American Werewolf In London Not Just A halloween Costume
Halloween Costumes Franchise Or A Good Film
"An American Werewolf in London" is a gripping 1981 horror film from director John Landis. It tells the story of two American students who take a walking tour of Britain and are attacked by a vicious supernatural creature. David Kessler survives, only to discover he is no longer the man he once was. When the full moon shines, he transforms into a terrifying creature, half man and half beast. What was once reserved for legends or costumes for Halloween has become terrifying reality. David becomes a one man carnage dispenser: a werewolf tearing a bloody swath across Piccadilly Circus and more!
Perhaps the film's most memorable part is the transformation sequence. This change is not told through bad lighting or quick edits. It does not feature a stand in actor wearing pieces from Halloween costumes or obvious puppets. Actor David Naughton's eerie change is shown in natural light. Hair fills out in real time. Bones break and reshape. Skin stretches. A bestial face pushes out from a human one. The images are nothing short of breathtaking. This convincing sequence won creature creator Rick Baker that year's Academy Award for Best Makeup.
While werewolf Halloween outfits had been popular before this film, they were often styled after the Lon Chaney interpretation. The Neanderthal-like creature found in "The Wolf Man" was far more human than Baker's disquieting movie monster. This blood soaked beast would never be comfortable at fancy dres occasions, but it was popular among horror crowd soirees.
Sixteen years later, a sequel was released. "An American Werewolf in Paris" did not succeed at the box office. Horror fans complained about its reliance upon computer generated terrors instead of actual makeup and effects. They disliked the werewolf appearance, feeling costumes for Halloween were more convincing. They also complained the sequel tried to be an outrageous comedy instead of replicating the original's horrific-yet-blackly-humorous blend.
Werewolves have never been at a loss for popularity when autumn arrives. Trick or treaters still arrive wearing all manner of Halloween outfits and the older ones often enjoy the werewolf's appeal.
Werewolves have never been easy to pigeon hole as a simple-minded creature features or Halloween costumes. The monster has often been used as a metaphor for complex themes. Chaney's "The Wolf Man" interpreted the werewolf as a way to visualize the conflict a man experiences repressing his emotions. Warren Zevon's 1978 song "Werewolves of London" used the creature to comment upon fancy dres society's proclivity for preying upon itself.
"An American Werewolf in London" did wonders for plumbing the creature's philosophical underpinnings. It questioned the Latin phrase "Man in a Beast to Man", and found an even deeper resonance. The creature took on spiritual and philosophical meaning. It refuted the enlightened and rational component of human psychology and became a profound expression of the ever-present irrational part of the human psyche.
"An American Werewolf in London" is nothing short of an amazing little film, and a surprising release from the director of "Animal House" and "The Blues Brothers
"An American Werewolf in London" is a gripping 1981 horror film from director John Landis. It tells the story of two American students who take a walking tour of Britain and are attacked by a vicious supernatural creature. David Kessler survives, only to discover he is no longer the man he once was. When the full moon shines, he transforms into a terrifying creature, half man and half beast. What was once reserved for legends or costumes for Halloween has become terrifying reality. David becomes a one man carnage dispenser: a werewolf tearing a bloody swath across Piccadilly Circus and more!
Perhaps the film's most memorable part is the transformation sequence. This change is not told through bad lighting or quick edits. It does not feature a stand in actor wearing pieces from Halloween costumes or obvious puppets. Actor David Naughton's eerie change is shown in natural light. Hair fills out in real time. Bones break and reshape. Skin stretches. A bestial face pushes out from a human one. The images are nothing short of breathtaking. This convincing sequence won creature creator Rick Baker that year's Academy Award for Best Makeup.
While werewolf Halloween outfits had been popular before this film, they were often styled after the Lon Chaney interpretation. The Neanderthal-like creature found in "The Wolf Man" was far more human than Baker's disquieting movie monster. This blood soaked beast would never be comfortable at fancy dres occasions, but it was popular among horror crowd soirees.
Sixteen years later, a sequel was released. "An American Werewolf in Paris" did not succeed at the box office. Horror fans complained about its reliance upon computer generated terrors instead of actual makeup and effects. They disliked the werewolf appearance, feeling costumes for Halloween were more convincing. They also complained the sequel tried to be an outrageous comedy instead of replicating the original's horrific-yet-blackly-humorous blend.
Werewolves have never been at a loss for popularity when autumn arrives. Trick or treaters still arrive wearing all manner of Halloween outfits and the older ones often enjoy the werewolf's appeal.
Werewolves have never been easy to pigeon hole as a simple-minded creature features or Halloween costumes. The monster has often been used as a metaphor for complex themes. Chaney's "The Wolf Man" interpreted the werewolf as a way to visualize the conflict a man experiences repressing his emotions. Warren Zevon's 1978 song "Werewolves of London" used the creature to comment upon fancy dres society's proclivity for preying upon itself.
"An American Werewolf in London" did wonders for plumbing the creature's philosophical underpinnings. It questioned the Latin phrase "Man in a Beast to Man", and found an even deeper resonance. The creature took on spiritual and philosophical meaning. It refuted the enlightened and rational component of human psychology and became a profound expression of the ever-present irrational part of the human psyche.
"An American Werewolf in London" is nothing short of an amazing little film, and a surprising release from the director of "Animal House" and "The Blues Brothers
