An American Werewolf in London

"Beware the moon."

1981 1h 37m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

🍅

80%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

7.5

IMDB

★7.4TMDB · 2,818🍅80%Rotten Tomatoes●55Metacritic★7.5IMDB · 133,077

ComedyHorrorFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

American tourists David and Jack are savagely attacked by an unidentified animal while hiking on the Yorkshire Moors. After retiring to the home of a beautiful nurse to recuperate, David soon begins experiencing disturbing changes to his body and mind.

“Beware the moon.”

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Cast

David Naughton
David Kessler
Griffin Dunne
Jack Goodman
Jenny Agutter
Nurse Alex Price
John Woodvine
Dr. J.S. Hirsch
Don McKillop
Inspector Villiers
Brian Glover
Chess Player
David Schofield
Dart Player
Lila Kaye
Barmaid

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Landis
Writers: John Landis
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.2× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

45 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "An American Werewolf Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Landis, shot by Robert Paynter. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Elmer Bernstein. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Malcolm Campbell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

David Naughton and Griffin Dunne and Jenny Agutter carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Landis directs. Robert Paynter behind the camera. Elmer Bernstein scores. Malcolm Campbell cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 3.2× over at the box office.
245 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Part of the "An American Werewolf Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by John Landis, shot by Robert Paynter. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Elmer Bernstein. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Malcolm Campbell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8David Naughton and Griffin Dunne and Jenny Agutter carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Beware the moon.".
10IMDB entry: tt0082010 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 39 themes, including "dying and death", "london, england", "intensive care", "nurse".
12Released under 26 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert Paynter
Original score: Elmer Bernstein
Editing: Malcolm Campbell
Costume design: Deborah Nadoolman Landis
Makeup / hair: Robin Grantham
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Box office: $31,973,249
Return: 320% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Rotten Tomatoes: 80% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 55/100
IMDB rating: 7.5/10 · 133,077 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Won 1 Oscar. 3 wins & 4 nominations total

Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

An American Werewolf Collection

An American Werewolf in London is a cult classic horror comedy film. The film tells the story of two American students who are attacked by a werewolf while on a backpacking holiday in England. A sequel, An American Werewolf in Paris, follows the general concept of the original, it follows three American tourists in Paris.

Also by

John Landis

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Potential Kermode2017-02-14
★ 10/10
The best horror film of the eighties This is a gem, it really is. Alternately amusing and horrific - John Landis plays our emotions like a fiddle here. He is pulling all the strings and we are uncertain as to which string he is going to pull next. From the eerie Yorkshire countryside of the opening scenes through David's awful nightmares in hospital to amusing zombie chit chat and finally the climactic slaughter in London - this film never lets up. How many films will you find Kermit the frog sharing a scene with throat slicing, machine gun wielding mutants dressed as Nazis? - Potential Kermode
Matthew Brady2020-01-27
★ 9/10
"Beware the moon, lads." Still frightening and funny 38 years later. The transformation scene was absolutely incredible, but also really painful. You literally hear every bone crack in his body, and all his organs reshaping and shifting. No other werewolf movie has topped that scene and never will. The song Bad Moon Rising is the icing on the cake. Rick Baker make-up work is masterful. He's the real beast here.
Peter89Spencer2020-10-30
★ 8/10
An 80s horror classic! The storyline was well written, the special effects were amazing, and Jenny Agutter was so sexy! Although the ending was a bit rushed - just like the Wolfman, the main character dies, and the film ends, just like that! What's more messed up is they play an upbeat song during the end credits, right after we see David's lifeless body. The ending is my one critique. The rest of the movie was pretty good.