This article contains spoilers for a movie released in 1981.
Remarkably,An American Werewolf in Londonhas aged little over the years.
And from the very beginning, the 81 variation is intended as a heartbreaker.
I witnessed this funeral, it was very strange, Landis said.
We came to people standing around in the crossroads.
It was gypsies, and they were burying this guy, feet first.
He was wrapped in like a canvas cloth; they wrapped him in rosaries and garlic.
It was all very exotic.
And I was like, What is going on?
The gypsies really did look like dress extras on the Universal backlot, Landis recalled.
Dressed like Maria Ouspenskaya [fromThe Wolf Man].
So, I was very taken by the idea.
And I thought thats a good idea for a movie.
So, how do you deal with something that doesnt exist when its standing in front of you?
The laughing stops and the stomach-churning commences.
The tropes often associated withThe Wolf Manare also given a careful and grisly update.
However,American Werewolfleaves the Pentagram as a superstitious decoration for the locals at the Slaughtered Lamb.
Those nightmares also prelude the return of Jack.
Then come the teeth.
But such weighty subject matters do not mean they cant be pleasant, right?
Kill yourself, David.
It still looks so flawless that Baker later expressed disappointment about how quickly some of the effects worked.
Weve been working on this for months!
And we shot it in a couple of minutes.
It is a brutal moment of pure despair and without a hint of cynical detachment.
Its succinct, visceral, and unforgettable.
