When it comes to fusing horror with comedy, few films do it better than 1981’sAn American Werewolf in London.The fifth film in a successful run by directorJohn Landisthat includedAnimal HouseandThe Blues Brothersrevolves around two American tourists on a walking tour of Britain who are attacked by a werewolf. The movie has received positive reviews since its release and has gained something of a cult status, influencing other comedy/horror directors such as Tim Burton and Edgar Wright.
Update June 13, 2025: For Halloween, this article has been updated with even more facts aboutAn American Werewolf in Londonyou might not have known.
However, despite being a Halloween favorite for over 40 years, there are still lots of things about the film’s production that even the most loyal of fans might not know. There are even some major facts about the movie after its release. So, here are 15 killer facts aboutAn American Werewolf in London.
Landis Conceived the Idea 12 Years Earlier
John Landis was barely old enough to vote when he first came up with the idea forAn American Werewolf in London. 18-year-old Landis was working as a production assistant on 1970’sKelly’s Heroeswhen he conceived the idea, but nobody wanted to make his script throughout the following decade. It wasn’t werewolf films experienced somewhat of a renaissance in the ’80s with the success of titles such asTeen Wolf,The Howling, andFull Moon High, that Landis was able to move forward with the project.
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The Title is a Reference to Two Other Films
WhileAn American Werewolf in Londonhas become a cult classic since its release, what many people won’t know is that its catchy title is actually a cross between two classic films:An American in ParisandWerewolf of London.The former is a 1951 musical starring Gene Kelly and centering on a love triangle between three friends, while the latter is a 1935 horror credited as the first feature-length werewolf film. Overall, a pretty nifty idea for a title.
It Almost Starred Dan Aykroyd
Columbia Pictures
Prior to the release ofAn American Werewolf in London, Landis had made a name for himself as a director of comedies, such as 1980’sThe Blues Brothers.Following that film’s success the previous year, Universal Studios executives were keen for Landis to cast its stars, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, as the characters of David and Jack. Landis refused, though, wanting to cast relative unknowns in the lead roles. Eventually, David Naughton - who was mostly known as the face of Dr. Pepper’s “Be a Pepper” ads - and Griffin Dunne got the parts. Nevertheless, in some parallel world somewhere, there’s a version of the film that stars Aykroyd and Belushi.
The Blues Brothers Did Play a Part, Though
The success of the writer/director’s acclaimed comedies was instrumental in getting the movie made, andThe Blues Brothershelped in another more direct way, too. London’s bustling Piccadilly Circus wasn’t exactly friendly to movie productions. So Landis arranged a free screening of the music-driven comedy and invited 300 local police officers.
Next thing he knew, he had permission to shoot there for a few hours across two nights and even to briefly stop traffic three times. A set was constructed off-site for the crew to rehearse so they could be ready to get multiple takes of the big crash without losing too much time tearing down and setting up again. Landis has a quick cameo during the Piccadilly Circus scene as a pedestrian hit by a car.
A James Bond Producer Was Almost Involved
Landis originally wanted legendary James Bond film producer Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli to be involved with the project, after Landis had done some uncredited rewrites on 1977’sThe Spy Who Loved Me. Unfortunately, Broccoli was less keen and, upon reading the script, bluntly told Landis “Hell no, it’s weird!”. It’s possible the producer went on to regret this.
The Yorkshire Moors Were Actually Wales
Despite its title, the first part ofAn American Werewolf in Londonis actually set in Yorkshire, with the two main characters, David and Jack, backpacking across the famous moors. This is where they first encounter a werewolf. What many people won’t realize is that filming never took place anywhere near Yorkshire and that the supposed mores are actually the Black Mountains in Wales. If you know your UK geography, you know that these are two very different places. Furthermore, the fictional village of East Proctor is actually the Welsh village of Crickadarn in Powys. To hide the fact that it wasn’t actually Yorkshire, a fake tree was used to cover a Welsh-language sign.
See You Next Wednesday is a Recurring Joke
Toward the end of the film, David and Jack attend an adult movie cinema showing a fictional porno cheekily entitled, “See You Next Wednesday”. Scenes from the fake film, which can be seen in the real film, were actually shot by Landis himself and make up a recurring joke that has run through several of Landis’s works. The poster for “See You Next Wednesday” is first shown in Landis’s debut feature,Schlock, where it is also mentioned twice.
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References to it then popped up inThe Kentucky Fried Movie, The Blues Brothers, Trading Places,the Michael JacksonThrillervideo, and others. All in all, there have been nods to the fictional adult film in no less than 16 Landis projects. The joke even pops up in non-Landis films, as a theater with “See You Next Wednesday” can also be seen inHellboy 2: The Golden Army.
Raiders of the Lost ArkandRedswere shooting in London around the same time, thanks to a tax-break. Frank Oz and Jim Henson were in town, and they took Landis to the Comedy Store, where he saw futureThe Young Onesstars Ade Edmondson and Rik Mayall. Landis offered to create parts for both of the young talents, though only one of them showed up. “I don’t think they really believed me because Ade didn’t turn up, but Rik did,” Landis later recounted. “He was right, I didn’t actually have a part for him, but I loved his face, so we sat him down in the Slaughtered Lamb pub for the opening scene, and his presence really helps establish the mood of the movie.”
Certain Songs Couldn’t Be Used
Most fans are aware that the movie is stuffed with classic songs with “moon” in the titles, like Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising” and Van Morrison’s “Moondance.” What’s lesser known is that two of Landis' requests were denied: Cat Stevens' “Moonshadow” and Bob Dylan’s version of “Blue Moon.” In theBeware the Moondocumentaryincluded on the Full Moon Edition Blu-ray, Landis says Dylan said “no” for religious reasons, and Cat Stevens believed werewolves are real.
Landis Got Away With Showing Execs the Same Movie Twice
In a story that will be familiar to many record producers and filmmakers, elsewhere in the documentary, Landis says he showed executive producers the exact same version of the movie they’d seen before after they’d asked him to tone down the gore. He says the unwitting execs declared the supposed new cut, ‘Much better!".
