This era of film making was the peak of practical effects. Between this, The Howling and The Thing, it never got better than that. In some ways, CGI still hasn't caught up to this level.
Even the first breakthrough CGI films had lots of great practical effects. Terminator 2 had just about every trick in the book: rear projection, go motion, puppetry...
I'm not an expert by any means and this is probably a weird comment to make but there's something about the TEXTURE in practical effects that CGI just can't emulate. I like the way the light goes into the texture of the material being used. Not to mention the fact that actors can interact better with the "creatures" they're supposed to be facing. It's truly a form of art that shouldn't be forgotten.
@@amandamiquilena couldn't agree more.....there is something richer when practical over CGI is used....its almost like our eyes can tell the difference and transmits to our brains a differently too. Especially in Horror movies its like our instincts trigger a more primitive fear response to practical over CGI
While I liked The Howling, those effects could have been even better. They had budgetary issues making that movie. In the one scene when Bill meets up with the Queen Werewolf (or whatever she was), just as they're starting to transform it turns into some strange animation and they cut away. That was so odd and out of place.
Hey, Amanda! This is considered by many to be the quintessential modern werewolf movie rivaled only by Joe Dante's "The Howling". John Landis expertly blended drama, horror, comedy and romance in this classic film. The original Universal werewolf movie with Lon Chaney, Jr., "The Wolf Man", from 1941 is referenced several times in the film. The reason the black-and-white movie's mythology was not relevant to David's situation is because the Chaney, Jr. film is fiction while David's experience is supposed to be "real" within the context of the story. No other werewolf movie I know of features the victims' souls trapped in limbo. The practical make-up and effects of Rick Baker are phenomenal and set the gold standard for werewolf transformation. The Yorkshire townsfolk were secretive because the curse was a local issue and a secret shame. They didn't want the world's spotlight on their insular community. Most small provincial towns are very cloistered and suspicious of outsiders disrupting their lives. The ethnic joke told in the pub is hilarious because it pokes as much fun at American hegemony and Manifest Destiny as it does at the hapless Mexican! The nationalism of the Frenchman and the Englishman entailed self-sacrifice while the arrogant Yank's sense of nationalism entailed the sacrifice of a proxy! The joke is really lampooning Americans. The nightmare David had was influenced by his Jewish heritage. He was one generation removed from World War II and must have been told horror stories of Nazism by his grandparents so that bled into his dreams of becoming bestial by resulting in werewolf Nazis slaughtering his family! The abrupt ending is meant to be jarring and is extremely effective on the heels of such horror and pathos. It always moves me deeply when Jenny Agutter declares her love for David and the wolf almost seems to momentarily understand just before its savagery reasserts itself. Her grief is palpable and is the last sensation the audience feels.
I'm sorry I can't help but laugh at your disbelief of the ending. The director didn't want to make generic horror movie and that's why it's still stands the test of time, that and the amazing makeup.
Whoever "they" are, "they" do a pretty terrific job of recommending the best movies and TV of the last 50 years to sensational reaction channels like yours, Amanda. Keep these coming. _An American Werewolf In London_ was the first horror movie to feature characters who'd watched horror movies. In the classic Universal or RKO horror movies of the 1930s or '40s, the audience was way ahead of the characters, but here, the characters have taken the Universal Studios Tour or watched the late show and are joking about their predicament, like we would if we encountered a werewolf.
A classic 80s horror movie that I've never seen anyone react to is Return of the Living Dead. Technically it's a sequel to Night of the Living Dead, but it's not at all necessary to have watched that one first. Have you ever watched any David Lynch movies? Any budding film maker should. Blue Velvet is great. Part drama, part mystery, part comedy and also at times completely horrifying without being anything close to a horror movie.
"Remember the Alamo" The Alamo was a Mexican fort taken over by separatist rebels and the soldiers guarding it were sieged and attacked by the Mexican army who eventually won and all the defending soldiers were killed including the then famous James Bowie (of bowie knife fame), William B Travis and David Crockett (former US senator). The Alamo became a rallying point for the formation of the Republic of Texas which eventually was admitted to the Union as the State of Texas.
@@amandamiquilena I think the idea is more that the American in the joke looks like a coward (and/or a racist) - he isn't willing to jump out himself, so he picks on someone else
I think it’s not the history she didn’t get it’s the joke she didn’t find funny. I don’t get the joke either. Like what is the joke trying to say about Mexicans? 🤔🤨
@Sound Logic well I’m a millennial and I didn’t find the joke funny 🤷🏻♂️ I dunno maybe it’s only old school Brits that would find the dark “humor” in the joke funny.
Comedy legend Rik Mayall from Young Ones and Drop Dead Fred appears in the pub scene. He spits out his beer when the punchline of the Alamo joke is delivered. Also, Brick Top from Snatch is the taxi driver.
"A naked American man stole my balloons." 😂 You can't take this movie seriously. 😂 Fun Fact: Rick Baker (the winner of the very first Academy Award for Best Make-up that was created the year this movie came out) claimed to have been disappointed by the amount of time spent shooting the face changing shot for the transformation after having spent months working on the mechanism. John Landis only required one take lasting about seven seconds. Baker felt he had wasted his time until seeing the film with an audience that applauded during that one seven second shot. Bonus Fact: Mr. Collins is the one and only Frank Oz. Not only is he an actor and director, but is also the voice actor. Best known as the voice of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and Yoda.
Frank Oz was not just a voice actor. He performed those puppets. He eventually became a director, helming Little Shop of Horrors and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, among others. More recently, he had a small role in Knives Out
A love facts like these! I can 100% understand his frustration but even if it was just seven seconds, it still managed to be one of the most memorable moments in this movie.
@@amandamiquilena The effects usually work better if you don't give undue attention to them. Lingering on one shot more than you would normally just because there's a cool effect in it would be picked up by the audience and feel wrong as a result.
This movie is a lot funnier to me than it is to you I guess. For example, when the doctor goes to the village and that one guy tells him "There's something wrong with this place" and the doctor replies "That much I understand" that always makes me laugh. Jack's constantly decomposing appearances, plus his dialogues with David, how can you not laugh? EDIT: The first werewolf was simply shot to death. David is the one who speculated that a werewolf must be killed by someone who loves him. At the end, Alex is the one who lures David out where he can be shot, so in a way she does kill him. The ending is perfect. The story has been completely told, there is no more to say, so it ends right there and then.
It's lost some impact now, but I recall when I first saw this movie, I thought Undead Jack having conversations with David like a normal friend was the funniest thing .
I kind of get your surprise at the ending, but it all worked out. The last werewolf is dead and the curse is lifted from those he killed, unless any of those he bit survived. But he seemed to have killed everyone though, so all is good. The thing about him having to be killed by someone who loved him was just something he learned from a movie. And when it came to those things, like silver bullets and such, he learned from Jack that that was just nonsense. Different werewolf stories have different lore. Like with vampire stories. In some you become a vampire if a vampire bites you, in others you have to drink the blood of a vampire to become one. In some crosses and garlic work, in some they don't. I like your reaction though. Keep being real.
Hahahah, I went to google if the movie was meant to end like that and to my surprise, I discovered that a LOT of people thought it was a brilliant ending. To me, it was a little bit abrupt but hey, when you think about it...it's very realistic actually.
17:00 I remember that 'Dingling' thing being one of the most talked about moments in this movie. It's hard to ignore it😂 edit* Regarding Jack looking like Michael Jackson - John Landis, the director of this movie would also direct Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' video a year or so later. The make up style used in Thriller was very inspired by this very movie.
10:49 The dude with the moustache is Frank Oz, The guy behind the voice of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and Yoda in Star Wars. On Sesame Street, he voiced Bert, Grover and Cookie Monster. 11:23 Hence that tongue in cheek joke : "These dumbass kids, they never appreciate anything you do for them" 🤣 20:21 That's cos the same guy did the effects, Rick Baker. 37:38 Our sirens sound the same now, those are the old style.
1. Jenny Agutter played Jessica in Logan's Run. That would be a great firs time/share. HINT HINT 2. "A naked American man stole my balloons".🤣 3. All of the songs played have something about the moon. 4. Those towns people gather together at that pub for protection when the moon is full. 5. David's shouting included "Shakespeare's French"🤣 6. It makes you wonder what the speed limit was in Piccadilly Circus. 7. He had to die and he knew it.😭
I don't no what more you want from an ending. They killed him shows over. I enjoyed your reaction but like many young people who do movie reactions you might be overthinking a little too much. Just watch and enjoy.
"A lot of weather we've been having lately" is a phrase we'd use when awkward silences took hold. Loved this movie - this, Alien and The Thing were the holy trinity of horror for us.
"Too frightening to be a comedy and too funny to be a horror film." :D My best friend and I were 15 years old when we saw this Rated R film in 1981. We were 3 years too young to be able to buy tickets legally to see it. But we just walked up, gave them our money, and walked in. They didn't even ask for ID. We weren't old enough to have any ID. LOL It was a great movie to see!
There was nothing wrong with his memory when he awoke in hospital. He was confused to hear that he was in London because he and Jack hadn't been in London. They were near a small village in Northern England, some distance from London.
At the start, they are not in London. They are walking around in the countryside of England. That is why he's surprised to wake up in London. It's funny you compare the make-up in the movie with Thriller. It's the same FX people who did this who made the Thriller video FX two years later.
the werewolf that attacked him and Jack wasn't killed by someone who loved him, just the bar customers. it was just an assumption David had that was wrong
The writer and director, John Landis, was also the stuntman who got knocked through the storefront window by the car. Also, Michael Jackson wanted to shoot his "Thriller" video the way he did AFTER seeing this movie and insisted that HE get to transform into a loup garou-type monster, too.
Every song in the movie had the word 'moon' in it . It was comedy /horror . It was the journey -not the ending that mattered . They tried something 'different' with this movie and I think it succeeded.
Rick Baker is a God and this is favorite film to work on for practical effects. He said when he read the script he loved how crazy this film is and it is it's unlike any Werewolf film ever made.
Fun fact: this movie won an Oscar for *BEST MAKE-UP EFFECTS.* And *Rick Baker* and his team did an awesome job with the practical effects with the werewolf 😎
Oh this was so good. I love your reactions so much. 😂😂🤣 Yes it does end like that. The blood line had to be severed, and it was so everything is over. He put the "it has to be someone who loves you" thought out there, but he was wrong. I recommend The Howling as well. Another great 80s werewolf classic.
He died the end. What more dose everyone need. Everyone always says "that's the end?" and it's like ya he died and all the trapped souls and David where freed. But the werewolf transformation is still the best I've seen in any movie I watch a lot of horror and no one has been about to beat it.
It's great that you have since rewatched the movie. You said it" It's an interesting movie to watch." It's just a weird, funny, one-of-a-kind horror movie, unlike any other. And definitely unlike any other that had come before it! The ending is one of the greatest things about it! Another great one that came soon after it is "Creepshow", a horror movie with some macabre comedy.
People want to jump on David for abandoning Jack when he was being attacked but even if David stayed he wouldn't be a match for a creature like that if he jumped on the wolf the wolf would've torn him to shreds. And why hadn't their parents been notified the moment Jack & David were brought to the hospital? They waited 3 weeks what the hell & I like that the younger cop brought up the point that 2 guys could overpower one dude but his so-called superior shut him down.
This was my favourite movie for a long time. The humour is very dark but still funny, the werewolf scenes are genuinely scary, and I love the social commentary about England in the 1970s. The movie starts in the north of England - the county of Yorkshire - a long way from London, and they only move to London when the guy goes to hospital. The unfriendly response they got from the local people in the pub is pretty typical of a country pub in Yorkshire, even without them having a dark secret about a werewolf, which made those scenes even more funny for me (I'm from Yorkshire). I used to go camping on the Yorkshire moors - they are pretty creepy, but I never saw a werewolf... This movie is inspired by a book (which is also a movie starring Bing Crosby) called A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court - it's the book that the nurse reads to David in the hospital. The book is about an American who travels back in time to medieval England. I guess it has a lot of social commentary about life in England from an American perspective, and the director incorporated that into this movie, but in a modern setting. The director wrote the movie, I think when he was very young but I don't remember for sure. Another fun fact: The people in the Slaughtered Lamb are all Shakespearian actors who were putting on a play in a theatre nearby, and the director recruited them to feature in his movie at the same time.
remember when you said he looks like Michael Jackson's Thriller? Michael Jackson thought so too. that's why Michael Jackson hired this same director to direct Thriller. loved your reaction to the ending.... kind of ambiguous like the ending of The Thing huh.... Holy Grail has a famous ending too.... and remember.... stick close to the road and stay off the moors.
The Routemaster buses were designed by the London Bus Company itself, not by the vehicle manufacturers. That's why they were so perfect for London in their time, with the open platform at the back so that passengers could jump on or off anywhere they liked when the bus was stopped or moving slowly. It also meant that if you were a schoolboy like me who had just missed the bus you needed to get to school on time, you could run after it and still get on. They had two crew, the bus driver in his enclosed cabin, and the bus conductor who sold tickets to passengers once they were sitting down or had found where they would stand for their journey. The conductor also rang the bell to tell the driver to leave each bus-stop once everyone waiting there had got on the bus.
the confusion at his claim of it being a wolf attack comes from all Wolves and Bears were killed off in the UK a few hundred years ago - now a days the largest native predator is the fox or badger depending on what you class as large (a badger is smaller then a fox in size but much more heavily build and pretty savage)
This is the quintessential werewolf movie. The transformation was next level and still holds up to this day. Legendary monster creator Rick Baker won an Oscar for his work in this. I thought the story was good and the characters were compelling. However, like you, I absolutely HATED the ending. It was way too abrupt. They didn't let it breathe. Like, what just happened? Then that annoying song came on. My guess is that they ran out of budget to give it more satisfying closure.
I somehow saw this movie when I was very young and it traumatized me X_X. The beginning always give me the creeps with the howling. Gotta say that the transformation scene is still the best from all werewolf movies. Amazing reaction ^_^!
You're right, it's not the end. You need to watch An American Werewolf in Paris. And here's something to think about - are you sure his bloodline has ended?
The rules about the pentagram, being killed by someone who loves them and silver bullets were all considered to be fake in this story. The rule about the victims becoming rotting ghosts is something I’ve never seen outside this movie (and the sequel).
Honestly the rotting ghosts is probably my favourite part about this movie. It's such a unique twist on the Werewolf legend. Though I think it might be an inversion of how Larry Talbot in the Wolfman was able to see his next victims. Though in this case it's being haunted by your previous victims.
This was (alongside The Howling) the movie that changed werewolf movies forever. One of the first keys to the new werewolf (and vampire) movies is that the characters, just like us, the viewers, know these creatures from popular culture and cinema. But just because we know things from that folklore like the silver bullets... doesn't mean that if there were werewolves in the real world... those things we know would work. David and Jack know werewolves, like you and me, from the movies... but when facing a "real" one. Another peculiarity of the film was the mixture of comedy and horror that made it a film that was rejected by the studios for a long time. It's funny that you say that special makeup effects are "not bad". It remains to this day the best transformation of a werewolf that has been done in a movie or series. Plus it was done for practical purposes, there was no CGI at the time. And in fact it caused the category of best makeup effects to be created at the Oscars simply because the work of Rick Baker had to be rewarded. And yes, the ending is abrupt, I don't like it either, but the director seemed to focus it on David: once he's dead there's nothing more to tell. And it was precisely that Michael Jackson saw this film, he loved it, and he contacted John Landis because he wanted to make a video clip along these lines. Landis again required Rick Baker's makeup and between the three of them they made that video clip that is Thriller and that changed how video clips and the music industry were approached. Two other 80s werewolf movies I should suggest are The Howling and The Company of Wolves. Silver Bullet is ok too.
The American ambassador was played by Frank Oz, who created many characters of the Muppets and Sesame Street, plus Yoda in Star Wars. As an actor, he has played several roles like this one, e.g. the desk sergeant in Trading Places and the manager of the prison properties department in The Blues Brothers.
“A naked American man stole my balloons.” Or... “Master Skywalker, there are too many of them. What are we going to do?” Also 22:15 “This is a local pub for local people”
I suppose the police could have used tranquilizer darts, then the werewolf would have gone to sleep and changed back to David, they take David to hospital and examine him until he turns again at the 3rd full moon and eats Nurse Gallagher LOL. Of course the movie had to end as it did as what would come after that, interrogating the people in the Slaughtered Lamb?
LOVED this movie. The transformation scene was so unexpectedly good. Honestly, the werewolf form itself was not so convincing, but I can forgive that. And the sex scene...you know what he is doing just from her expression. The make up artists for this movie were amazing. Also the person who plays the representative from the American Embassy is none other than Frank Oz who was one of the main puppeteers for the Muppets, including Bert and Grover.
Now that you have seen Carpenter's The Thing, 1988's The Blob, and this, you have at least one more movie to go before you have seen the pinnacles of 1980's practical effects for horror films. The last movie you absolutely have to see is 1986's The Fly.. it.might out-gross all of them. Maybe others can recommend others, like maybe 1987's Hellraiser. But 86's The Fly will blow you away.
Lol! You're awesome. Love your reactions. Your reaction to the end was priceless! This came out just a few months before Halloween when I was a kid. It terrified people. It was the scariest and best Halloween of my life. "Hold your horses" was a very popular saying in America by grown ups when I was a kid. My dad's favorite. Though I've seen this many times, I just recently learned about a notion I hadn't thought of. Werewolves would have animalistic Pheromones. The thought here is that, it's the animal pheromones that cause Alex be so attracted to him so quickly. "Hooligans", if you were not sure, was slang for trouble makers, miscreants, or such. Also, running naked through the streets wouldn't get you on a list back then. THAT list didn't exist yet. But I'm sure he'd still get a ticket of some kind, for sure. Love your channel, Amanda. Can't wait to binge your other videos.
I still use the ‘horses’ phrase, but I’m closing in on 60, so. Here’s an especially out of date phrase my grandfather (who passed away in 1984, Pittsburgh). “Crimony in a bucket!”(pronounced “Cry-Moe-Knee”.) It’s origin is uncertain, but basically translates to: “Fuck!”-as in, immediately after stubbing your toe or splattering a plate of food upside-down on dirt on your way to the picnic table.
the special effects were done by Rick Baker. he never gets enough credit in my opinion everyone always gives it to like Tom savini or Greg nicotero who are also amazing. but Rick Baker is one of the OG's. he's the same guy to the special effects for Jaws, Star wars (the original trilogy), Indiana Jones and Men In Black and many more. the man is a legend and he is one of my favorites.
If you think about it, the villagers in the beginning probably didn't love the first werewolf, so no, werewolves do not need to be killed by loved ones.
Lol, love your reaction to the ending of the movie! I had the same reaction 42 years ago. Oh well, it is a great movie, and I guess the werewolfs curse has ended. Or has it? You'll need to watch 'An American Werewolf in Paris' next. If you dare? 🐺
It was a different world in 1981, so much less connected. Adventurous upper-middle class college students would sometimes spend a summer vacation hiking across Europe. You're right that the effects here are good. It was groundbreaking at the time and honestly better than a lot of more modern stuff. BTW, you have good instincts for what is going to happen in movies.
This movie is a dry British humor/dark comedy. It’s poking fun at old monster movies. It ends abruptly because that’s how the old monster movies ended. The monster dies roll credits. You don’t really need it to know what happens next. It’s also a great way to screw with the audience. It ends on such a tragic note but the credits are so upbeat.
That is how all the werewolf movies end. This is a great movie. FYI David Naughton was a Dr. Pepper ad star before this movie. At this time this was above average F/X for the transformation.
I should just say as a Uk resident that has travelled widely within the UK, that the reaction when the the American tourists first enter the pub is entirely accurate. The fact that a few minutes later they are entirely ignored is also completely factual. Initially the locals find the protagonists as unexpected as somebody that had just walked into their own front room. Then they remember that they are - nominally - in a public space and so they first accept and then forget about them.
One of my favorite horror comedies ever! I was the Student Center Cinema Chairman at my college a looong time ago and had to get this as a replacement for Halloween. So glad we did. The make-up was incredible, especially for it's time. I loved the use of dreams for jump scares. The transformation scene was terrific.
"Do tell" lol. I like phrases like that as well! And "hold your horses" . I'm a new subscriber. Just found your channel. Playing catch up with your vids!
This movie INSPIRED Micheal Jackson's "Thriller". He Loved the movie so much, he hired The director and Special effects people to do the Thriller video!
Fun facts: -Before this movie, David Naughton was known as the guy who sang the Dr Pepper song. ruclips.net/video/gQPN3UKQM-U/видео.html -The American ambassador was played by Frank Oz; best known as one half of all the (original generation) Muppets and Yoda! -While Rick Baker worked on *this* werewolf movie, his good friend Rob Bottin was working on "The HOWLING".
Not sure if you noticed the music, besides being good music, every song has a reference to the Moon. I'm glad you watched it several times and started to appreciate it more.
Small point on final scene. British police in normal circumstances do not carry guns. Special police task force do, called in at last moment when things go - literally - ballistic.
Most of the movies in the 70s in the 80s were like this, they didn't give you any closure. There wasn't any indication of a sequels because there wasn't any. The empire strikes back changed all that, but really didn't catch on for a few years. The makeup and the transformation won awards for special effects. I think this is the last movie that I saw with full frontal nudity for men. There were other but not as memorable
It could be that David DID recognize Alex at the end and purposely rushed her knowing that the police would shoot him, in turn. Only way he could save her life.
I love the abrupt ending to this film. It's bloody brilliant. It's a tragic conclusion like all classic werewolf movies. The End. There's nothing more to say.
Well, this is a John Landis movie! Another John Landis film is Innocent Blood (1992) with a most normal ending. And yes, this director and Michael Jackson created de Thriller video.
This era of film making was the peak of practical effects. Between this, The Howling and The Thing, it never got better than that. In some ways, CGI still hasn't caught up to this level.
Even the first breakthrough CGI films had lots of great practical effects. Terminator 2 had just about every trick in the book: rear projection, go motion, puppetry...
I'm not an expert by any means and this is probably a weird comment to make but there's something about the TEXTURE in practical effects that CGI just can't emulate. I like the way the light goes into the texture of the material being used. Not to mention the fact that actors can interact better with the "creatures" they're supposed to be facing. It's truly a form of art that shouldn't be forgotten.
@@amandamiquilena 💯
@@amandamiquilena couldn't agree more.....there is something richer when practical over CGI is used....its almost like our eyes can tell the difference and transmits to our brains a differently too. Especially in Horror movies its like our instincts trigger a more primitive fear response to practical over CGI
While I liked The Howling, those effects could have been even better. They had budgetary issues making that movie. In the one scene when Bill meets up with the Queen Werewolf (or whatever she was), just as they're starting to transform it turns into some strange animation and they cut away. That was so odd and out of place.
Hey, Amanda! This is considered by many to be the quintessential modern werewolf movie rivaled only by Joe Dante's "The Howling".
John Landis expertly blended drama, horror, comedy and romance in this classic film.
The original Universal werewolf movie with Lon Chaney, Jr., "The Wolf Man", from 1941 is referenced several times in the film.
The reason the black-and-white movie's mythology was not relevant to David's situation is because the Chaney, Jr. film is fiction while David's experience is supposed to be "real" within the context of the story. No other werewolf movie I know of features the victims' souls trapped in limbo.
The practical make-up and effects of Rick Baker are phenomenal and set the gold standard for werewolf transformation.
The Yorkshire townsfolk were secretive because the curse was a local issue and a secret shame. They didn't want the world's spotlight on their insular community. Most small provincial towns are very cloistered and suspicious of outsiders disrupting their lives.
The ethnic joke told in the pub is hilarious because it pokes as much fun at American hegemony and Manifest Destiny as it does at the hapless Mexican! The nationalism of the Frenchman and the Englishman entailed self-sacrifice while the arrogant Yank's sense of nationalism entailed the sacrifice of a proxy! The joke is really lampooning Americans.
The nightmare David had was influenced by his Jewish heritage. He was one generation removed from World War II and must have been told horror stories of Nazism by his grandparents so that bled into his dreams of becoming bestial by resulting in werewolf Nazis slaughtering his family!
The abrupt ending is meant to be jarring and is extremely effective on the heels of such horror and pathos.
It always moves me deeply when Jenny Agutter declares her love for David and the wolf almost seems to momentarily understand just before its savagery reasserts itself. Her grief is palpable and is the last sensation the audience feels.
Awesome response, really well written.
I'm sorry I can't help but laugh at your disbelief of the ending. The director didn't want to make generic horror movie and that's why it's still stands the test of time, that and the amazing makeup.
Back when movies didn't coddle you or give you all the answers. Yes, that was the ending, haha.
M, Jackson`s Thriller was directed by John Landis lol he directed American Warewolf In London... oh and M, Jackson`s Black Or White :):)
Whoever "they" are, "they" do a pretty terrific job of recommending the best movies and TV of the last 50 years to sensational reaction channels like yours, Amanda. Keep these coming.
_An American Werewolf In London_ was the first horror movie to feature characters who'd watched horror movies. In the classic Universal or RKO horror movies of the 1930s or '40s, the audience was way ahead of the characters, but here, the characters have taken the Universal Studios Tour or watched the late show and are joking about their predicament, like we would if we encountered a werewolf.
Didn't really think of that. It's a good point 👍 Also, thanks for calling my channel sensational lol
A classic 80s horror movie that I've never seen anyone react to is Return of the Living Dead. Technically it's a sequel to Night of the Living Dead, but it's not at all necessary to have watched that one first. Have you ever watched any David Lynch movies? Any budding film maker should. Blue Velvet is great. Part drama, part mystery, part comedy and also at times completely horrifying without being anything close to a horror movie.
"Remember the Alamo" The Alamo was a Mexican fort taken over by separatist rebels and the soldiers guarding it were sieged and attacked by the Mexican army who eventually won and all the defending soldiers were killed including the then famous James Bowie (of bowie knife fame), William B Travis and David Crockett (former US senator). The Alamo became a rallying point for the formation of the Republic of Texas which eventually was admitted to the Union as the State of Texas.
TLDR, Texans pushed the Mexicans out of America, hence the joke punchline lol
I was vaguely familiar with the history but I thought the joke kind of made Mexicans look like cowards and that's what I didn't appreciate.
@@amandamiquilena I think the idea is more that the American in the joke looks like a coward (and/or a racist) - he isn't willing to jump out himself, so he picks on someone else
I think it’s not the history she didn’t get it’s the joke she didn’t find funny. I don’t get the joke either. Like what is the joke trying to say about Mexicans? 🤔🤨
@Sound Logic well I’m a millennial and I didn’t find the joke funny 🤷🏻♂️ I dunno maybe it’s only old school Brits that would find the dark “humor” in the joke funny.
Comedy legend Rik Mayall from Young Ones and Drop Dead Fred appears in the pub scene. He spits out his beer when the punchline of the Alamo joke is delivered. Also, Brick Top from Snatch is the taxi driver.
"A naked American man stole my balloons."
😂 You can't take this movie seriously. 😂
Fun Fact: Rick Baker (the winner of the very first Academy Award for Best Make-up that was created the year this movie came out) claimed to have been disappointed by the amount of time spent shooting the face changing shot for the transformation after having spent months working on the mechanism. John Landis only required one take lasting about seven seconds. Baker felt he had wasted his time until seeing the film with an audience that applauded during that one seven second shot.
Bonus Fact: Mr. Collins is the one and only Frank Oz. Not only is he an actor and director, but is also the voice actor. Best known as the voice of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and Yoda.
That is the BEST line in the movie 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Frank Oz was not just a voice actor. He performed those puppets. He eventually became a director, helming Little Shop of Horrors and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, among others. More recently, he had a small role in Knives Out
A love facts like these! I can 100% understand his frustration but even if it was just seven seconds, it still managed to be one of the most memorable moments in this movie.
@@amandamiquilena The effects usually work better if you don't give undue attention to them. Lingering on one shot more than you would normally just because there's a cool effect in it would be picked up by the audience and feel wrong as a result.
This movie is a lot funnier to me than it is to you I guess. For example, when the doctor goes to the village and that one guy tells him "There's something wrong with this place" and the doctor replies "That much I understand" that always makes me laugh. Jack's constantly decomposing appearances, plus his dialogues with David, how can you not laugh? EDIT: The first werewolf was simply shot to death. David is the one who speculated that a werewolf must be killed by someone who loves him. At the end, Alex is the one who lures David out where he can be shot, so in a way she does kill him. The ending is perfect. The story has been completely told, there is no more to say, so it ends right there and then.
It's lost some impact now, but I recall when I first saw this movie, I thought Undead Jack having conversations with David like a normal friend was the funniest thing .
This movie has the best ending ever.
I kind of get your surprise at the ending, but it all worked out. The last werewolf is dead and the curse is lifted from those he killed, unless any of those he bit survived. But he seemed to have killed everyone though, so all is good.
The thing about him having to be killed by someone who loved him was just something he learned from a movie. And when it came to those things, like silver bullets and such, he learned from Jack that that was just nonsense.
Different werewolf stories have different lore. Like with vampire stories. In some you become a vampire if a vampire bites you, in others you have to drink the blood of a vampire to become one. In some crosses and garlic work, in some they don't.
I like your reaction though. Keep being real.
Hahahah, I went to google if the movie was meant to end like that and to my surprise, I discovered that a LOT of people thought it was a brilliant ending. To me, it was a little bit abrupt but hey, when you think about it...it's very realistic actually.
"He seemed to have killed everyone though, so all is good." Nearly fell off my chair laughing!
@@gooshie3 I admit, it sounds a little harsh out of context. :D
In a way he did die because of her. He went to kill her and was shot by the police. His love for her is what got him ultimately killed.
17:00 I remember that 'Dingling' thing being one of the most talked about moments in this movie. It's hard to ignore it😂
edit* Regarding Jack looking like Michael Jackson - John Landis, the director of this movie would also direct Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' video a year or so later. The make up style used in Thriller was very inspired by this very movie.
It was the same special effects artist also Rick Baker.
"That cannot be the end of the movie!" He's dead! What more do you want?
10:49 The dude with the moustache is Frank Oz, The guy behind the voice of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and Yoda in Star Wars. On Sesame Street, he voiced Bert, Grover and Cookie Monster. 11:23 Hence that tongue in cheek joke : "These dumbass kids, they never appreciate anything you do for them" 🤣
20:21 That's cos the same guy did the effects, Rick Baker.
37:38 Our sirens sound the same now, those are the old style.
1. Jenny Agutter played Jessica in Logan's Run.
That would be a great firs time/share. HINT HINT
2. "A naked American man stole my balloons".🤣
3. All of the songs played have something about the moon.
4. Those towns people gather together at that pub for protection when the moon is full.
5. David's shouting included "Shakespeare's French"🤣
6. It makes you wonder what the speed limit was in Piccadilly Circus.
7. He had to die and he knew it.😭
I don't no what more you want from an ending. They killed him shows over. I enjoyed your reaction but like many young people who do movie reactions you might be overthinking a little too much. Just watch and enjoy.
Who are you? 💀
"This movie has some issues." Love it.
This movie is a testament to the all-time greatest makeup artist Rick Baker.
"A lot of weather we've been having lately" is a phrase we'd use when awkward silences took hold. Loved this movie - this, Alien and The Thing were the holy trinity of horror for us.
"Too frightening to be a comedy and too funny to be a horror film." :D
My best friend and I were 15 years old when we saw this Rated R film in 1981. We were 3 years too young to be able to buy tickets legally to see it. But we just walked up, gave them our money, and walked in. They didn't even ask for ID. We weren't old enough to have any ID. LOL
It was a great movie to see!
There was nothing wrong with his memory when he awoke in hospital. He was confused to hear that he was in London because he and Jack hadn't been in London. They were near a small village in Northern England, some distance from London.
I thought London is England 🤔
@The Stormblooper I know ;)
At the start, they are not in London. They are walking around in the countryside of England. That is why he's surprised to wake up in London.
It's funny you compare the make-up in the movie with Thriller. It's the same FX people who did this who made the Thriller video FX two years later.
Yeah, my bad. I noticed I made that mistake after I uploaded the video (the London thing).
the werewolf that attacked him and Jack wasn't killed by someone who loved him, just the bar customers. it was just an assumption David had that was wrong
The writer and director, John Landis, was also the stuntman who got knocked through the storefront window by the car. Also, Michael Jackson wanted to shoot his "Thriller" video the way he did AFTER seeing this movie and insisted that HE get to transform into a loup garou-type monster, too.
Every song in the movie had the word 'moon' in it . It was comedy /horror . It was the journey -not the ending that mattered . They tried something 'different' with this movie and I think it succeeded.
I rem the first time I saw this, so much fun.
And ya the ending is prompt isn't it?
Fun reaction.
The ending is CRAZY but it's part of the charm of this movie. Thanks for watching :)
Rick Baker is a God and this is favorite film to work on for practical effects. He said when he read the script he loved how crazy this film is and it is it's unlike any Werewolf film ever made.
Fun fact: this movie won an Oscar for *BEST MAKE-UP EFFECTS.*
And *Rick Baker* and his team did an awesome job with the practical effects with the werewolf 😎
Oh this was so good. I love your reactions so much. 😂😂🤣
Yes it does end like that. The blood line had to be severed, and it was so everything is over. He put the "it has to be someone who loves you" thought out there, but he was wrong. I recommend The Howling as well. Another great 80s werewolf classic.
He died the end. What more dose everyone need. Everyone always says "that's the end?" and it's like ya he died and all the trapped souls and David where freed. But the werewolf transformation is still the best I've seen in any movie I watch a lot of horror and no one has been about to beat it.
It used to be an American college tradition to take a tour of Europe after graduation before going on to graduate school.
It's great that you have since rewatched the movie. You said it" It's an interesting movie to watch." It's just a weird, funny, one-of-a-kind horror movie, unlike any other. And definitely unlike any other that had come before it! The ending is one of the greatest things about it! Another great one that came soon after it is "Creepshow", a horror movie with some macabre comedy.
People want to jump on David for abandoning Jack when he was being attacked but even if David stayed he wouldn't be a match for a creature like that if he jumped on the wolf the wolf would've torn him to shreds. And why hadn't their parents been notified the moment Jack & David were brought to the hospital? They waited 3 weeks what the hell & I like that the younger cop brought up the point that 2 guys could overpower one dude but his so-called superior shut him down.
I love you david... I knew it, SHE'S A FURRY!
This was my favourite movie for a long time. The humour is very dark but still funny, the werewolf scenes are genuinely scary, and I love the social commentary about England in the 1970s.
The movie starts in the north of England - the county of Yorkshire - a long way from London, and they only move to London when the guy goes to hospital. The unfriendly response they got from the local people in the pub is pretty typical of a country pub in Yorkshire, even without them having a dark secret about a werewolf, which made those scenes even more funny for me (I'm from Yorkshire). I used to go camping on the Yorkshire moors - they are pretty creepy, but I never saw a werewolf...
This movie is inspired by a book (which is also a movie starring Bing Crosby) called A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court - it's the book that the nurse reads to David in the hospital. The book is about an American who travels back in time to medieval England. I guess it has a lot of social commentary about life in England from an American perspective, and the director incorporated that into this movie, but in a modern setting. The director wrote the movie, I think when he was very young but I don't remember for sure.
Another fun fact: The people in the Slaughtered Lamb are all Shakespearian actors who were putting on a play in a theatre nearby, and the director recruited them to feature in his movie at the same time.
remember when you said he looks like Michael Jackson's Thriller?
Michael Jackson thought so too.
that's why Michael Jackson hired this same director to direct Thriller.
loved your reaction to the ending.... kind of ambiguous like the ending of The Thing huh.... Holy Grail has a famous ending too.... and remember.... stick close to the road and stay off the moors.
The Routemaster buses were designed by the London Bus Company itself, not by the vehicle manufacturers. That's why they were so perfect for London in their time, with the open platform at the back so that passengers could jump on or off anywhere they liked when the bus was stopped or moving slowly. It also meant that if you were a schoolboy like me who had just missed the bus you needed to get to school on time, you could run after it and still get on. They had two crew, the bus driver in his enclosed cabin, and the bus conductor who sold tickets to passengers once they were sitting down or had found where they would stand for their journey. The conductor also rang the bell to tell the driver to leave each bus-stop once everyone waiting there had got on the bus.
A lot of weather we've been having lately
the confusion at his claim of it being a wolf attack comes from all Wolves and Bears were killed off in the UK a few hundred years ago - now a days the largest native predator is the fox or badger depending on what you class as large (a badger is smaller then a fox in size but much more heavily build and pretty savage)
This is the quintessential werewolf movie. The transformation was next level and still holds up to this day. Legendary monster creator Rick Baker won an Oscar for his work in this. I thought the story was good and the characters were compelling. However, like you, I absolutely HATED the ending. It was way too abrupt. They didn't let it breathe. Like, what just happened? Then that annoying song came on. My guess is that they ran out of budget to give it more satisfying closure.
I somehow saw this movie when I was very young and it traumatized me X_X. The beginning always give me the creeps with the howling. Gotta say that the transformation scene is still the best from all werewolf movies. Amazing reaction ^_^!
Yes, that transformation scene has been burned into my brain. Amazing stuff for its time and stands up pretty well even now.
You're right, it's not the end. You need to watch An American Werewolf in Paris.
And here's something to think about - are you sure his bloodline has ended?
The rules about the pentagram, being killed by someone who loves them and silver bullets were all considered to be fake in this story. The rule about the victims becoming rotting ghosts is something I’ve never seen outside this movie (and the sequel).
Honestly the rotting ghosts is probably my favourite part about this movie. It's such a unique twist on the Werewolf legend. Though I think it might be an inversion of how Larry Talbot in the Wolfman was able to see his next victims. Though in this case it's being haunted by your previous victims.
This was (alongside The Howling) the movie that changed werewolf movies forever. One of the first keys to the new werewolf (and vampire) movies is that the characters, just like us, the viewers, know these creatures from popular culture and cinema. But just because we know things from that folklore like the silver bullets... doesn't mean that if there were werewolves in the real world... those things we know would work. David and Jack know werewolves, like you and me, from the movies... but when facing a "real" one.
Another peculiarity of the film was the mixture of comedy and horror that made it a film that was rejected by the studios for a long time.
It's funny that you say that special makeup effects are "not bad". It remains to this day the best transformation of a werewolf that has been done in a movie or series. Plus it was done for practical purposes, there was no CGI at the time. And in fact it caused the category of best makeup effects to be created at the Oscars simply because the work of Rick Baker had to be rewarded.
And yes, the ending is abrupt, I don't like it either, but the director seemed to focus it on David: once he's dead there's nothing more to tell.
And it was precisely that Michael Jackson saw this film, he loved it, and he contacted John Landis because he wanted to make a video clip along these lines. Landis again required Rick Baker's makeup and between the three of them they made that video clip that is Thriller and that changed how video clips and the music industry were approached.
Two other 80s werewolf movies I should suggest are The Howling and The Company of Wolves. Silver Bullet is ok too.
The American ambassador was played by Frank Oz, who created many characters of the Muppets and Sesame Street, plus Yoda in Star Wars. As an actor, he has played several roles like this one, e.g. the desk sergeant in Trading Places and the manager of the prison properties department in The Blues Brothers.
“A naked American man stole my balloons.”
Or...
“Master Skywalker, there are too many of them. What are we going to do?”
Also 22:15 “This is a local pub for local people”
34:17 EXACTLY why I love it! One of the most unique horror-comedies ever with *superb* practical effects 🎬🍿🐺
one of my most favourite movies as a kid, don’t think to much about it, it is just a great movie and good fun
I suppose the police could have used tranquilizer darts, then the werewolf would have gone to sleep and changed back to David, they take David to hospital and examine him until he turns again at the 3rd full moon and eats Nurse Gallagher LOL. Of course the movie had to end as it did as what would come after that, interrogating the people in the Slaughtered Lamb?
LOVED this movie. The transformation scene was so unexpectedly good. Honestly, the werewolf form itself was not so convincing, but I can forgive that. And the sex scene...you know what he is doing just from her expression.
The make up artists for this movie were amazing. Also the person who plays the representative from the American Embassy is none other than Frank Oz who was one of the main puppeteers for the Muppets, including Bert and Grover.
Of course it’s the end. The main guy is dead. lol
Great movie !!! I can still remember watching it in the theatre 👌
Now that you have seen Carpenter's The Thing, 1988's The Blob, and this, you have at least one more movie to go before you have seen the pinnacles of 1980's practical effects for horror films. The last movie you absolutely have to see is 1986's The Fly.. it.might out-gross all of them. Maybe others can recommend others, like maybe 1987's Hellraiser. But 86's The Fly will blow you away.
Lol! You're awesome. Love your reactions. Your reaction to the end was priceless!
This came out just a few months before Halloween when I was a kid. It terrified people. It was the scariest and best Halloween of my life.
"Hold your horses" was a very popular saying in America by grown ups when I was a kid. My dad's favorite.
Though I've seen this many times, I just recently learned about a notion I hadn't thought of. Werewolves would have animalistic Pheromones. The thought here is that, it's the animal pheromones that cause Alex be so attracted to him so quickly.
"Hooligans", if you were not sure, was slang for trouble makers, miscreants, or such. Also, running naked through the streets wouldn't get you on a list back then. THAT list didn't exist yet. But I'm sure he'd still get a ticket of some kind, for sure.
Love your channel, Amanda. Can't wait to binge your other videos.
I still use the ‘horses’ phrase, but I’m closing in on 60, so. Here’s an especially out of date phrase my grandfather (who passed away in 1984, Pittsburgh). “Crimony in a bucket!”(pronounced “Cry-Moe-Knee”.) It’s origin is uncertain, but basically translates to: “Fuck!”-as in, immediately after stubbing your toe or splattering a plate of food upside-down on dirt on your way to the picnic table.
the special effects were done by Rick Baker. he never gets enough credit in my opinion everyone always gives it to like Tom savini or Greg nicotero who are also amazing. but Rick Baker is one of the OG's. he's the same guy to the special effects for Jaws, Star wars (the original trilogy), Indiana Jones and Men In Black and many more. the man is a legend and he is one of my favorites.
I love this channel and your reactions. Keep going! .. please! :)
Awesome reaction - have watch you view this a few times and laugh everytime. Thanks!
If you think about it, the villagers in the beginning probably didn't love the first werewolf, so no, werewolves do not need to be killed by loved ones.
True 👍
Lol, love your reaction to the ending of the movie! I had the same reaction 42 years ago. Oh well, it is a great movie, and I guess the werewolfs curse has ended. Or has it? You'll need to watch 'An American Werewolf in Paris' next. If you dare? 🐺
😂🤣🤣 I can't! Your expression during the love making scene
As a British werewolf in Los Angeles, I thank you for this reaction video. I am a fan!
It was a different world in 1981, so much less connected. Adventurous upper-middle class college students would sometimes spend a summer vacation hiking across Europe. You're right that the effects here are good. It was groundbreaking at the time and honestly better than a lot of more modern stuff. BTW, you have good instincts for what is going to happen in movies.
"A naked American man stole my balloons." 🎈
Classic! 🤣
This movie is a dry British humor/dark comedy. It’s poking fun at old monster movies. It ends abruptly because that’s how the old monster movies ended. The monster dies roll credits. You don’t really need it to know what happens next. It’s also a great way to screw with the audience. It ends on such a tragic note but the credits are so upbeat.
your reactions really make me laugh
Thanks, I appreciate this comment 😄😄
That is how all the werewolf movies end. This is a great movie. FYI David Naughton was a Dr. Pepper ad star before this movie.
At this time this was above average F/X for the transformation.
I should just say as a Uk resident that has travelled widely within the UK, that the reaction when the the American tourists first enter the pub is entirely accurate. The fact that a few minutes later they are entirely ignored is also completely factual. Initially the locals find the protagonists as unexpected as somebody that had just walked into their own front room. Then they remember that they are - nominally - in a public space and so they first accept and then forget about them.
That dingaling was even more noticeable on vhs. It was like a flashing light! Great video!
the guy from the state dept does Miss Piggy and Yoda's voices
they're an American Werewolf in Paris too
haha, the look on your face during the pub joke scene!
This is the best werewolf transformation scene of all time.
Not in London at the beginning they at the Yorkshire moors
Funny you should reference Michael Jackson. The director of this film also directed the Thriller video of Michael Jackson!!
Beat me to it 👍
One of my favorite horror comedies ever! I was the Student Center Cinema Chairman at my college a looong time ago and had to get this as a replacement for Halloween. So glad we did. The make-up was incredible, especially for it's time. I loved the use of dreams for jump scares. The transformation scene was terrific.
"Do tell" lol. I like phrases like that as well! And "hold your horses" . I'm a new subscriber. Just found your channel. Playing catch up with your vids!
This movie INSPIRED Micheal Jackson's "Thriller". He Loved the movie so much, he hired The director and Special effects people to do the Thriller video!
Fun facts:
-Before this movie, David Naughton was known as the guy who sang the Dr Pepper song.
ruclips.net/video/gQPN3UKQM-U/видео.html
-The American ambassador was played by Frank Oz; best known as one half of all the (original generation) Muppets and Yoda!
-While Rick Baker worked on *this* werewolf movie, his good friend Rob Bottin was working on "The HOWLING".
I love how all of the songs in the soundtrack have a moon theme.
Not sure if you noticed the music, besides being good music, every song has a reference to the Moon. I'm glad you watched it several times and started to appreciate it more.
Cuando Salio Esto , me acuerdo mirandolo en El teatro . The same director of Michael Jackson's " Thriller " also directed this movie.
Small point on final scene. British police in normal circumstances do not carry guns. Special police task force do, called in at last moment when things go - literally - ballistic.
The fellow from the American embassy is Frank Oz. At this point I realized the Werewolf is a Muppet.
Yo vi esta película cuando tenía como 10 años y a mis 48 que tengo ahora es una de mis favoritas
I laughed so hard at her reaction to the way the movie ends. I did the same thing in 1981.
Most of the movies in the 70s in the 80s were like this, they didn't give you any closure. There wasn't any indication of a sequels because there wasn't any. The empire strikes back changed all that, but really didn't catch on for a few years.
The makeup and the transformation won awards for special effects. I think this is the last movie that I saw with full frontal nudity for men. There were other but not as memorable
What? WHAT?? LOL! 🤣 Fun one, Amanda!
Why the microphone? You about to sing ?
It could be that David DID recognize Alex at the end and purposely rushed her knowing that the police would shoot him, in turn. Only way he could save her life.
One of the best wear wolf movies ever made
I love the abrupt ending to this film. It's bloody brilliant. It's a tragic conclusion like all classic werewolf movies. The End. There's nothing more to say.
Those special effects won an Oscar, sweetie.
Poor lady you never understood the movie you were lost form the beginning.
The rules of the werewolf life and death can be adjusted according to who’s telling the story- haven’t you noticed that?
The movie ending was savagely "cut".
Mr. Collins, the American Counsel, is Frank Oz, the voice of Yoda and other Muppets!
Many older movies around the 80's and 90's end abruptly... not sure why.
Well, this is a John Landis movie! Another John Landis film is Innocent Blood (1992) with a most normal ending. And yes, this director and Michael Jackson created de Thriller video.