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Description
Nathan:
Welcome back to Monstermaster13's Halloween Spooktacular Countdown, now for today's installment we will be looking at a personal favorite movie of mine. Before we start, i'd like to mention that I am a huge fan of werecreatures and shapeshifters in general thanks to Big Wolf On Campus, the 1980's classic Teen Wolf and of course the subject of tonight's review.

Released in 1981, this classic horror/comedy is directed by John Landis who also directed Animal House, Kentucky Fried Movie, Blues Brothers, Three Amigos, Shlock, and Oscar and is probably the first movie to have a four legged werewolf instead of the two-legged traditional Lon Chaney Jr styled werewolf.

An American Werewolf In London is a project that Landis had been wanting to be do since he was a teenager and is also partially inspired by an amusing story of an event that happened on the set of Kelly's Heroes regarding a gypsy burial.

It stars David Naughton, who at the time was known for being in Dr Pepper commercials - and Griffin Dunne as a pair of back-packing American tourists who on their home from a pub in England are attacked by a wolf-like creature on the moors. Jack (Dunne's character) gets killed off but David (Naughton's character) survives only to contract lycanthropy.

As a result he starts having strange dreams like one where he is attacking a deer and his eyes are all yellow and wolf-like and his teeth are like fangs, and a dream within a dream involving nazi-werewolves. I'm not making that up.

On top of that, his best friend Jack keeps visiting him from beyond the grave, and each time he does he keeps getting worse and worse. I love the humorous dialogue between him and David in the hospital scene, I especially crack up at the line "Have you ever talked to a corpse? It's boring!".

Of course the biggest highlight in the movie is the makeup and sfx, which I believe introduced the Best Makeup category at the Oscars that year. Rick Baker, who did the makeup designs for this movie would later win the same award for his work in Ed Wood, Nutty Professor, Men In Black, How The Grinch Stole Christmas and The Wolfman remake. Of course he is no stranger when it comes to werewolf movie makeup considering he did the werewolf makeup for Jack Nicholson in Wolf (1994).

Landis wanted Rick Baker to do the makeup from the start but Baker was committed to another extremely well-known werewolf movie 'The Howling' but he left to do this movie, leaving Rob Botin in charge of the makeup and transformations for The Howling.

Speaking of TF scenes, American Werewolf In London doesn't disappoint with its infamous sequence of David Kessler turning into a werewolf. It still holds up even today and it is remarkable how it was all accomplished with practical effects. It has been homaged and spoofed numerous times including in the movie Curse Of The Queerwolf (yes, that is a real movie) and in the Wallace And Gromit movie. Even John Landis's son Max recently did a reinactment of it on Youtube for his dad's birthday.
Do I recommend watching this flick? Hell yeah! Especially if you love werewolf movies, transformations in horror, or if you just are fond of werecreatures in general. Also check the BBC radio drama version out as well. The less said about the in-name-only sequel An American Werewolf In Paris the better.

All in all, you must check out - American Werewolf In London. It's a HOOOOOWLingly good film! Of course it's not for the faint-hearted. Rumor has it that there is a remake of it in the works by the same company that brought us the weresheep film Black Sheep. But nothing new has been mentioned as of yet.

Nash:
Nathan! Nathan!

Nathan:
What is it, Nash?

Nash:
Dude, I think something attacked you last night.

Nathan:
Nash...why do you look like a zombie?

Nash:
I got attacked as well and I died. I think what attacked us last night definitely wasn't human, it must have been some kind of animal. Like a civet or something, or rather...I wish it was.

Nathan:
Look, I don't have time for this - okay? I've got a review to finish.

Nash:
Nathan, you're hurting my feelings.

Nathan:
Hurting YOUR feelings? Has it ever occured to you that it might be unsettling to see you rise from the dead to visit me while i'm in the middle of about to ending a review?

Nash:
Dude...it's a full moon tonight. Do you know what means?

Nathan:
Yeah, yeah - I know. I'm going to turn into a vicious, wild, hairy, snarling hairy beast - I know how it goes alright?

Nash:
That's right and you must take your own life before you take the lives of others, beware the moon Nathan!

Nathan:
Ugh...I will not be threatened by a walking meatloaf!

Nash:
Beware the moon, Nathan. *vanishes*

Nathan:
Beware the moon, yeah - whatever. Like i'm going to turn into a beast anyway, oooh. I'm just going to sit down with a nice book and finish my review. So that was my review of An American Werewolf In London... how much do I rate this movie? I give it two monstrous clawed thumbs up and a high recommendation.

I'm Monstermaster13 and now if you excuse me...i'm going to settle down with a good book. *picks up the book Red Riding Hood by the Brothers Grimm*, Ah - Red Riding Hood, a true classic. *sits down and reads it*

*A few hours later*

Aaaaagh! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! I'M BURNING UP! AAAAAHHHH! *he shouts in agony as he gets out of his chair, he rips his shirt off as pain jolts through his body* AAAAAAH! OH GO! IT HURTS SO MUCH...AAAAGH! *he groans in pain and then panics as we see his hand stretching slightly, black leathery material creeps up both hands as we see the material become black leather gloves, two cuffs of black fur poking out from them as his fingernails sharpen and become like claws*

OH GOD....WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING? AAAAH! *he screams slightly as he falls onto all fours, we see his feet crunching and contorting as the black leather material forms on them, making a pair of black leather boots appear with openings for his clawed toenails, his back arches slightly as his frame becomes leaner and more lithe, body hair increasing as it turns from brown to black, with black fur on his back and chest* AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH! OH GOD! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MEEEEEEE? *he falls onto his back as the black leathery material creeps up, forming into a black leathery outfit as he grows to 6'ft* AAAAAAAH! SOMEONE PLEASE HEEEEEEELP ME! *we zoom over to a TY Beanie buddy horse for some reason*

Aaaaaaahhhh! No! NOOOOO! AAAGH. OH GOD, PLEASE MAKE IT STOP! PLEEEEEEEEASE! *He feels his hair stretching, growing longer and messier as it turns black, developing a messy back combed style, his ears also stretch and become slightly pointed, his eyebrows thicken and turn black , arching slightly as his eyes turn yellow and become lupine, scruffy slightly visible black facial hair grows on his face as his nose turns black*....AAAAAAGH! I'M SORRRRY, I DIDN'T MEAN TO CALL YOU A MEATLOAF, NASH!* his teeth lengthen and sharpen as his features morph and reshapen in a manner mirroring David's face pushing out into a muzzle in the movie, he cries and pants slightly as his voice alters slightly, developing a familiar sounding Essex orientated British accent, he lets out a piercing scream as his transformation completes* AAAH! IT'S WORSE THAN I THOUGHT! I've turned into Russell Brand again! *screams, then mimics the werewolf howl from the movie - before he goes off to hunt*

Description
Nathan:
Welcome back to Monstermaster13's Halloween Spooktacular Countdown, now for today's installment we will be looking at a personal favorite movie of mine. Before we start, i'd like to mention that I am a huge fan of werecreatures and shapeshifters in general thanks to Big Wolf On Campus, the 1980's classic Teen Wolf and of course the subject of tonight's review.

Released in 1981, this classic horror/comedy is directed by John Landis who also directed Animal House, Kentucky Fried Movie, Blues Brothers, Three Amigos, Shlock, and Oscar and is probably the first movie to have a four legged werewolf instead of the two-legged traditional Lon Chaney Jr styled werewolf.

An American Werewolf In London is a project that Landis had been wanting to be do since he was a teenager and is also partially inspired by an amusing story of an event that happened on the set of Kelly's Heroes regarding a gypsy burial.

It stars David Naughton, who at the time was known for being in Dr Pepper commercials - and Griffin Dunne as a pair of back-packing American tourists who on their home from a pub in England are attacked by a wolf-like creature on the moors. Jack (Dunne's character) gets killed off but David (Naughton's character) survives only to contract lycanthropy.

As a result he starts having strange dreams like one where he is attacking a deer and his eyes are all yellow and wolf-like and his teeth are like fangs, and a dream within a dream involving nazi-werewolves. I'm not making that up.

On top of that, his best friend Jack keeps visiting him from beyond the grave, and each time he does he keeps getting worse and worse. I love the humorous dialogue between him and David in the hospital scene, I especially crack up at the line "Have you ever talked to a corpse? It's boring!".

Of course the biggest highlight in the movie is the makeup and sfx, which I believe introduced the Best Makeup category at the Oscars that year. Rick Baker, who did the makeup designs for this movie would later win the same award for his work in Ed Wood, Nutty Professor, Men In Black, How The Grinch Stole Christmas and The Wolfman remake. Of course he is no stranger when it comes to werewolf movie makeup considering he did the werewolf makeup for Jack Nicholson in Wolf (1994).

Landis wanted Rick Baker to do the makeup from the start but Baker was committed to another extremely well-known werewolf movie 'The Howling' but he left to do this movie, leaving Rob Botin in charge of the makeup and transformations for The Howling.

Speaking of TF scenes, American Werewolf In London doesn't disappoint with its infamous sequence of David Kessler turning into a werewolf. It still holds up even today and it is remarkable how it was all accomplished with practical effects. It has been homaged and spoofed numerous times including in the movie Curse Of The Queerwolf (yes, that is a real movie) and in the Wallace And Gromit movie. Even John Landis's son Max recently did a reinactment of it on Youtube for his dad's birthday.
Do I recommend watching this flick? Hell yeah! Especially if you love werewolf movies, transformations in horror, or if you just are fond of werecreatures in general. Also check the BBC radio drama version out as well. The less said about the in-name-only sequel An American Werewolf In Paris the better.

All in all, you must check out - American Werewolf In London. It's a HOOOOOWLingly good film! Of course it's not for the faint-hearted. Rumor has it that there is a remake of it in the works by the same company that brought us the weresheep film Black Sheep. But nothing new has been mentioned as of yet.

Nash:
Nathan! Nathan!

Nathan:
What is it, Nash?

Nash:
Dude, I think something attacked you last night.

Nathan:
Nash...why do you look like a zombie?

Nash:
I got attacked as well and I died. I think what attacked us last night definitely wasn't human, it must have been some kind of animal. Like a civet or something, or rather...I wish it was.

Nathan:
Look, I don't have time for this - okay? I've got a review to finish.

Nash:
Nathan, you're hurting my feelings.

Nathan:
Hurting YOUR feelings? Has it ever occured to you that it might be unsettling to see you rise from the dead to visit me while i'm in the middle of about to ending a review?

Nash:
Dude...it's a full moon tonight. Do you know what means?

Nathan:
Yeah, yeah - I know. I'm going to turn into a vicious, wild, hairy, snarling hairy beast - I know how it goes alright?

Nash:
That's right and you must take your own life before you take the lives of others, beware the moon Nathan!

Nathan:
Ugh...I will not be threatened by a walking meatloaf!

Nash:
Beware the moon, Nathan. *vanishes*

Nathan:
Beware the moon, yeah - whatever. Like i'm going to turn into a beast anyway, oooh. I'm just going to sit down with a nice book and finish my review. So that was my review of An American Werewolf In London... how much do I rate this movie? I give it two monstrous clawed thumbs up and a high recommendation.

I'm Monstermaster13 and now if you excuse me...i'm going to settle down with a good book. *picks up the book Red Riding Hood by the Brothers Grimm*, Ah - Red Riding Hood, a true classic. *sits down and reads it*

*A few hours later*

Aaaaagh! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! I'M BURNING UP! AAAAAHHHH! *he shouts in agony as he gets out of his chair, he rips his shirt off as pain jolts through his body* AAAAAAH! OH GO! IT HURTS SO MUCH...AAAAGH! *he groans in pain and then panics as we see his hand stretching slightly, black leathery material creeps up both hands as we see the material become black leather gloves, two cuffs of black fur poking out from them as his fingernails sharpen and become like claws*

OH GOD....WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING? AAAAH! *he screams slightly as he falls onto all fours, we see his feet crunching and contorting as the black leather material forms on them, making a pair of black leather boots appear with openings for his clawed toenails, his back arches slightly as his frame becomes leaner and more lithe, body hair increasing as it turns from brown to black, with black fur on his back and chest* AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH! OH GOD! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MEEEEEEE? *he falls onto his back as the black leathery material creeps up, forming into a black leathery outfit as he grows to 6'ft* AAAAAAAH! SOMEONE PLEASE HEEEEEEELP ME! *we zoom over to a TY Beanie buddy horse for some reason*

Aaaaaaahhhh! No! NOOOOO! AAAGH. OH GOD, PLEASE MAKE IT STOP! PLEEEEEEEEASE! *He feels his hair stretching, growing longer and messier as it turns black, developing a messy back combed style, his ears also stretch and become slightly pointed, his eyebrows thicken and turn black , arching slightly as his eyes turn yellow and become lupine, scruffy slightly visible black facial hair grows on his face as his nose turns black*....AAAAAAGH! I'M SORRRRY, I DIDN'T MEAN TO CALL YOU A MEATLOAF, NASH!* his teeth lengthen and sharpen as his features morph and reshapen in a manner mirroring David's face pushing out into a muzzle in the movie, he cries and pants slightly as his voice alters slightly, developing a familiar sounding Essex orientated British accent, he lets out a piercing scream as his transformation completes* AAAH! IT'S WORSE THAN I THOUGHT! I've turned into Russell Brand again! *screams, then mimics the werewolf howl from the movie - before he goes off to hunt*