Still a good old howler more than 20 years after its original release, John Landis' quirky, witty and (when it has to be) scary tribute to the 'Wolf-Man' genre offers plenty of bite as both a comedy and horror. David Naughton is the American tourist who survives a grisly werewolf attack on the Yorkshire Moors, only to find his murdered friend later returning to warn him about the curse which is upon him. The trouble is David has wound up with a beautiful nurse (Jenny Aguter) and is living slap-bang in the middle of London; he's not going to take any of this and when he does there's more than enough for him to get his teeth into.
The script is finely tounge-in-cheek and clever, balancing the horror and suspense with light but sharp parody and humour (e.g. the excellent soundtrack plays upon the 'Moon' theme). Naughton's metamorphosis in the living room is still literally a hair-raiser (far more intense and frightening and if that isn't enough for you, there's that chase in Tottenham Court Road station to send chills down your spine. On the negative side, Landis' skilful use of suspense rather than gore is all thrown away in the film's climax in Piccadilly Circus, which plays like a display of violent excess rather than any leaving any important dramatic effect.
Generally, though, Werewolf in London is a sensible and rewarding entertainer, not for its later descent into gore (which many other films past and present have indulgenced in from start to finish) but for its freshness, suspense and winning tounge-in-cheek approach. And of course, London.
The script is finely tounge-in-cheek and clever, balancing the horror and suspense with light but sharp parody and humour (e.g. the excellent soundtrack plays upon the 'Moon' theme). Naughton's metamorphosis in the living room is still literally a hair-raiser (far more intense and frightening and if that isn't enough for you, there's that chase in Tottenham Court Road station to send chills down your spine. On the negative side, Landis' skilful use of suspense rather than gore is all thrown away in the film's climax in Piccadilly Circus, which plays like a display of violent excess rather than any leaving any important dramatic effect.
Generally, though, Werewolf in London is a sensible and rewarding entertainer, not for its later descent into gore (which many other films past and present have indulgenced in from start to finish) but for its freshness, suspense and winning tounge-in-cheek approach. And of course, London.