Total Number of Ratings: 6
The Wolf Man vs American Werewolf in London (TNC's Film Vault)
Monday, August 10, 2009 11:50 AM
The Card
The Wolf Man
Release Date: 1941
Director: George Waggner
Notable Actor(s): Ralph Bellamy, Lon Chaney Jr, Bela Lugosi, Claude Rains
VS
An American Werewolf in London
Release Date: 1981
Director: John Landis
Notable Actor: David Naughton
The Story
Werewolves seem to be one of the forgotten childs of the horror industry. Sure you might see them in action films fighting other vampires, or in a bad Hugh Jackman film. But you never seem to find a proper werewolf film anymore. Now a days vampires have taken over the reigns and let me tell you that they are being overplayed a bit. Looking back on it there was a lot of these creatures roaming around from the early forties to the more modern eighties. Here's a classic example of two films almost being the same plot but are more different from each other then you would believe. One is a Universal Studios horror and the other is a mad creation by the man who directed Animal House previously. I could go on about reviewing both films like I have been lately, but that would be boring. With a close call like this you need to get in on the action and find out which film is the true werewolf film to watch.
The Cast
It's safe to say that just looking at this article so far, The Wolf Man clearly wins in this category. First off you got Lon Chaney Jr, the son of the great Chaney Sr, and while he isn't as well remembered as his father he still is an amazing character actor. When he puts on all the make up you really believe he is a werewolf. Sure he looks a bit more man then wolf but he has the mannerisms down as the creature. But you got other straight acts going in this picture. Such as Claude Rains as the father who really is a bit more uneasy to watch then the wolf. Plus you also got acting greats as Ralph Bellamy and a cameo by Bela Lugosi as a previous cursed man. It all boils down to that there is some big names with this film and the acting seems to get a bit forgotten because of the names. Let it be known though that this is a very well acted horror movie.
While the other film has David Naughton.....that's pretty much it. Okay, no this film does have a good set of actors with Naughton and Griffin Dunne. Naughton might be remembered as the cursed man in this horror film but he also will be remembered as the Dr. Pepper spokesman. He does a great job looking shocked and being in pa
in, which is about ninety percent of what happens to his character. But he does play it straight which I would imagine most people wouldn't play it as with this over the top picture. Griffin Dunne should also be credited as a great supporting actor playing as Naughton's friend. Course he's more of a corpse for the majority of the picture but still, it's a nice mix of black comedy coming from this guy.
It might be quality vs quanity when it comes to these two films. At the end of the discussion though, you can't deny how great the acting in Wolf Man is.
Favor: Wolf Man
Director
This is pretty much a landslide and I can't really defend George Waggner when it comes to this. It's a good looking film and I will discuss the special effects in a second but can you really top the legend that is John Landis? He has a list of directed films as memorable as the writing credits of John Hughes. This is only Landis's fifth film released and it's four out of five hits including this one. (Kentucky Fried Movie, Animal House, and Blues Brothers before this) Here's a man who went from doing straight comedy to being known as a funny horror director. Hell he even did two of Michael Jackson's biggest music videos, Thriller and Black&White! To say John Landis is a legendary director 
would be an understatement. His style of humor blends well with the gore involved. One moment you'll see a man get his face ripped off and the next scene of a naked man stuck in a zoo. It's actually tough to say whether this is a horror film and not just a very black comedy. Probably most people won't find some of the things in here funny, but to me I had a ball with it.
Favor: An American Werewolf in London
Filmmaking
Again it seems lik
e American Werewolf would take this by a landslide. But remember that there is a good forty years gap between these two films. So trying to just compare and contrast the two directly is a bit stupid on my part. I will still do that but let's remember that these two films were made in two very different climates of the film industry.
Let's make one thing also clear, The Wolf Man pretty much started the werewolf craze. There was already myths about the creature before this and technically this isn't the first werewolf film. However, this is the first real popular film for the creature and helped establish many of the mythos for the hairy beasts. In terms of camera work and cinematography this is a pretty beautiful picture. A good amount of it might be filmed in a backlot but still, the lighting makes the atmosphere absolutely what it should be. Of course you have to mention the outdated special effects of the transformation. Sorry if I sound a bit less then enthusiastic about it but seriously look at the transformation. It's so outdated in today's term and the finished product is laughably bad. However, you have to marvel at what the studio was able to do sorta in the same way with the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde transformation in the self titled film of 1920. It's groundbreaking for the time and it helped influenced other special effects/make up guru's for years to come.
To look at American Werewolf there is something to say. If your a fan of the works of Eli Roth or just gore in horror films in general then you will love this. This could be one of the goriest films you'll ever see period. It's almost to the point of parody but then again this is where the true horror lies. Maybe it's because I've seen this film too many times but I have grown to the point of not screaming at the violence in this. It's up to the point now where I just laugh at it, so maybe I have a bit of a problem in the head. Still it's definitely not something for the weak at heart and this is probably how a true werewolf film should be. You add in some other very memorable special effect sequences and this could be heaven for horror fanatics. Obviously the highlight of this picture is the two and a half minute long transformation of man to wolf. It's painful to watch even to this day and considering it took weeks to film is just a testament to filmmaking. If you can bare to watch it frame by frame just marvel at what was done for this sequence. It's still a must see for any horror buffs.
Favor: To long of a gap to really judge.
Legacy (aka results)
Judging by the scores it looks like we're at a standstill with the films. Maybe that's for the better, no? I'll admit it, I really had no clear winning for this article. Both of these werewolf pictures really stand the test of time even if one is better or worse (depending on how you see it). If you look at it overall; The Wolf Man is yet another great gem by Universal Studios. Maybe not as remembered as Dracula or Frankenstein but still a classic horror monster. While An American Werewolf in London is just a bloody mess of a film (in a very good way) and is a great black comedy. In the long run you'll remember both films for what they are and see just how classic they really are. In fact why not watch both together when you get a chance. That sounds like a good idea, excuse me.
Both great movies, though I personally feel a little more love for American Werewolf. But my personal favorite werewolf movie is Ginger Snaps.
The orignal "Wolfman" was, in my opinion, the best of the original monster movies Universal put out back in the 30s and 40s, with the POSSIBLE exception of Bride of Frankenstein.
I like this comparison approach.
I'm fairly certain that the only werewolf movie that I have seen is Teen Wolf (the masterpiece starring Michael J. Fox).
I will check out An American Werewolf in London. Isn't there one call An American Werewolf in Paris, as well?
Yes there is a 'sequel' that takes place in Paris. But I would avoid it at all costs. It has nothing to do with the original; it has bad CGI, and a laughable story. So avoid that if you can.
Damnit! Should've done a three way with these two and Teen Wolf! We might've had a winner :)
I've never seen the second. I can't imagine it was able to match the incredible quality level of the first.
Respond
The transformation scene in American Werewolf in London is absolutely amazing. Rick Baker did it all with make-up and some nifty animatronics, and it looks better than any CGI I've seen.