When it was released, the special effects in this film were top of the line. The transformation of American student David Kessler (David Naughton) into the werewolf was a big deal back then. How does it hold up today? Well, it was almost thirty years ago, things have improved.

As a director, John Landis is far from brilliant. Actually, I think it’s fair to say that the man is a hack, but to his credit, his movies tend to be approachable junk. This movie, is better than most of his others, then again with a resume that include s Amazon Women on the Moon, Innocent Blood, and Spies Like Us, this the bar isn’t high.

The movie itself is a interesting bit of trickery. There’s not much story and the performances are laughably bad. Landis manages to avoid these pitfalls by inserting jarring images and humor. The story is very straightforward, David, while backpacking across England survives a werewolf attack in the countryside. Taken to London to recoup, David falls for his nurse Alex (Jenny Agutter). At the full moon David becomes a werewolf and slaughters innocent people whose lost souls come to haunt him in his waking hours. Landis smartly leans on the hallucinations/nightmares David is inflicted with to punch up his story. David’s friend Jack (Griffin Dunne) is killed in the original werewolf attack and his languishing soul accompanies David through the rest of the story. As time moves along, Jack decomposes until David is stuck talking to a moldy skeleton. This kind of dark humor serves the film well.

Overall, this is not a masterful film but it is an enjoyable chunk of popcorn fodder. It should go without saying since this is a Landis flick, gratuitousness is the driving force, there’s plenty of nudity, violence, gore, and rough language. The morality of the film is non-existent and it serves no purpose other than to titillate and distract. Since the special effects now appear childish, the main original draw for the film is gone. What’s left is an empty production that, at best, will serve to fill in the holds on the overnight schedule of basic cable networks.


Related Reviews:
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The Mist (2007)


Other Critic's Reviews:
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Roger Ebert

Labels: film, horror, John Landis, movie review