An American Werewolf In London Gets New Blu-ray Transfer

Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release a brand new Blu-ray edition of director John Landis' film An American Werewolf in London (1981), starring David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, John Woodvine, and Brian Glover. The release will be available for purchase on September 27.

Synopsis: Blending the macabre with a wicked sense of humor, director John Landis (National Lampoon's Animal House) delivers a contemporary take on the classic werewolf tale in this story of two American tourists who, while traveling in London, find their lives changed forever when a vicious wolf attacks them during a full moon. Starring David Naughton, Griffin Dunne and Jenny Agutter, An American Werewolf in London is newly restored and features groundbreaking, Academy Award winning make-up by Rick Baker (The Wolfman; Michael Jackson's Thriller Music Video).

Special Features and Specs:

• NEW RESTORATION of the film
• Exclusive Sleeve
• Beware the Moon
• I Walked with a Werewolf
• Making An American Werewolf in London
• An Interview with John Landis
• Makeup Artist Rick Baker on An American Werewolf in London
• Casting of The Hand
• Outtakes
• Storyboards
• Photograph Montage
• Feature Audio Commentary with Cast Members David Naughton and Griffin Dunne

 

One of my favorites. Hopefully the colors remain natural. I thought the first blu-ray looked "off" somehow, and I'm curious to see how this one looks.

 

I'm hopeful that the studios may have learned their lesson after the outcry about The French Connection.

 

Studios don't learn lessons.

 

This is just crazy talk.

 

So I guess "restored edition" relates to restoring the film elements, not restoring missing footage / cut scenes?

 

Who knows.

 

I wonder what the source is?

If I recall correctly, the standard Blu Ray is VERY grainy for a film made at that time.

 

I don't know, 80's film stock has always been thick and grainy.

 

While that's true, we've still had much better HD restoration for films that certainly couldn't have afforded the quality of stock that AAWIL had. Less John Landis made a decision to sacrifice the video quality (which frankly, wouldn't surprise me).

 

Cool.

 

I recall reading an old interview in which Landis sarcastically complained that the last DVD remaster of Animal House looked too good.

 

I just watched this on Amazon Prime video. What a piece of crap. It was ridiculous. The " wolf " was laughable, and please...someone explain how you can stand in an alley, between an object, and as many guns as were fired, and she didn't get hit ????

Thank God, it was already paid for, as a part of Prime.
.

 

I've done a couple of 1980s remasters this year, and that stock was very grainy for its time. Soft, too. I'm not a fan of that look.

 

Myke,
So you're criticizing a werewolf film for being unrealistic.
Just wanted to get that straight.
What about the scene where Naughton & Dunne go for a stroll on the moors on a pitch black night yet, the area around them is conveniently lit so we that we can see them clearly.

I happen to like this film(saw it in the theater), and appreciate it for what it is, unique.
Obviously won't make the AFI or BFI but still a very likable off-kilter film.

I'm no Vidiot, but the comment about it being uncharacteristically "grainy" is just not rooted in fact.

 

Why is it held in such high esteem ? A CLASSIC ? No, in the context of this thread ( where my comment belongs, not like I blurted it out at a funeral @mongo ), your sarcasm becomes foolish, and impotent.
.

 

Easy Myke, I never said it was a classic and never intended to blast you for not liking it.
I try to never do that but if I did, I apologize.
I did insert a grin.
To me, American Werewolf in London is not a film to nit-pick on accuracy.
You like it or you don't.
No worries. Just having some Friday fun.
That's all.

 

Saw it at release in the theater and loved it. Don't know how its aged though, I haven't seen it in years. At the time though the transformation scene was truly groundbreaking and a big reason its so well regarded.

 

I've been a Classic Universal Monsters guy so long, I barely remember seeing it over 30 years ago, and barely remember not liking it then either. In a theater, and the entire place was laughing.
.

 

Cool. Classic movie.

 

And he was right - they processed that transfer to remove grain and "perk up" the colors. It had slick look that was wrong for that film...

 

Yep, agree. It's most certainly a classic. It's responsible for giving rise to Rick Baker (on a much larger scale) and Michael Jackson's Thriller. It established John Landis as more than a comedy director and was incredibly innovative for it's time, in terms of make-up.

 

It's always looked that way. I saw it in theaters at the time and it's representative of the film stock used as I recall.

 

I prefer "The Howling" when it comes to werewolf movies, but this one is fun. And certainly funny in parts.

 

Because it's a funny movie. One of the things that made "American Werewolf" stand out at the time, was the mixture of horror and humour. That's nothing special today, but back then it was very rare.