This dark comedy horror follows a story about two Americans backpacking across England, when they are attacked by a werewolf. One of them dies but comes back to life, while the other gets bitten and goes through a physical and psychological metamorphosis culminating in the night of the full moon. An American Werewolf in London is a horror genre classic and one of the fundamental genre films of the colorful 1980s, earning John Landis a place in the modern horror pantheon. The script for the film had sat in a drawer somewhere for years before Landis was able to raise the funds to shoot it. Soon after its release, the film gained its beloved cult status. The explicit scene of the lead’s transformation into a werewolf is now quite legendary; it is no wonder that the film won an Academy Award for Best Makeup.
John David Landis rođen je 3. kolovoza 1950. Hvaljen je američki filmski redatelj, scenarist, producent i glumac koji se proslavio kao jedan od najslavnijih redatelja komedija koje su uspješno koketirale s drugim žanrovima. Među najpoznatijima su Zvjerinjak (1978.), Braća Blues (1980.), Američki vukodlak u Londonu (1981.), Kolo sreće (1983.), Tri amigosa! (1986.) i Princ otkriva Ameriku (1988.) koji su danas istinski filmski klasici. Proslavio se i režijom danas legendarnih video spotova za hitove Michaela Jacksona Thriller (1983.) i Black or White (1991.)