Starring: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, Brian Glover, Rik Mayall
This film has just earned itself a new Blu-Ray release as a special 21st Anniversary Edition and it is richly deserved. At the time of its original release the special effects were second to none. Long before the days of CGI, it was all done with physical trickery. They were created by a guy called Rick Baker who is the main man in the field and it catapulted him to major success.
The film is about 2 American students who are taking a vacation in the English countryside. They happen across a small Northern village and are very much the outsiders. There is an eerie feel and straight away you get a sense of their impending doom. After the local pub closes for the night, the 2 students walk back across the fields and are attacked by a werewolf. One dies and the other is injured. The rest of the film follows his transition from human to night time werewolf.
It is one of the all time classic horror films. It is the typical werewolf legend film but filmed and produced in a professional way. It may look a bit dated compared to many new horror films these days but make a massive impact on its original release and has always remained very popular. The thing that has stuck in my head for many years, is when the students are singing ‘Blue Moon’ at the beginning. Excellent choice for the film.
Its directed by John Landis, a very accomplished director and a lot of his other work is worth checking out. He is the man responsible for the Michael Jackson epic music video ‘Thriller’ which basically came off the back of the success of this film. Other of his classics are much more comedy based, films such as ‘The Blues Brothers’, ‘Trading Places’, ‘Coming to America’ and ‘Three Amigos’. All classics.
Director: John Landis
Writer: John Landis
