An American Werewolf in London

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1:35

An American Werewolf in London

R

1981

1h 37m

Horror

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

152 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne), two American college students, are backpacking through Britain when a large wolf attacks them. David survives with a bite, but Jack is brutally killed. As David heals in the hospital, he's plagued by violent nightmares of his mutilated friend, who warns David that he is becoming a werewolf. When David discovers the horrible truth, he contemplates committing suicide before the next full moon causes him to transform from man to murderous beast.

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Critics Consensus

A remarkable blend of horror and comedy, An American Werewolf in London goes for the jugular with frenetic direction, macabre wit, and astounding creature effects from Rick Baker.

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Will Jones

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Aug 14, 2026

Quite a jolly and even witty werewolf movie, and by far the best werewolf flick of my moviegoing experience.

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Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

Aug 14, 2026

"An American Werewolf in London" is the work of confident and daring film maker who knows exactly what he's doing, who goes right smack up to the edge but never falls off it.

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Edward J. Fay

New York Daily News

Aug 14, 2026

2/4

The film lacks continuity -- jumping from light comedy to sheer horror to black humor -- and succeeds at irritation.

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Roland Smith

Birmingham Mail

Aug 18, 2026

Its secret, quite simply, is that it never becomes too self-indulgent or takes itself too seriously.

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Mike Studley

Liverpool Echo

Aug 18, 2026

Enjoyable monster movie that works both as as traditional terror tale and a tongue-in-cheek spoof.

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Noah Berlatsky

Everything is Horrible (Substack)

Aug 16, 2026

American Werewolf, refreshingly, refuses to align itself with Job’s comforters. It portrays David’s suffering, but it doesn’t condemn him for it.

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MDShane

Sep 26, 2026

John Landis is a dick who recklessly got an actor and children killed on the set of The Twilight Zone The Movie, and all his characters that he writes are just shallow stand ins for himself, but damn that transformation rocks, thank you Rick Baker.

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Richard Harrison

Oct 10, 2025

this is one of the Best movies of all time

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Julia

Oct 10, 2025

This is one of my all time favorite movies EVER and I was so thrilled to see it was playing in theaters. Loving all the classic horror movies that have been playing, keep it up!

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Jeffrey W

Oct 10, 2025

An absolute classic! Great music, humor and one of the best werewolf transformation scenes in cinema history.

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Spencer Nielsen

Sep 14, 2024

The monster-as-metaphor is brilliant. The werewolf here is simultaneously a universal stand-in for the Other, as well as a personal stand-in for the anxieties of a Jewish-American. David Kessler is rendered as secular an American as you could expect, yet wherever he goes, he seems to be marked by his blood. It seems inevitable that the only way out is for him to spill it—either by his own hand, or the horde of fascists just waiting at the door.

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Jerod S

@jeroduptown Sep 11, 2026

Becoming a werewolf on a european trip would suck. Points for an original storyline - but the humor and effects don't hold up too well.

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John Landis

Director

David Naughton

David Kessler

Jenny Agutter

Nurse Alex Price

Griffin Dunne

Jack Goodman

John Woodvine

Dr. Hirsch

Brian Glover

Chess Player

An American Werewolf in London: Official Clip - Jack's Warning

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An American Werewolf in London: Official Clip - Undead Jack

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Synopsis

David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne), two American college students, are backpacking through Britain when a large wolf attacks them. David survives with a bite, but Jack is brutally killed. As David heals in the hospital, he's plagued by violent nightmares of his mutilated friend, who warns David that he is becoming a werewolf. When David discovers the horrible truth, he contemplates committing suicide before the next full moon causes him to transform from man to murderous beast.

Director: John Landis
Producer: George Folsey Jr.
Screenwriter: John Landis
Distributor: MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Vestron Video, Polygram, Universal Pictures, Live Video
Production Co: Guber-Peters Company, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 21, 1981, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 13, 2015
Runtime: 1h 37m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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