An American Werewolf in London
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An American Werewolf in London

Year:
Duration:
97 min | Sweden:92 min (heavily cut)
Genres:
Comedy | Horror
IMDB rate:
7.6
Director:
John Landis
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations
Details
Country: UK
Release Date: 1981-08-21
Filming Locations: Burnham Beeches, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
Earnings
Budget: $10,000,000
Opening Weekend: $3,786,512 (USA) (23 August 1981)
Gross: $20,445,527 (USA) (27 September 1981)
Cast
Actor
Character
Joe Belcher
Truck Driver
David Naughton
David Kessler
Griffin Dunne
Jack Goodman
David Schofield
Dart Player
Brian Glover
Chess Player
Lila Kaye
Barmaid
Rik Mayall
2nd Chess Player
Sean Baker
2nd Dart Player
Paddy Ryan
First Werewolf
Jenny Agutter
Nurse Alex Price
Anne-Marie Davies
Nurse Susan Gallagher
John Woodvine
Dr. J. S. Hirsch
Frank Oz
Mr. Collins
Don McKillop
Inspector Villiers
Paul Kember
Sergeant McManus
Colin Fernandes
Benjamin
Albert Moses
Hospital Porter
Jim Henson
Kermit the Frog
Michele Brisigotti
Rachel Kessler
Mark Fisher
Max Kessler
Gordon Sterne
Mr. Kessler
Paula Jacobs
Mrs. Kessler
Claudine Bowyer
Creepy Little Girl
Johanna Crayden
Creepy Little Girl
Nina Carter
Naughty Nina
Geoffrey Burridge
Harry Berman
Brenda Cavendish
Judith Browns
Christopher Scoular
Sean
Mary Tempest
Sean's Wife
Cynthia Powell
Sister Hobbs
Sydney Bromley
Alf
Frank Singuineau
Ted
Will Leighton
Joseph
Michael Carter
Gerald Bringsley
Elizabeth Bradley
Woman in Zoo
Rufus Deakin
Little Boy with Balloons
Lesley Ward
Little Boy's Mother
George Hilsdon
News Vendor
Gerry Lewis
Man in Bus Queue
Dennis Fraser
2nd Man in Bus Queue
Alan Ford
Taxi Driver
Peter Ellis
Bobby in Trafalgar Square
Denise Stephens
Girl in Trafalgar Square
Christine Hargreaves
Ticket Lady
Linzi Drew
Brenda Bristols - 'See You Next Wednesday' Cast
Lucien Morgan
Lance Boyle - 'See You Next Wednesday' Cast
Gypsy Dave Cooper
Chris Bailey - 'See You Next Wednesday' Cast
Susan Spencer
Georgia Bailey - 'See You Next Wednesday' Cast
Bob Babenia
Usher
Ken Sicklen
Bobby at Cinema
John Salthouse
Bobby at Cinema
John Altman
Assorted Police
Keith Hodiak
Assorted Police
John Owens
Assorted Police
Roger Rowland
Assorted Police
Vic Armstrong
Bus Driver
John Cannon
Villager
Simon van Collem
Shop Owner
Harry Fielder
Man Outside Cinema
Ryan Folsey
Kid in trafalgar square (uncredited)
Laurie Goode
Hospital Porter
John Landis
Man Being Smashed into Window (uncredited)
Ralph Morse
Punk on Tube (uncredited)
James Payne
Taxi Driver
Terry Walsh
Taxi Driver Who Crashes His Cab (uncredited)
Did you know?
Trivia
John Landis initially wanted to keep the werewolf's screen time to a minimum, having it only appear in a couple scenes, just enough to give an impression of something huge and ferocious. The long shot of the werewolf cornering Gerald Bringsley on the Underground escalator was an example of this. Landis' decision to show the werewolf as much as it was shown was based on the fact that Landis loved Rick Baker's design of the monster.
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The total duration of composer Elmer Bernstein's original score for the film is a total of seven minutes, much to the surprise of film music aficionados who have wanted for a release of this music for years. The music is more in the vein of transitional orchestral cues in between the prerecorded songs featured throughout the film, to give the film more dramatic weight where needed.
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When Jack is killed by the first werewolf, makeup artist Rick Baker told Griffin Dunne to be careful with the wolf's head as it was new and quite delicate. During the first take Griffin rip the foam rubber off the head. Rick was so irritated by this that he considered putting hard teeth in the wolf but instead used the backup head to 'beat the crap out of Griffin'.
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Goofs
When David is watching TV before his transformation, he sees a contemporary advertisement for The News Of The World, which is trumpeted as being available "tomorrow". The News Of The World only appears on Sunday, yet when Dr. Hirsch buys a newspaper the next day, after the night of mayhem, it is clearly a weekday edition.
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The couple in the street are the first to be attacked by the werewolf in London. As they walk in the street past the houses, a large studio light is reflected in the windows.
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During the Piccadilly Circus car crashing sequences, a fawn colored car skids and sandwiches a policeman between itself and a red car. The safety barrier for the policeman (stuntman) can be seen before impact.
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Quotes
Jack: Did you hear that?
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Jack: You scared me, you shithead!
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David: Nurse!
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Faq
Q
Is 'An American Werewolf in London' based on a book?
A
No. An American Werewolf in London was written by film-maker John Landis, who also directed the movie. Landis claims he got the idea for the film when he was traveling in Yugoslavia and came across a band of gypsies performing rituals on a man being buried so that he would not 'rise from the grave.' It was followed by An American Werewolf in Paris (1997). A remake, also titled An American Werewolf in London, is in development with no set release date.
Q
A Note Regarding Spoilers
A
The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.
Q
Why didn't the villagers just kill David?
A
Most likely, they didn't think they could properly justify David being shot or otherwise killed by them. Possibly, for whatever reason, they actually want to continue the line of werewolves.
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