Note: Portions sourced from T1g3rs5an LE Bluray review here:
“While on a backpacking vacation through Europe, David Kessler (David Naughton) and Jack Goodman (Griffin Dunne) ignore the warnings of the locals in Northern England – “Beware the Moon.” – and are attacked by a vicious wolf on the Yorkshire Moors. The attack leaves Jack dead and David critically wounded but alive; when he’s transferred to London for medical help, he falls in love with nurse Alex Price (Jenny Agutter), but also has seemingly vivid hallucinations about what has happened to him. It turns out that he’s been attacked by a werewolf and is due to become one himself during the next full moon…”
The Production: 4/5
An American Werewolf in London was one of my 3 favorite movies as a teen. It had everything I could want: savage humor, a genius director, the best practical effects of all time, and a steamy romance. I literally spent hours scouring magazine articles and video behind the scenes about how this movie was made and thought it was the pinnacle of excellence.
40 years on and a lot of miles for the industry, the film, the director, and even me and I think it holds up pretty well but maybe it wouldn’t crack my top 10 any more. With time Landis’s own films Blues Brothers and Animal House have risen even higher in my faves, and his legend faded quite a bit in my mind over the Twilight Zone catastrophe.
Rewatching this go around I was struck by the interplay between David and Jack, and wondered how the urging of suicide to ‘fix’ this condition would go over in 2022. Probably not so well. The “I think he’s a Jew” line would definitely raise eyebrows too.
But let’s face it, the effects still remain king. Even in a world where a ten year old with an iPad can create convincing CGI sequences, the stunning practical transformation has the ability to make you sit in wonder. It would actually be an interesting exercise to see what a 2022 transformation using the best techniques we have today would look like. I’d watch that for sure.
Video: 4/5
3D Rating: NA
(Picture from the toy set)
On the bluray Tiger noted:
“The movie is presented in its original 1:85:1 aspect ratio in this brand new HD transfer, taken from a recent 4K restoration of the film. Film grain is strong and organic throughout, with fine details both strong and faithfully rendered; the big selling point here is that the color scheme looks very faithful, strong, and not muddied in comparison to previous releases. There’s next to no instances of problems such as dirt, scratches, and tearing present which makes this transfer easily the best the movie has ever looked in home video, surpassing all previous editions in term of quality.”
The real 4k transfer is presented here for the first time. It has a light HDR pass applied that you wouldn’t miss if it wasn’t there, tho the wide color gamut is appreciated, if still subtle. What I can tell you is that all the grain from the original is fully intact and this transfer looks like a 1:1 copy of a mid budget film from the 80s. It’s not by any means a standard bearer for the format but if you can choose this rev over the blu for at or nearly the same price, choose this one.
Audio: 3/5
Audio content is identical to the bluray and I concur with Tiger’s take:
“There are two audio tracks on this release: a 1.0 PCM soundtrack (representing the original mono soundtrack) and a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track (carried over from the previous Universal Blu-ray release). Both tracks exhibit strong dialogue and sound effects and the musical soundtrack – featuring a mix of songs (like three different renditions of “Blue Moon”, “Moon Dance”, and “Bad Moon Rising”) and a few cues contributed by Elmer Bernstein – has great strength and ambiance in addition to fidelity. Both tracks have very minimal instances of problems like crackling, hissing, or distortion present, making them likely the best the movie will ever sound on home video.”
Tiger preferred the mono version, I only listened to the 5.1. The 5.1 has no real distinctive low end or swooping use of the surrounds so the Mono is probably the way to go.
Special Features: 4.5/5
All the content from the Bluray is reproduced here, with nothing new added. Concur on all of Tiger’s takes:
Commentary by Beware the Moon filmmaker Paul Davis – Davis talks about the movie, its production and its themes not covered in the documentary; a thoroughly insightful track to complement the legacy commentary that accompanies this release.
Commentary by actors David Naughton & Griffin Dunne – Carried over from previous home video releases, the two leads share their memories of making the movie; a very entertaining track.
Mark of the Beast: The Legacy of the Universal Werewolf (1:17:17) – a look at the evolution of the werewolf movies made at Universal, from Werewolf of London (1935) to An American Werewolf in London. Among those interviewed include directors John Landis, Mick Garris, and Joe Dante, film historians Steve Haberman, C. Courtney Joyner, and Justin Humphreys.
An American Filmmaker in London (11:41) – Director John Landis talks about his time shooting in England as well as some of his views on English cinema, particularly the famed Dead of Night (1945).
I Think He’s a Jew: The Werewolf’s Secret (11:26) – This visual essay by Jon Spira looks at some of the connections the movie made to the Jewish faith as well as some context.
The Werewolf’s Call (11:26) – The director of The Nun – Corin Hardy – and writer Simon Ward talk about their first encounter with this movie in this new featurette.
Wares of the Wolf (7:58) – Newly recorded for this release, special effects artists Dan Martin and Tim Lawes look at some of the costumes and props used in the movie.
Beware the Moon (1:37:39) – Carried over from the most recent home video release, a feature length look at the making of the movie and its subsequent impact on the genre; among those interviewed include director John Landis, producer George Folsey Jr., cinematographer Robert Paynter, makeup artist Rick Baker, cast members David Naughton, Griffin Dunne, Jenny Agutter, and John Woodvine, just to name a few.
Making An American Werewolf in London (4:54) – This vintage promotional featurette features an interview with director John Landis.
An Interview with John Landis (18:19) – This archival interview with the director has him sharing his memories and inspirations for making the movie.
Rick Baker on An American Werewolf in London (11:13) – Taken from the 2001 Collector’s Edition DVD release of the movie, the makeup artist talks about his work on this movie.
I Walked with a Werewolf (7:30) – Taken from the 2009 Universal DVD and Blu-ray release, Rick Baker talks about this film and his work on the then upcoming remake of The Wolfman.
Casting of the Hand (10:59) – Vintage behind the scenes footage of Rick Baker creating the special effects for the werewolf transformation sequence, namely the hand and a few masks.
Outtakes (3:07)
Storyboard Featurette (2:27)
Trailers & Teasers – Three original promos are shown in quick succession: the original theatrical trailer (2:53), the original teaser trailer (1:01), and a TV spot (0:31).
Still Galleries – Six galleries are presented here: Production Stills (115), Behind the Scenes (90), Posters (23), Lobby Cards (17), Storyboards (35), and Shooting Schedule (13).
This UHD LE contains the following that was previously exclusive to the bluray:
2 sided foldout poster
6 double sided lobby card reproductions
Limited 60 page booklet featuring essays by Simon Ward & Travis Crawford plus archival articles and original reviews
Overall: 4.5/5
Tiger concluded:
“Despite some initial confusion, An American Werewolf in London was a success with both critics and audiences and has gone on to become a cult favorite. Arrow has done a tremendous job with this release, offering up an improved transfer that bests all previous home video editions, the original mono soundtrack for the first time on home video, and a bloody good slate of special features both new and legacy. This is now the definitive version of the movie on home video and very highly recommended.”
That’s high praise. And since this release has everything that one did PLUS the real UHD transfer I’d be hard pressed to ding it. I can’t call it a 5 with all the same content tho and hell, the cheapskates don’t even include the Bluray in the box, just the UHD. So half a point off will do. Recommended.
(You have lovely sheep!)
Sam is both a moderator and reviewer at Home Theater Forum and is the voice behind Home Theater United, the Home Theater Forum Podcast which he started with cofounder Brian Dobbs. Sam has long advocated modest, best “bang for the buck” theater components and is loving every minute of this golden age of home audio-visual magic. Sam is a software engineer, a former volunteer firefighter, a current planning commissioner, leader of a large board gaming group and the personal servant of two tuxedo cats.
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