An American Werewolf in London

Play trailer

1:35

An American Werewolf in London

R

1981

1h 37m

Horror

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

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.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Will Jones

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Aug 14

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

Go to Full Review

Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

Aug 14

"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.

Go to Full Review

Edward J. Fay

New York Daily News

Aug 14

2/4

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

Go to Full Review

Roland Smith

Birmingham Mail

Aug 18

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

Go to Full Review

Mike Studley

Liverpool Echo

Aug 18

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

Go to Full Review

Noah Berlatsky

Everything is Horrible (Substack)

Aug 16

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

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Richard Harrison

Oct 10

this is one of the Best movies of all time

See more

Julia

Oct 10

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!

See more

Jeffrey W

Oct 10

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

See more

Spencer Nielsen

09/14/2024

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.

See more

Robert P

@Superbad 1d

An American Werewolf in London = a *4* star movie!

See more

Horror fan 4

@Horrorfan4life Aug 18

One of the greatest werewolf movies ever made. The transformation scenes are one of a kind and to this day the best practical effects used transforming a person to werewolf. The acting is really good and I absolutely love these characters. The ones in the bar are a hoot. We will never see a movie like this again. Tim Treakle

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

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

2:54

Now Playing

An American Werewolf in London: Official Clip - Undead Jack

2:29

Now Playing

An American Werewolf in London: Official Clip - Werewolf Attack

2:37

Now Playing

An American Werewolf in London: Official Clip - Let Me Help You

1:37

Now Playing

An American Werewolf in London: Official Clip - Mutant Nazi Nightmare

1:25

Now Playing

An American Werewolf in London: Official Clip - The Slaughtered Lamb

2:57

Now Playing

An American Werewolf in London: Official Clip - David's Undead Victims

2:59

Now Playing

An American Werewolf in London: Official Clip - Subway Chase

2:11

Now Playing

An American Werewolf in London: Official Clip - London Massacre

1:38

Now Playing

An American Werewolf in London: Official Clip - Naked at the Zoo

1:12

Now Playing

View more videos

Motel Hell

63%

55%

Motel Hell

Watchlist

Evil Dead II

88%

89%

Evil Dead II

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Evil Dead II

Fright Night

83%

77%

Fright Night

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Fright Night

The Lost Boys

75%

85%

The Lost Boys

Watchlist

Theater of Blood

88%

81%

Theater of Blood

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

New on Prime Video and Freevee in September 2022

Watch Online: The Professional, Charlotte’s Web, Raw, and More on Netflix and Amazon Prime

It Follows, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and More Available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and FandangoNOW

An American Werewolf in London: An American Werewolf in London's Best Scenes

9:51

Now Playing

An American Werewolf in London: Trailer 1

1:35

Now Playing

View more videos

View more photos

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)

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings