An American Werewolf In London (1981)

Great movie that probably is one of the rare films to properly balance the comedy/horror theme throughout. Two college-age American kids hiking across Europe have an unfortunate meeting with a werewolf in the English moors. One is ripped to shreds while the other survives, though of course not without being bitten first. Waking up in a London hospital, the character of Jack must come to grips with his friend's death, his lycanthropic tendencies, and his budding romance with one of the hospital nurses (the foxy Jenny Agutter).

I first saw American Werewolf when I was about 7 or so on my family's old Beta tape player. For some reason my old man thought me fit to view it, an idea which was of course contradicted by my mom when she got home later. But that's another story. I remember thinking this was a comedy at first, what with the characters of Jack and David engaging in witty one-liners, etc. My young mind was in for a shock during that first werewolf attack, it's overall ferocity was just to much for me to take, especially after the first couple of minutes in which the film seemed quite harmless. I remember looking out the windows into the woods behind my house thinking a werewolf could easily break through the window and eat me while pleading to my dad to board them up.

That exchange of humor and scares was what really made this film work. The humor was funny, and the scare scenes were just exactly that....scary. The wolf attacks are just fucking vicious as can be, especially the first attack. Good and bloody stuff. I also especially liked the subway scene, in which you can just make out the wolf as it approaches it's prey. Features now legendary f/x by Rick Baker, during that transformation scene my 7 year old mind thought this man was really turning into a werewolf. I don't care how advanced all this CGI crap gets, nothing can top that first transformation scene. I also enjoyed director John Landis's use of nightmare imagery, particularly that home invasion scene with the werewolf storm troopers, damn good stuff. I could go on and on, so I'll just say this is easily one of my favorite movies of all time, and one that holds up terrifically after 20 years. Classic stuff.