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An American Werewolf in London (Re-release) (1981)

Director: John Landis

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From Time Out London

It’d be interesting to see polling data on how many Brits recall John Landis’s hysterical gore-spattered masterpiece as that all-important rite of passage: their first 18. Well, the folks at the BBFC have ruined all that: in reclassifying the film, they’ve made all our childhoods seem that little bit less dangerous. Which is no reflection on the film: horror-comedy is overfamiliar nowadays, with diminishing returns, but this only makes Landis’s achievement more impressive. Not just gory but actually frightening, not just funny but clever, ‘American Werewolf…’ has its flaws, but these are outweighed by the film’s many, mighty strengths: the soundtrack is astounding, the characterisation is marvellous and the one-liners are endlessly memorable (‘a naked American man stole my balloons!’). A classic, no less.

Author: Tom Huddleston 2009-10-27 12:11:41

Time Out London Issue 2045, Oct 29 – Nov 4 2009

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An American Werewolf in London (Re-release)

Cast & crew

Director: John Landis

Cast: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, John Woodvine, Brian Glover, Lila Kaye, Frank Oz, Don McKillop, Rik Mayall

Genre(s): Horror

Duration: 107 mins


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