1980s. John Landis also directed Michael Jackson’s Thrilller video, you can see & hear a lot of comparisons between AWIL & Thriller in terms of the audio & transformations scenes as Baker worked on this project also.
For example, when MJ turns into the wolf most of the shots are almost identical to AWIL along with the audio being the same, some parts are switched around though but if you listen carefully it’s exactly the same in both projects.
Finally when MJ appears decayed you can see Bakers signature look Jak had when he was decaying. Great stuff from Landis & Baker!
29:38 John Landis also directed THE greatest music video of all time... Michael Jackson's "Thriller" -- which also featured special fx by Rick Baker! Also, the fictional adult film from "An American Werewolf In London" -- "See You Next Wednesday" -- is also mentioned in the "Thriller" video!
Elvira was originally going to be cast as the voice that ended up going to Vincent Price :)
John Landis did The Blues Brothers 2000 (the sequel to the original as well as the original movie), he also directed Animal House,Innocent Blood ( a vampire Gangster movie) , he also directed an episode of Masters of Horror ( 2005 TV anthology show that ran for 2 seasons) and he directed Thriller for Michael Jackson
Nick here - Awesome reaction to one of my Favorite horror movies of all time.
Thanks!
My back garden opens out onto the British Moorland. It's so tranquil and beautiful carved out by the ice age. In the summer kids go out there and get lost wearing too little and then freeze to death overnight. There are lakes and water ways all over.
How beautiful, but also how sad!
I just discovered your channel and love it
That transformation scene still is THE BEST OF ALL TIME, and was made ALL with practical effects.
Rick Baker won an Oscar for make-up
I think that crash scene killed more people than the wolf it self 🤣🤣
The songs are just spot on every time
Best werewolf movie ever🤘
I'm very glad you liked this. It's in my top 5. :)
So happy I stumbled onto your channel. Diamond in the rough. Love the reactions.
Thanks so much I appreciate the support!
Only a little way in and I’m so enjoying your intelligent and artistic response to this movie 🍿
Still the gold standard for werewolf films IMO.... The design alone of that wolf is so intensely fierce looking... The fact that it's on all fours makes it so primal... And I love how the film makes it feel like an actual CURSE.... Love this film and that transformation set the bar 40 years ago....it somehow combined humor, tragedy, affectionate, genuine human interactions and 80s gore.... Gotta respect it..... Gotta bow and take your hat off.... it cracks me up when people mention how organic and natural the flow is with dialogue and conversations..... Its because THIS WAS THE 80S!! People weren't digital drones yet... This is HOW we interacted! This is what's been lost.....
Cheers.
Aging myself for sure, but I saw this in theater when I was 13. The "Tube" scene still gives me the creeps!
This is a great film. The transformation sequence in particular.
I'd also add Dog Soldiers to the list if you haven't already seen it. Low budget but a good fun film.
Claude Raines was the wolf man's dad.
He was also the invisible man
And the Phantom of the Opera.
Rick Baker baby indeed! Absolutely brilliant movie and practical/makeup effects. :)
Impressed with John Landis stunt in the Piccadilly Circus scene.
Also, sure the taxi driver is Brick top from Snatch.
John Landis also directed Michael Jackson's "Thriller" as well as "Twilight Zone (1983)". During the filming three actors died in a horrific accident involving a helicopter crash during a dangerous stunt. It was all over the news.
They invented an Oscar category for Rick Baker the year this movie came out. That's how good the makeup was.
7:48 - Frank Oz. The voice of Yoda.