I finally watched American Werewolf in London today!
I used to like American Werewolf in Paris a little bit, but I saw the London one and it totally blew the socks off of it. Plus, the werewolves in Paris looked really, really horrible; even if they had made them realistic they would still look bad.
Great movie, with great acting and wonderful, wonderful makeup effects. The music was awesome too. I only wished I'd gotten a better rental copy--The sound was horrible and there was this obnoxious crackling noise throughout the whole movie that was almost as loud as the rest of the sound. Ah well.
I loved when he's in the bushes and this little kid is standing there with balloons. He's like, "Psst! Kid! Come over here. I'll give you two pounds." and the kid comes over and he's like, "I'm the infamous balloon thief." "Why would a thief give me two pounds?" and he steals the balloons and runs away. The kid goes up to his mom and says, "Mom, a naked American man stole my balloons."
The transformation sequence was excellent.
Here's some things I learned:
-Pubs in Europe aren't very friendly and the same people will be there every time you go in, even a month later. -When being chased by a werewolf, fall down on the escalator and wait for it to take you up instead of actually getting up and running from the very slow-moving werewolf. Have a very small reaction to the creature trying to eat you. -When someone in a hospital you work at tells you they can see their dead friend and they're a werewolf, let them leave the hospital. Laugh casually when he tells you he can still see his friend and that he's going crazy when he's living in your house. -Corpses will decay even if they have no physical form. -Dead people are really useful at giving you suicide tips, and sometimes they're polite when they do it, too. -When turning into a werewolf, remember to rip off your shirt and pull your pants down to make things a bit smoother. -Never call your dead friend a meatloaf.
I really liked it . . . except the ending. Now, I'm not really against sad endings. In fact, I'm getting better about movies where the main character dies, and it really wasn't an issue here (werewolf movies don't have happy endings, because someone's gonna die one way or another). In fact, none of the ending bothered me until that last split second. It started out simple enough: Police shoot David, he's down, nurse cries. We're just about to watch her cry and feel sorry for him when--boom! credits. If it had gone on a few seconds longer, maybe panned out as she cried, done something to let the death sink in . . . it would have been fine. Not to mention, the song in the credits was really upbeat and happy, and not in a funny Evil Dead kind of way. In a, "Oh no, the guy's dea--WAH WAH WAAAH!"
But y'know, I'm nit-picking a bit. Still liked it and I'll probably watch it again tonight.
What did y'all think?
[ 05. July 2005, 22:11: Message edited by: Obscurus Lupa ]
Posted by TKO (Member # 1471) on :
What a coincidence. I just watched this movie over the weekend.. twice! It has been many years since I last saw it, but it hasn’t lost anything of it’s appeal. I also think this movie was well ahead of it’s time. When I first saw it I thought the music totally didn’t fit with a horror movie. I mean this wolf guy gets killed, his girlfriend is crying her eyes out and then: “Bombobodom Bedanggedangdang… Blueeee mooooon..” by the Marcels?!?! But now I think the music fits in just fine. After all, it is more funny than scary. I also love that they use Bad Moon Rising by CCR. (One of my favorite songs ever).
My favorite scene would be when they first encounter the werewolf on the heathland. That scene is very creepy. The howling was very realistic and frightening. Imagine being there in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a thick fog and you hear something like that.. I liked how this movie was a perfect mixture of horror and humor. I thought that when you see the Bobby (English cop) checking out the movie theatre with that silly porn movie playing behind his back was hilarious. The guy in the metro was also funny: “I shall report this!” I agree, the ending ruined it a bit for me as well. It came too sudden and for these kinds of movies perhaps it went too easy?
Overall this was a good and entertaining movie. But I liked American Werewolf in Paris just as much. (Gotta love Julie Delphy) .
Posted by ISIS (Member # 1780) on :
Yeah!! I am so glad you finally watched it Lupa.
It is awesome when David changes in to the Werewolf for the first time...that clip is in Terror in the Aisles too.
I love when they get attacked at the beginning. I think I need to watch it myself. I was trying to think up something good to watch.
You can buy it at Wal-Mart for maybe $5, it is very cheap. I bought it on DVD just to have it.
Another cool wolf movie is Wolfen...allthough it isn't as action packed...it was definately a creeper. My Man...Gregory Hines is in it...he definately was better looking than Albert Finney...OH...but what do I know. Posted by ISIS (Member # 1780) on :
I decided to start watching it last night.
Lupa- I learned that all you have to say to boost the mood in an English pub is : "Remember the Alamo!"
Boy, I forgot how violent it was when he was dreaming...like the scene where he is at home with his family and all those creepy monster type things break in and start killing everyone with machine guns and then slit his throat.
I saw that Rick Baker did alot of the make-up/effects- he has done some of the best stuff in movies...it is amazing to me that 1 man can accomplish that much- and do so many really awesome movies and effects...and they can't find anyone else that can come close to recreating that whole feel.
There is some full frontal male nudity in this movie...and that is something you don't see every day. They never show guys.
I have a ways to go to finish it.
The walking dead really freak me out though...especially the first time you see them.
Posted by Obscurus Lupa (Member # 2700) on :
Well, you really only see his friend as the walking dead until the end, but it got really creepy then, especially since his friend had been rotting away.
I thought the dream sequences were creepy, especially when he's in the woods watching the nurse come up to him in the hospital bed, then all of a sudden he's this white-faced demonic creature.
Posted by ISIS (Member # 1780) on :
Yeah...you know I never even remembered that scene you just said at all, and then when I saw it last night it scared the heck out of me.
Or when she opens the window, after you think the dream is over, and one of those things jumps through and starts stabbing her..ick.
The part that freaks me out is when he's running naked through the woods, and he sees a deer, and jumps on it, and takes a bite. He seemed to loose his appetite after that...I wonder why. Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
This movie is a unique treat. The special effects of when he turned into a werewolf were fascinating. I think Michael Jackson swiped those moves for his Thriller video if I'm not mistaken.
Loved the cheesy movie theater dark humor with all the people he had maulled the previous nights.
Posted by Obscurus Lupa (Member # 2700) on :
Those people had some helpful suicide tips. I don't know why they didn't come to the gun conclusion sooner, though--I don't know why he waited around so long to do it, because he was like, "I could maybe kill myself by--Oh crap, I'm transforming."
"Don't I need a silver bullet or something?" "Would you get serious?"
Those weird creatures in his dreams were, well, weird. The noises they made were really grating.
The deer thing was kind of funny. I was like, "He just ate Bambi!"
I think it was odd when the nurse was feeding David. I thought it was cute when she hurt him to make him open his mouth.
What about that guy in the beginning when David wakes up in the hospital and starts asking for James, and after he's calmed down the guy's like, "These kids never appreciate what you do for them." Man, he had a problem. But a funny problem.
[ 07. July 2005, 17:25: Message edited by: Obscurus Lupa ]
Posted by ISIS (Member # 1780) on :
I liked the doctor in this movie...he was a cool guy...he was like a doctor/detective type dude.
I liked when he went to the pub "The Slaughtered Lamb", and was asking questions...and they were all like....what are you talking about...and he's like.. surely you know about the 2 boys that were attacked...and they are like...no we don't, and then he keeps asking questions...and it's like...oh yeah...it is all coming back to us now.
Remember the Alamo!!!
Posted by Obscurus Lupa (Member # 2700) on :
Rik Mayall had a cameo as a patron in the pub and I kept thinking Phoebe Cates was going to show up and they'd have hilarious misadventures together.
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