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

153 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, 2026

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, 2026

"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, 2026

2/4

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

Go to Full Review

Terry Lawson

The Journal-Herald (Dayton, OH)

20 hrs ago

I found all the acting top flight, the technical work superior, and Landis himself is obviously a talented director.

Go to Full Review

Roland Smith

Birmingham Mail

Aug 18, 2026

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, 2026

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

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

MDShane

Sep 26, 2026

John Landis is a dick who recklessly got an actor and children killed on the set of The Twilight Zone The Movie, and all his characters that he writes are just shallow stand ins for himself, but damn that transformation rocks, thank you Rick Baker.

See more

Richard Harrison

Oct 10, 2025

this is one of the Best movies of all time

See more

Julia

Oct 10, 2025

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, 2025

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

See more

Spencer Nielsen

Sep 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

Alex B

@AlexBioni 3 days ago

A Walking Meatloaf The production and set design are great, especially the bar at the beginning. The foggy English setting adds to the moody atmosphere. David's nightmares are wild, especially the one with wolves carrying guns. The practical effects are insane, from Jack visiting David in the hospital to the iconic werewolf transformation. Jack slowly deteriorates and looks great throughout. The movie theater scene has a great dark comedy moment, and everyone involved plays it perfectly. The movie is well paced and keeps you engaged throughout. At this point, it's a classic cult werewolf movie. The dialogue can be generic at times, and some of the acting is uneven. I also think the movie ends rather abruptly. A lot of the story revolves around David insisting he's becoming a werewolf while nobody believes him, which gets repetitive.

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

89%

89%

Evil Dead II

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Evil Dead II

Fright Night

84%

77%

Fright Night

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Fright Night

The Lost Boys

73%

85%

The Lost Boys

Watchlist

Theater of Blood

87%

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