Two Americans travelling in The UK are attacked by a werewolf. One dies and the other survives, only to turn into a creature of the night himself. This 1981 John Landis cult classic starts off on a relatively moody and loose note, but the mood quickly evaporates when the setting changes from the moors to contemporary London and the focus shifts from honoring horror traditions to an unconvincing love story. The loose quality of the film is here to stay, though, and your enjoyment of the experience depends largely on whether you can accept characters acting wacky for the hell of it. For me, the fact that the second act is mostly just this instead of actually advancing the story kinda tanks the whole film.
The film does have its pleasures. The iconic special effects and makeup work are fantastic, working for both gruesome and amusing affect. All the actors seem to be on the right frequency when it comes to balancing conflicting styles and tones. Griffin Dunne really elevates his few scenes with deadpan delivery, even as his undead character's appearance keep getting closer to a meatloaf.
While by no means terrible, I was underwhelmed by this supposed gem. It's more of a time waster than anything, though fairly decent as such.
The film does have its pleasures. The iconic special effects and makeup work are fantastic, working for both gruesome and amusing affect. All the actors seem to be on the right frequency when it comes to balancing conflicting styles and tones. Griffin Dunne really elevates his few scenes with deadpan delivery, even as his undead character's appearance keep getting closer to a meatloaf.
While by no means terrible, I was underwhelmed by this supposed gem. It's more of a time waster than anything, though fairly decent as such.