An American Werewolf In London

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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 53,142
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    PopRocket wrote: »
    I actually liked the sequel :o

    is it the Paris one ? i cant ever recall ever watching it :eek:
  • Lily_MLily_M Posts: 1,328
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    Orangemaid wrote: »
    is it the Paris one ? i cant ever recall ever watching it :eek:

    I've never seen the sequel and I always got the impression that the only reason it was made was so that they could pun the title of the musical An American in Paris.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 905
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    One of the best movies ever! Love it, not matter how many times I see it. Weren't their rumblings they were going to remake it, did that fall through? It is one of those films I doubt they could recapture the magic if.

    Paris was disappointing, the premise of the story was amazing but the acting was terrible
  • Glenn AGlenn A Posts: 23,794
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    Fancy a pint in The Slaughtered Lamb?
  • ASIFZEDASIFZED Posts: 1,388
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    Iggyman wrote: »
    I thought that The Howling was a dreadful film - everything about it was bad, from the acting and script to the special f/x.

    American Werewolf is 1000x better. :D

    So wrong. A Joe Dante classic featuring the best werewolf sex transformation forest fire scene ever! There will always be debate over which is the better werewolf movie, but for me The Howling just edges it. I love the old Universal Wolfman references, the rolling mist, the eerie premise, dead scary werewolves and real sense of dread that permeates the film. Acting from Dee Wallace Stone was great, too.

    'Silver bullets, my ass'.
  • TarotTarot Posts: 11,983
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    Cylinder wrote: »
    Possibly my favourite film of all time.
    Watched it over and over when I was a young teenager.

    My favourite scenes are the dream within a dream, when you think he as woken up - but then the Nazi zombies burst through the window of his hospital room, and he wakes up for a second time. (It was the first time I'd ever seen anything like this). And seeing his friend Jack keep reappearing, in worsening states of decomposition :)

    But there are so many other great moments in this film.


    Yes, and I think it was also the first time that they used a scene where a character opens a fridge or cabinet door and finds a scary character standing next to them when they close it. As for the sex film in the movie, has anyone seen the extra on the dvd where John Landis is being interviewed in a room and the walls fall away revealing naked couples having sex in the background?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 6,138
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    it does seem to be an incredibly popular film and is often found in many top 10 horror film lists.
    Has this film found new popularity over recent years or has it always been popular?
  • Johnny ClayJohnny Clay Posts: 5,315
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    lil lexie wrote: »
    Has this film found new popularity over recent years or has it always been popular?
    Good question. I don't recall any revival of interest (in the way bestowed upon The Exorcist and The Shining perhaps), but rather it's always been one of those genre standards that constantly picks up admirers new to it.

    I remember it being a huge hit upon release. Not so much at the cinema, but on video. One of the true behemoths of the burgeoning VHS/Betamax era in the mid-eighties. Everyone saw AWIL on video.
  • pburke90pburke90 Posts: 14,754
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    I notice Netflix have recently added it, and it's in 4:3 and looks like someone has literally copied an old work out VHS. The quality is horrible, there was me thinking it was going to be in glorious HD like the rest of their films. :(
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 6,138
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    Everyone saw AWIL on video.

    quoted for truth. :cool::p

    Like The Thing and Bladerunner? I figured it may have found it's audience through video. All thanks to that VHS cassette sleeve no doubt.:p

    Even though I love the film, I always had it down as a minor cult hit, so I'm genuinely surprised when I see such an overwhelming support for this film through internet forums and wondered if it was reaching a higher status in cult movies.
  • Lily_MLily_M Posts: 1,328
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    lil lexie wrote: »
    it does seem to be an incredibly popular film and is often found in many top 10 horror film lists.
    Has this film found new popularity over recent years or has it always been popular?

    I went to see it at the cinema when it came out in 1981, when I was 17. I used to go the cinema a lot in those days and saw a lot of movies - it's one of the few films from that many years ago that I've never forgotten and have huge affection for.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 6,138
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    Lily_M wrote: »
    I went to see it at the cinema when it came out in 1981, when I was 17. I used to go the cinema a lot in those days and saw a lot of movies - it's one of the few films from that many years ago that I've never forgotten and have huge affection for.

    how was it's generally received on release?

    I'd love to have a google but AWIL is one thing I NEVER google as it ALWAYS brings up an image of his scary face (the one where he's in the hospital bed in the woods). Last time I stumbled on that I didn't sleep for days. :o
  • Andy BirkenheadAndy Birkenhead Posts: 13,450
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    "How's the patient in room 21 ?"
    "What do you mean ' How is he' " ??
    "Well is he depressed, happy ?"
    "HOW SHOULD I KNOW, I PUSH THINGS AROUND. I'M A PORTER, NOT A BLEEDING PSYCHIATRIST !!"
    :D
  • Lily_MLily_M Posts: 1,328
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    lil lexie wrote: »
    how was it's generally received on release?

    I'd love to have a google but AWIL is one thing I NEVER google as it ALWAYS brings up an image of his scary face (the one where he's in the hospital bed in the woods). Last time I stumbled on that I didn't sleep for days. :o

    Erm, I can't really remember, it was a very long time ago! I lived in a suburb in SE London and it was on at my local cinema. I went to see it with my friend from school and we both loved it. Can't remember if the cinema was packed or not, but in those days a film had to pretty bad for the cinema to be empty (we only had 3 - or maybe 4 - TV channels, no internet or computer games, so cinema was more popular. Oh God, I sound ancient! :eek:)

    I was quite into Sci-Fi and cult TV/films at the time and used to read magazines like Film Review, Photoplay, Starlog, Starburst - I'm fairly sure there were articles in at least one of those and that it had good reviews. I have a picture in my head of a magazine article with a picture of the werewolf - side view with his mouth gaping open. (I just googled to try and find the exact pic and found the hospital pic you were talking about - not surprised it gave you nightmares :D). I've got a vague memory of it being heavily featured on the front of Film Review, but I wouldn't swear to it.

    And don't forget that the American film academy created a brand new Oscar category (best make-up?) because they recognized how extraordinary Rick Baker's work was.

    I loved the humour in it, especially Griffin Dunne turning up in increasing states of decomposition (as another poster said earlier). And I loved the special effects, that goes without saying. Also, I was commuting up to London to work at the time and had to go on the Underground every day so the London scenes were very familiar to me.

    Hope that's helpful, sorry I can't remember any more than that.
  • ZeusZeus Posts: 10,459
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    It was well received among students as I recall. The media gave it a but of hype too, but the general line was that it was a comedy , and this was what I was expecting when I went to see it. But of course, while there is comedy in it, the film is, in actual fact, a very frightening horror movie. And as such it scared the bejesus out of me. Perhaps, because I wasn't prepared, it had greater effect, I don't know. But there are few horror films since that have made the same impresssion.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 6,138
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    Lily_M wrote: »
    Erm, I can't really remember, it was a very long time ago! I lived in a suburb in SE London and it was on at my local cinema. I went to see it with my friend from school and we both loved it. Can't remember if the cinema was packed or not, but in those days a film had to pretty bad for the cinema to be empty (we only had 3 - or maybe 4 - TV channels, no internet or computer games, so cinema was more popular. Oh God, I sound ancient! :eek:)

    I was quite into Sci-Fi and cult TV/films at the time and used to read magazines like Film Review, Photoplay, Starlog, Starburst - I'm fairly sure there were articles in at least one of those and that it had good reviews. I have a picture in my head of a magazine article with a picture of the werewolf - side view with his mouth gaping open. (I just googled to try and find the exact pic and found the hospital pic you were talking about - not surprised it gave you nightmares :D). I've got a vague memory of it being heavily featured on the front of Film Review, but I wouldn't swear to it.

    And don't forget that the American film academy created a brand new Oscar category (best make-up?) because they recognized how extraordinary Rick Baker's work was.

    I loved the humour in it, especially Griffin Dunne turning up in increasing states of decomposition (as another poster said earlier). And I loved the special effects, that goes without saying. Also, I was commuting up to London to work at the time and had to go on the Underground every day so the London scenes were very familiar to me.

    Hope that's helpful, sorry I can't remember any more than that.

    And Landis went on to do that little music video project off the back of that film, so I guess it did have an impact upon release.
    But I never really heard many people mention the film pre-internet days, so assumed it wasn't quite as popular as it appears to be now.

    Zeus wrote: »
    It was well received among students as I recall. The media gave it a but of hype too, but the general line was that it was a comedy , and this was what I was expecting when I went to see it. But of course, while there is comedy in it, the film is, in actual fact, a very frightening horror movie. And as such it scared the bejesus out of me. Perhaps, because I wasn't prepared, it had greater effect, I don't know. But there are few horror films since that have made the same impresssion.

    I never quite understood it's 'comedy' label, yes there is comedy in it but it's more horror than comedy I'd have thought.
    I loved Landis' story about his inspiration for the film, something about seeing a gypsy burial.
  • Ella NutElla Nut Posts: 8,887
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    "How's the patient in room 21 ?"
    "What do you mean ' How is he' " ??
    "Well is he depressed, happy ?"
    "HOW SHOULD I KNOW, I PUSH THINGS AROUND. I'M A PORTER, NOT A BLEEDING PSYCHIATRIST !!"
    :D

    http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/An_American_Werewolf_in_London.html

    The script !!! Not that many of us need it around these here parts .....I can immediately see a few differences from the final version, as firstly Moonshadow was never used as Cat Stevens refused.
  • jrmswfcjrmswfc Posts: 5,644
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    One of the worst child actors ever...that kid just can't seem to stop smiling..

    True, yet he wasn't even the worst child actor in this film. That kid in the hospital (Benjamin?) who keeps saying no infuriates me far more than the balloon kid.
  • Ella NutElla Nut Posts: 8,887
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    jrmswfc wrote: »
    True, yet he wasn't even the worst child actor in this film. That kid in the hospital (Benjamin?) who keeps saying no infuriates me far more than the balloon kid.

    Yeah, I'm sure he looks directly into the camera at one point and when he takes the plastic cup of water from Alex to drink with the tablets, the water doesn't even touch his lips. Tsk, such unprofesionalism eh? I'm not being sarky, he is indeed terrible.

    The only convincing thing he did was to go back to reading his Laurel & Hardy Summer Special comic (a whopping 40p).
  • zooooooooooooozooooooooooooo Posts: 2,220
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    "I can assure you this is not in the least bit amusing, I shall report this".
  • zooooooooooooozooooooooooooo Posts: 2,220
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    Ella Nut wrote: »
    Yeah, I'm sure he looks directly into the camera at one point and when he takes the plastic cup of water from Alex to drink with the tablets, the water doesn't even touch his lips. Tsk, such unprofesionalism eh? I'm not being sarky, he is indeed terrible.

    The only convincing thing he did was to go back to reading his Laurel & Hardy Summer Special comic (a whopping 40p).

    "No" "No what" "No".


    I used to love those Laurel and Hardy comics:D
  • Lily_MLily_M Posts: 1,328
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    lil lexie wrote: »
    And Landis went on to do that little music video project off the back of that film, so I guess it did have an impact upon release.
    But I never really heard many people mention the film pre-internet days, so assumed it wasn't quite as popular as it appears to be now.




    I never quite understood it's 'comedy' label, yes there is comedy in it but it's more horror than comedy I'd have thought.
    I loved Landis' story about his inspiration for the film, something about seeing a gypsy burial.

    BIB1: I'd actually forgotten that he directed that! I was never much of an MJ fan anyway and Thriller just sort of passed me by at the time. :o

    BIB2: I was trying to think about how things "trended" (is that a word?) in the days before the internet. I was into fandom from about 1979 and would regularly meet up with like-minded people, so I guess word got round within the fandom circle about particular films/TV shows - but in the general world? I dunno. I think maybe we've all got so used to the internet age and everything being talked about by everyone (with internet access anyway), it's hard to remember a time when people just chatted about stuff (face to face! :eek::D) with people they knew, but not with the world in general.

    Btw, I had a look on Youtube to see if there were any clips from Film 81 reviewing the film, but no luck.
  • Paul WilsonPaul Wilson Posts: 5,108
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    "I can assure you this is not in the least bit amusing, I shall report this".

    'I am a victim of your carniverous activities.'

    Do you think if we carry this thread on long enough we can quote the whole film? Sounds like a challenge to me....

    'Bye girls.'
  • zooooooooooooozooooooooooooo Posts: 2,220
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    'I am a victim of your carniverous activities.'

    Do you think if we carry this thread on long enough we can quote the whole film? Sounds like a challenge to me....

    'Bye girls.'

    I'm sure we can:D. "Did you ever see the Wolfman" "Was that the one with Oliver Reed".
  • jrmswfcjrmswfc Posts: 5,644
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    Those sheep shit on my pack.
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