Macabre...ish: American Werewolf in London

An American Werewolf in London, 1981/ 97 min.

American backpackers, Jack and David are hitching across Yorkshire and after stopping at a pub, The Slaughtered Lamb and asking about a 5 pointed star on the wall, the patrons become hostile. And they’re forced to leave against the pleas of the pub owner. And it’s a full moon on a stormy night.

A pleasant stroll in the moors, which they were told to avoid, turns into a nightmare when they are mauled by a wolf. Only to be rescued by locals from the pub who are struck by their conscience. The creature is shot but David sees an injured, naked man on the ground, not an animal.

Later, David wakes up alone in the hospital and he’s having weird visions of running through woods naked. Jake did not make it. But returns as a ghost to warn David to do something before the next full moon. He also informs David that he is cursed to be a ghost, an ever decaying ghost, as long as the werewolf bloodline exists.

As expected, the people, not in on the secret, do not believe David. And David does not believe Jack. But he has one insane nightmare after another, all about werewolves.

Once David is convinced, it’s too late and he later wakes up in the wolf enclosure, in the zoo. Then he tries to get arrested but fails. Then has to endure the appears of Jack in worse states of decomposition plus his most recent victims and they are pissed!

The physical effects are seriously gory, graphic! The transformation scene’s one of the best in were-movie history. This movie is also funny bordering on ridiculous, for being so gory and dark. Kind of reminds me of House. Plus adult scenes and nudity.