Is *AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON* (1981) the BEST Werewolf Movie? REACTION COMMENTARY

[@remyazharyyosef1811]

"Makeup is really good". Well, it won the Oscar for Best Makeup.

[@torpedoboy4]

They actually invented the category just to give Baker the award.

[@susanpeters5392]

For its time

[@deadcatthinks6725]

43 years later there still hasn't been a better werewolf transformation.

[@sebastianthemaster6030]

Harry Potter and the prisioner of Azkaban, I'm not saying that, that one is better but is good too

[@Shilohpreston]

Actually there is in Michael Jackson's thriller because it comes unexpected.

[@albertjimeno5315]

@Shilohpreston That’s the same dude made that

[@Shilohpreston]

@@albertjimeno5315 I know.

[@FilmBuff54]

It’s not a spoiler that everybody at the Alamo died, because it’s a movie based on a historical event in which everyone defending the Alamo died.

[@johnniekight1879]

I'll never understand why people don't expect David to run away. What's he gonna do? Put the werewolf in a sleeper hold? LOL

[@zachharris3040]

For real. It kinda shows the low level of understanding people have for real life portrayals.

[@torpedoboy4]

I know, it’s my major peeve with reactors of this film. Self preservation above all

[@orangewarm1]

try to fight it with something. a knife? a rock? a stick? we know what type of friend you'd be.

[@smittybenzo4693]

(Hands on hips) "He should've been brave and "helped" his buddy through the......" 😂

[@Lostboy-007]

I understand what you’re saying however David did return to try to save his friend even though it was too late so he realised he pussied out and try to help as soon as he realised

[@orangewarm1]

The Howling has a great transformation sequence too.

[@ryanje8147]

The older Ollie gets, the cuter he gets.

[@Bobishkisan]

Every time I go through the London underground at night I still get nervous because of this movie. Might start taking some dog treats with me just in case.

[@abenormal9075]

😂 It's the ghosts you should worry about

[@janetlilley8970]

Same here, for the past 40 years if I’m ever in an underground station I think of that scene

[@gallendugall8913]

"Who is this embassy guy?" That would be Yoda... and many others.

[@amandaely9983]

Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear 😂

[@adamkhan7736]

London underground scene is very realistic as it can be extremely busy one second and literally the next second it's dead. No people whatsoever. Just you.😮

[@kittykatt7652]

Of course David ran. Was he supposed to stand there and wait his turn? He was going to get attacked anyway.

[@orangewarm1]

try to fight it with something. a knife? a rock? a stick? we know what type of friend you'd be.

[@Lostboy-007]

Hey man he’s only stating his opinion man and when one is in that position everyone would react differently there’s no right choice when in the face of pure chaos. Pace man 💪🏻🤙🏻

[@albertjimeno5315]

@Lostboy-007 You’d tackle the werewolf then? Yeah didn’t think so.

[@Lostboy-007]

@@albertjimeno5315 pick you’re bottom lip up I understand we can’t all be courages like me💪🏻 but if my best friend was being savaged I wouldn’t run like you 😂 I guess some are just born different I guess..

[@Lostboy-007]

@@albertjimeno5315 brah you watch this guys channel all the time I don’t why you being weird towards him? Relax ✌🏻

[@mikegarrens5286]

Sticking to the road will give you direction. You will not get lost because the road will lead to something. If you wonder off the road you will not know which way north east west and south is. Very important an avid hiker!

[@richardvinsen2385]

I saw this in the theater. I am so old.

[@baronvg]

I know everyone always (deservedly) extols the transformation scene but lmao that Piccadilly scene at the end is such a random explosion of violence and gore that it also needs some love!

[@tubekulose]

Yes, that's absolutely true. Especially because werewolf David just initiates this process of carnage, which is developing its own dynamics even without him being involved any further.

[@hellohi821]

We also get to see the director, John Landis, get hit by a car and knocked through a window. David the werewolf tore off the Inspector's head, but he did not directly kill anyone else in that scene.

[@strongdecaf3729]

I dunno. I think once a patient is discharged from the hospital they're no longer a patient. Geez, you kids are so concerned about appropriate behavior towards werewolves in hospitals.

[@BigGator5]

"A naked American man stole my balloons." 😂 You can't take this movie seriously. 😂 Fun Fact: The fake porno movie "See You Next Wednesday" was the first thing to be filmed during production. Director Cameo Fact: John Landis appears briefly near the end of the film. He is the bearded man who gets hit by a car and thrown through the plate glass window in Piccadilly Circus. Casting Notes Fact: Mr. Collins is the one and only Frank Oz. Not only is he an actor and director, but is also a celebrated voice actor. Best known as the voice (and puppeteer) of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Yoda, and more. See You Next Wednesday Fact: Is a recurring gag in most of the films directed by John Landis, usually referring to a fictional film that is rarely seen and never in its entirety. Each instance of "See You Next Wednesday" in Landis's films seems to be a completely different film. Landis got the title from Alan Gifford's last line in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Practical Make-Up Fact: Rick Baker (the winner of the very first Academy Award for Best Make-up that was created the year this movie came out) claimed to have been disappointed by the amount of time spent shooting the face changing shot for the transformation after having spent months working on the mechanism. John Landis only required one take lasting about seven seconds. Baker felt he had wasted his time until seeing the film with an audience that applauded during that one seven second shot.

[@RolyPolyOllieReactions]

Some really cool facts! I love the one about Baker being disappointed with how they used his work. I feel like stuff like this happens a lot in movies where so much effort is put into a very short, sometimes seconds long shot.

[@cherdiane]

My brother designed that werewolf transformation while working for Rick Baker.

[@FiercedeityBrad]

Fun fact: as a youngster watching this David's nude scenes helped me realize I'm gay.

[@hellohi821]

That transformation scene remains incredible, even after more than 40 years. There was of course the amazing practical effects that still look great, the unnerving sound design, David Naughton's acting, and "Blue Moon" by Sam Cooke playing in the background: There was no scary music, only one of the most soothing songs ever performed, in contrast to the horrific event on screen.

[@charlessowder1086]

The embassy guy is Frank Oz. He is the voice to Fozzy Bear, Miss Piggy, and Yoda

[@willcool713]

And Grover, who was my favorite.

[@albertjimeno5315]

Frank Oz is a dick in this movie.

[@torpedoboy4]

@@albertjimeno5315 no, Jim is Kermit. That scene is from the actual “Muppet Show”. SEASON 5, episode 8. It aired on Valentine’s Day, 1981 just before “An American Werewolf…” was filmed.

[@charlessowder1086]

@ Grover is awesome. “This is near. And this is far ….” Also loved Super Grover

[@albertjimeno5315]

@torpedoboy4 Weird, Frank Oz’s normal voice sounds like Kermit.

[@janehollander3843]

Best practical effects of all time!

[@iangrant3615]

So glad you enjoyed this. It is one of my favourite films of all time. John Landis was selected by Michael Jackson to direct the video to Thriller as a result of this, with Rick Baker doing the makeup. Baker won the first ever Oscar for his makeup effects, a category created because of this kind of work. Skip the Paris movie, it was made by other people and is awful and unrelated.

[@simoliz03]

Best werewolf howl!

[@MisoSilly]

💯

[@RajeshJustaguy]

the setup at the start with the fog and the two of them walking.... followed by the transformation... Is just perfect... Movie magic

[@danielmkubacki]

You need to watch the documentaries on this movie. It is a classic movie.

[@Catherinewelter-z6d]

Rick Baker 's makeup work on this was top level and won the first Oscar for it not sure if someone said it but they made the category because of this movie, Baker stopped work for The Howling to do this movie

[@JulieConkle]

I saw it new, at the theater. It is one of those movies that really sticks with you. Even though they lighten it a bit with humor, it's still one of the most disturbing movies I've ever seen.

[@williamkidney6031]

No CGI in '81 I saw this in the theater when I was a teen scared the crap outta me lol by the way, David Naughton who was the werewolf, used to do commercials for Dr. Pepper but after the movie they let him go

[@RR64434]

This movie is labeled as a Horror/Comedy, however when I saw the movie in the theaters at 9 years old I wasn’t laughing. Easily one of my favorite movies of all time.

[@Nunofurdambiznez]

Dude.. I don't know what YOU'RE doing to transform yourself - but dude, you're looking greater than ever these days! Keep up the good work!

[@kennethlee494]

This is one of the movies I watch almost every Halloween, I have owned a copy of it ever since it came out on video in 1982. In the late 1980's I had a neighbor who had a dog that would bark/howl just like the werewolf in this movie, scared hell out of me every time I was outside at night and it would do that. I had a friend over one night and we watched this movie, as we were leaving the dog started and she literally knocked me over then ran over me to get back in the house. John Landis has a trademark that is in most of his movies, the phrase "See You Next Wednesday", in this case it is the title of the porn movie playing in the theater.

[@clarkness77]

Pretty cool movie. Love the mix of horror comedy. My favorite part was probably the double nightmare

[@keithabney4665]

love the scene where dead Jack visits the nurse's apartment, picks up the little Mickey Mouse and says "Hi David!"

[@albertjimeno5315]

That’s actually really cute.

[@keithabney4665]

@@albertjimeno5315 it is - love that he's turning green with decay but still can do a Mickey Mouse bit.

[@MrDeathpilot]

1:27 John Landis was chosen by Michael Jackson to direct his "Thriller" video becuse of this movie. Landis was also the director for many major films, including The Blues Brothers, Trading Places, Spies Like Us, Animal House, The Three Amigos and Coming to America to name a few. He was also directing Twilight Zone: The Movie when actor Vic Morrow was killed along with two children, from a helicopter crash during filming. He was tried and acquitted for involuntary manslaughter.

[@firebird7479]

There was a lot of fanfare to this movie when this movie was released in 1981. 3 years earlier, Warren Zevon had a hit called "Werewolves of London" which had no connection to this movie, although it would have been a great theme song for this movie. David Naughton, the lead in this movie, was riding high back then. Before he appeared in this movie, Naughton was the spokesman for Dr. Pepper...singing and dancing to the jingle "Be a pepper, drink Dr. Pepper". He also had a Top 5 hit with the song "Makin' It", the theme song to the short-lived sitcom here starred in of the same name. His brother, James, starred as one of the astronauts in the TV adaption of the Planet of the Apes movies. His co-star was Roddy McDowell, who played Cornelius and Caesar in the movies but Galen in the TV series.

[@cheeeeeeeef]

Always made me laugh how one minute they're in 'the north' but apparently the nearest hospital is London

[@robertbunting3117]

for a werewolf comedy try 'Teen Wolf' with Michael J. Fox, 'Silver Bullet' is a Stephen king adaptation that's a lot of fun and then I would say 'The Howling' is the closest thing to this as far as tone goes.

[@albertjimeno5315]

And Wolf (1994) with Jack Nicholson.

[@johannesbowers7467]

And the short lived Fox TV Series Werewolf.

[@vendelayindustries]

I think you can find "Making of"'s for the movie on KZbin. Really fashinating stuff. This was the movie that inspired Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video, also directed by John Landis.

[@tinasjostrand2677]

I love these Making of's, especially with 70s and 80s movies. The imagination and creativity were outstanding.

[@dipsydoodle7988]

Great reaction. Definitely one of my favorites.

[@shawnboyce1663]

Great pick

[@melenatorr]

To be fair, Nurse Alix was played by wonderful British actress Jenny Agutter, and it takes a lot to scare off Jenny Agutter!

[@rnw2739]

Jenny Agutter is English 😊

[@ChrisCollins068]

She was also in Child’s Play 2 as Andy’s foster mother

[@charlessperling7031]

​@@ChrisCollins068 She'll always be the young woman in Nicolas Roeg's "Walkabout" for me.

[@NorthernShrew]

Many people are shocked by the abrubt ending - but there's literally nowhere to go from there. Can't believe the HR issues with taking him home bothered you that much in a werewolf movie😊 Love the little touches of the ridiculous - like the bumbling Scotland Yard Sargent and Frank Oz as the tone- deaf embassy guy. Lastly, her flat was so 80s. I was a nanny in London in the mid 80s and it looked so so familiar. Certainly every B&B I was ever in looked like that.

[@kelseystardust3373]

Love this movie! Always enjoy watching your reactions! Still surprised you don't have many more subscribers. Happy Halloween!

[@whitediggity]

I came for the react and stayed for the home decor segment.

[@kenny832]

John Landis was a Saturday Night Live writer & did stuff with John Belushi, Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd etc. Including Stripes, Ghost Busters, Groundhog Day etc.

[@charlessperling7031]

John Wayne directed "The Alamo" and appeared in it as Davy Crockett. Fess Parker was Davy Crockett on television. According to his theme song, he was "the King of the Wild Frontier."

[@Shilohpreston]

Thanks Ollie for watching a Movie recommended by me. The bald guy from the pub is Bryan Glover. He played Andrews in "Alien 3".

[@dionysiacosmos]

Definitely practical. Frank Oz plays the American bureaucrat in the first hospital scene. Who is Frank Oz? Bert of Bert and Ernie, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and Yoda. Also, director of films like Little Shop of Horrors. I recognized him when I saw this in the theater, and wondered what he was doing there. I'd seen him in behind the camera documentaries and such, but I hadn't seen him on camera before in a movie. Later, during David's dream sequence I got it. The Muppet Show was being made in London at that time. The episode on TV was a fake, made just for the dream sequence. That's why you've never seen The Muppets being mown down by nazi pig soldiers with machine guns anyplace else. We all said it was the best werewolf transformation scene ever, and it still remains unsurpassed. John Carpenter's The Thing was made around the same time. Our brains weigh CGI and finds it wanting. But take a blob, make it look slimy, and we want to run from it every time.

[@baileyboy3021]

7:44 I giggle every time because as soon as Mr. Collins (Frank Oz) starts to speak, all I picture is Fozzy Bear. Frank Oz did the voices for Fozzy, Miss Piggy, Grover, Cookie Monster & a few others. Good reaction, Ollie! Off topic, what is the drink tumbler you're using? Saw another reactor using the same type & wondered what brand it is. I'm looking for a new one for my coffee. 😊

[@RolyPolyOllieReactions]

Mine is called a Slm I believe and it is really nice!

[@baileyboy3021]

@@RolyPolyOllieReactionsThank you for your reply. Hopefully this comes thru, its the 3rd time trying LOL

[@scottjones758]

The embassy guy is Kermit the frog!

[@5hanesBoard]

Excellent reaction. I'm glad you appreciated how good it is, especially considering the age.

[@dezza9441]

The embassy guy is none other that Frank Oz. Voice of Yoda, and various Muppets. He was often seen in most of John Landis films. BLUES BROTHERS (1980) being one of them. That's why they showed THE MUPPETS as he is best known for voicing Kermit The Frog. Cameos within cameos. Know whot i mean? ..lol

[@Bothorth]

I think SFx artists of the time were trying to one-up each other with over-the-top transformations. I can't vouch for the movie ('cause I don't remember it), but _The Company of Wolves_ (1984) has a transformation you'll never forget!

[@kenny832]

This & The Thing were the top effects horror films back in the day before CGI. Yep - all practical!

[@tubekulose]

6:52 "Is Jack fully dead?" Good question. 😁 20:48 For my part It's definitely the best werewolf transformation I've ever seen. And yes, it's all practical effects. 👍 31:00 Yes, the movie won the first-ever Oscar for Best Makeup, a category that was created in 1981 after the AMPAS received complaints that the makeup work in "The Elephant Man" was not being honoured. 35:40 Well, Alex didn't take any job-related risk when taking David home as he had already been released from the hospital.

[@pedroervert]

I love love love this film. Best werewolf film ever. Humour. Horror. Dry. British usa perfection. Jack Nicholson wolf is close second

[@flaggerify]

Do After Hours with Griffin Dunne. Almost no one has done it.

[@chimpinaneckbrace]

Beware the Moon, lads.

[@mitchellbeston1033]

Practical effects vs CGI. I won't watch many modern movies due to the use of CGI. It just doesn't look real. Now this, on the other hand...

[@RandySmith-e6s]

now watch the music video of David Naughton singing "Making it."

[@dezza9441]

"SEE YOU NEXT WEDNESDAY" is a porn film - a non-stop orgy is its tagline. We see an ad poster at the Tottenham Court Road tube station and we also see some parts of the film in the movie theatre where Jack warns David for the last time

[@RonColeArt]

I hate to break it to you but, women take home lots of men who are predictably and obviously very very very bad news for them. I wish that weren't true but, there it is.

[@tanglecash127]

“Silver bullet” is the werewolf movie to watch!

[@egglady]

Silver Bullet is really good, but the design of the werewolf is goofy as hell. If it had a better-looking werewolf it would be perfect.

[@JusticeGamingChannel]

I actually don't think it's wrong, or should be a problem, for a nurse to go out with a person once they've been discharged from the hospital. At that point, they are individuals, adults, and can do whatever they want outside of the hospital like two normal people, personally I don't think it's illegal or frowned upon, or against any rules at all. Once they are discharged, of course, fair game I say. Maybe two people hit it off, two people who would never have met in normal circumstances, nothin wrong with that. If two people want to date outside the hospital, it shouldn't be anyone's business, even if they were a patient. I've been a patient at a hospital, am I not allowed to date a nurse from there then? I just don't see a problem with that idea. - Now, the idea that this patient did seem a little nuts talking about the things he was talking about, would have been my clue to maybe not let this person stay at my house, however.

[@Stevenspielburger]

Brilliant film. Quirky, amazing make up and Jenny Agutter!

[@auntvesuvi3872]

I love this one, Oliver! 🐺

[@ploppill34]

Rick Baker FTW!

[@FilmBuff54]

I like this movie but don’t really regard it as a horror comedy, but as a tragedy with some comic moments.

[@JOJO-dq6yh]

i prefer The Howling to this movie but i understand the majority of people rate this movie as better than The Howling.

[@richardrobbins387]

In this movie, the affliction is very much a curse. The Howling werewolves kinda roll with it, get off on it even. They got a whole cult thing going on as well. Both films have awesome transformation sequences and are pretty much equal, IMO.

[@jondishmonmusicandstuff2753]

Everybody makes a big deal out of Jack running away. When his friend was attacked, explain to me in a clear manner. What was he supposed to do take on a werewoof was he supposed to die, too? I mean, you only have one option to run. 2 people can't even have a werewolf. It's ridiculous for people to think that Jack should have put his life on the line. For his friend, when you can't be aware of you saw what he did to him after he killed his friend.It's ridiculous

[@albertjimeno5315]

Yeah, anyone would run for their life. Not attempt to tackle that enormous beast to be ripped apart too

[@egglady]

I've always slightly preferred The Howling, but American Werewolf is great, too. I do think the main flaw of American Werewolf is the romance happens much too fast. She literally just met him like, two days before so the "I love you" at the end doesn't feel earned.

[@albertjimeno5315]

Eh some people believe in love at first sight, or at least they used to.

[@leeloo4182]

Dog Soldiers is a great werewolf film .

[@nealwhaley63]

You have to watch The Howling now, if you haven’t already.

[@Lostboy-007]

Dog soldiers is an amazing werewolf film arguably the best dude you should consider checking it out and I hope you react to it you won’t be disappointed 🍿🐺

[@buidseach]

You need to watch Dog Soldiers, that's set in Scotland :)

[@Cindrbell]

Wouldn't u like to be a Pepper too?😅

[@hfsjfc8111]

Werewolf movies: The Howling, Silver Bullet, My Mom's a Werewolf, Transylvania 6-5000, The Monster Squad.

[@Lostboy-007]

Dog soldiers 🐺 💪🏻

[@albertjimeno5315]

Wolf (1994)

[@paulhadfield7909]

darts is massive in th uk, televised and also snooker on the telly,

[@tuckerplum8085]

I have to tell you my theory. (And granted, this is based on some assumptions, but I think they are good assumptions.) Stick with me: Remember how David says that he believes that a werewolf can ONLY be killed by someone who loves him? Also, remember how everyone is very secretive at the pub on the moors (The Slaughtered Lamb)? Why so secretive? After Jack is killed, and David is saved by the village folks from the pub, we get a quick shot of a dead body. (Most people miss the significance of that body.) It's not Jack. It's not David. It's the killed first werewolf, reverted back to his human form. How were the villagers able to kill him? They loved him. He was one of their own. I imagine him being the son of the barmaid. They are being secretive because they are protecting her son. He has become a monster, and they are protecting her from people finding-out what her son has done. She knows that sending the two American boys back out onto the moors will mean her son the werewolf will kill them. She feels guilty and responsible, so she convinces all the men to go rescue them. They get there just in time to save David. Again, the only remaining werewolf is now David. He can only be killed by someone who loves him. He doesn't have the courage to do it himself. When Nurse Alex sees him in the alleyway, at the end, she tells him that they are going to kill him, and she tells him that she loves him. The werewolf stops and looks at her (his eyes full of love and awareness), and then he launches himself at her KNOWING they will shoot him!! Her love has given him the strength to do what must be done, and her loving him makes it possible for him to be killed. Roll credits.

[@epongeverte]

The Howling? Check it out.

[@themotleycollector]

Hehe, I think your Patreon spiel gets faster with every new review.

[@becomethestar]

React to Michael Jacksons : The Making of Thriller to see how the Werewolf was made and worked. John Landis directed the Thriller video and AWIL. Its a 30 minute video here on youtube

[@whade62000]

I really like "American Werewolf in Paris" and idc what anyone says.

[@johannesbowers7467]

Dog Soldiers Waxwork The Howling Teen Wolf Wolf Wolfen Silver Bullet

[@albertjimeno5315]

Great reaction! Honestly I don’t think a nurse taking a patient home was allowed in 1981 either..In the scene where the doctor asks her where David is, she looks down and hesitates to say it but then in a low voice says he’s at her flat. Luckily the doc is cool and doesn’t care as he doesn’t react to that and just asks her the phone number and she, relieved, says it. But for a moment there she thought she was about to be in trouble for that.

[@tokenboybandmember]

Why is the egg holder ‘fun’?

[@joe2tonepringle352]

why dose nobody recognize frank oz in these films ?

[@cruelangel8689]

Best werewolf movie? For me, nope. I'd easily take Dog Soldiers or Howling over AW in London.

[@lyndoncmp5751]

The Howling is mediocre and Dog Soldiers is a repetitive Zulu knock off. AWIL is by far better.

[@1978rharris]

Dog Soldiers wins hands down for the line from the guy who’s about to get eaten by a werewolf…. “I hope I give you the shits!” 😂😂😂😂😂

[@scottdetter]

Do you not know the U.S. was in a war with Mexico?

[@КиануДепп]

An American Werewolf in Paris (1997) ❤❤❤

[@rnw2739]

"Loving this British countryside at the moment..." Please...... that is English countryside (as far as the stories narrative goes). I'm amazed you can forget about the country of England, considering you speak English - the language of the English and ENGLAND 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@ezelldaniels6064]

American werewolf in Paris is my favorite movie

[@rainbowpegacornstudios]

An American Werewolf In London has one of the best practical effects transformations I've ever seen. That first werewolf sequence is top-notch, if not just a wee bit cheesy. I love how this movie had the SAME special effects makeup artist as Michael Jackson's short film for the song Thriller.

[@albertjimeno5315]

I don’t see nothin cheesy here.

[@rainbowpegacornstudios]

@@albertjimeno5315 I'm speaking in the mindset of the numbskulls at Rotten Tomatoes. I agree that the practical transformation is leagues better than what most timelapse and CGI effects can accomplish.

[@StoryOfUsFinalDraft]

American Werewolf in Paris is fun. You should still react to for fun. I actually like it better than this old version.