Why So Blu?

Stephen Fancies An American Werewolf in London Blu-ray Release

It has been described as one of the most important horror films of all time.  It was made with special effects that would redefine the genre.  Now with the release of An American Werewolf in London on Blu-ray, I look back at what made this film one of the most terrifying of all time and how Hollywood plans to redevelop, once again a horror classic.

 While working as a production assistant on Kelly’s Heroes in Yugoslavia, up and coming Director John Landis drove past a gypsy camp after a long weary day.  The gypsies, in the middle of a ritual funeral, scared the hell out of Landis, convincing him in his mind he would not be able to face the undead.  Landis wrote his first draft of an American Werewolf back in 1969, but shelved it due to comedic opportunities in films such as the comedy genius of Animal House.  With a script and box office criteria too good to be true, Landis secured a 10 million dollar finance to make his partly comedic and partly terrifying little wolf film.

With the slaughtered lamb pub and prolific make up effects (which would create the special make up effects category at the Oscars) that caused people to squirm and scream in every movie theatre it played in, American Werewolf became a masterpiece in its own right.  Landis would even slightly remake the film in the 11-minute legendary music video for Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”  But what makes this film stand out from many other horror films made at the time was the fact that it was purely insanity on celluloid.  The film was a horror but in it’s own right it was a genre that could not be explained.  The simplest truth was that it was fun.  It evoked what may be described as the two best emotions anyone can feel while watching a motion picture on the silver screen, laughter and shock.  Landis has cemented his name as the man of all trades.  No genre was off limits, be it comedy or horror.  But once his hands was on the film you can be sure something was going to happen that would leave you thinking.

Landis and special effects guru Baker, who won an academy award for this film, have said that after watching the movie years later they realized how crazy and gory the film actually is.  But that was then and this is now.  Their have been many werewolf films since American Werewolf, even the nauseating sequel film An American Werewolf in Paris, which for this writer made me like Paris even less then I already do, let alone because it was trying to replicate what is purely one of a kind.

But once again Hollywood with its infinite creativity is going remake what is to many a horror classic.  Okay, they remade Chainsaw, Halloween and The Fog.  But why can’t they just leave this one alone?  The Wolf Man is coming out.  Twilight has werewolves in it.  Can Hollywood not just hire some hack writer to scribe a new breed of wolf man film and leave American Werewolf alone?  Why must they dilute the well by tainting the best we have and cheapening it with hot young named actors who care nothing about the original, as long as they get the hefty pay check.  Dimension films has planned to produce the remake of the classic for release in 2011, most likely with Megan Fox as the werewolf and the film shot in Mexico, rather then London.  I wait, holding my breath, to see this CGI laden remake that I am sure will suck.

But lets not take away from the Blu-ray release of the original and quote me on this better version of any to come.  An American Werewolf in London will continue to make its mark on the scared side of our brains as long as the adrenaline rush of being scared and formats to bring it to us continue to change.  And remember when walking across the Moor’s at night, look for the full moon and prepare to run.