13 March 2022

Review: An American Werewolf in London 4K UHD Limited Edition

4K UHD Blu-ray: An American Werewolf in London (1981)

What can I say about An American Werewolf in London that hasn’t been said before!?

A cinematic classic that hasn’t aged since its release 41 years ago, and now looks better than ever on this 4K UHD release from Arrow Films.

Both myself & Tina commented while watching that we were seeing details that we’d never noticed before on previous releases, particularly in the darker scenes…of which there are plenty.

The initial attack scene on the moors and the final scene in Trafalgar Square revealed more than we’d ever seen, while colours popped and David’s red puffer jacket looked better than it has ever done.

Still retaining a layer of film grain to keep that cinematic look, details both during the day and night scenes are superb, highlighting the incredible special make-up effects by Rick Baker and his team, which stand up to close scrutiny to this day and still look amazing with the added clarity and resolution that this 4K UHD brings.

The 5.1 DTS-HD master audio track immerses you further into the narrative, with some good spot effects coming from the rear speakers and unnerving you as you wait for the werewolf to attack once again.

The story is timeless: boy meets girl, boy falls in love with the girl, boy turns into a werewolf and starts attacking people.

I’m not even going to begin to give anymore of a synopsis of the movie than that, as you’ve either watched it dozens of times already (like myself), or if for some reason you’ve never watched it before, I sure as hell don’t want to spoil a classic such as this.

What I will say is that this is one of those movies that never fails to entertain no matter how many times you watch it. Filled with amazing scenes, likeable characters, quotable lines (if you play darts you will start saying “You…made me miss” to someone whenever you miss the board), a great soundtrack, and the best werewolf transformation scene in cinema history.

As if an amazing movie released with the best picture and sound quality isn’t enough, this is also loaded with incredible special features, which will keep you entertained for many hours after you’ve watched the main feature…before inevitably going back and watching the movie again…and again.

Go and buy it now, you won’t be disappointed.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films from the original camera negative
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original uncompressed 1.0 mono and optional 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary by Beware the Moon filmmaker Paul Davis
Audio commentary by actors David Naughton and Griffin Dunne
Mark of The Beast: The Legacy of the Universal Werewolf, a feature-length documentary by filmmaker Daniel Griffith, featuring interviews with John Landis, David Naughton, Joe Dante and more
An American Filmmaker in London, an interview with John Landis in which he reflects on British cinema and his time working in Britain
I Think He’s a Jew: The Werewolf’s Secret, a video essay by filmmaker Jon Spira (Elstree 1976) about how Landis’ film explores Jewish identity
The Werewolf’s Call, Corin Hardy, director of The Hallow and The Nun, chats with writer Simon Ward about their formative experiences with Landis’ film
Wares of the Wolf, a featurette in which SFX artist Dan Martin and Tim Lawes of Prop Store look at some of the original costumes and special effects artefacts from the film
Beware the Moon, Paul Davis’ acclaimed, feature-length exploration of Landis’ film which boasts extensive cast and crew interviews
An American Werewolf in Bob’s Basement and Causing a Disturbance: Piccadilly Revisited, two 2008 featurettes filmed by Paul Davis
Making An American Werewolf in London, a short archival featurette on the film’s production
An Interview with John Landis, a lengthy archival interview with the director about the film
Make-up Artist Rick Baker on An American Werewolf in London, the legendary make-up artist discusses his work on the film
I Walked with a Werewolf, an archival interview with Rick Baker about Universal horror and its legacy of Wolfman films
Casting of the Hand, archival footage from Rick Baker’s workshop showing the casting of David Naughton’s hand
Outtakes
Storyboards featurette
Original trailer and teaser plus TV and radio spots
Extensive image gallery featuring over 200 stills, posters and other ephemera
Reversible sleeve featuring original poster art and artwork by Graham Humphreys
Double-sided fold-out poster
Six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproductions
Limited edition 60-page, perfect-bound book featuring new writing by Craig Ian Mann and Simon Ward, archival articles and original reviews