#67 - "An American Werewolf in London" (1981) with Gerry D. from "Totally Rad Christmas" Podcast

In terms of werewolf horror, 1981 is still the year to beat. Theatrically, the year saw the release of Wolfen, The Howling, and this 80’s flick which set the bar high for lycanthropic transformation sequences. The last to arrive on the big screen, it demonstrated how to approach a horror-comedy, emphasizing both the laughs and the scares in equal measure. More importantly, the stunning special makeup effects design and creation earned Rick Baker the first-ever Academy Award for Best Makeup. So grab your backpacks, grab a drink from the Slaughtered Lamb pub, and watch out for a full moon as Tim Williams and guest co-host, Gerry D from "Totally Rad Christmas" podcast, discuss “An American Werewolf in London” from 1981 on this episode of the 80’s Flick Flashback Podcast!

Here are some additional behind the scenes trivia we were unable to cover in this episode:

• The episode of The Muppet Show (1976) playing on the television during David's nightmare sequence is The Muppet Show: Señor Wences (1980), but the portion shown was never shown in the U.S. This is why Americans often assumed it to be a fake episode, and why Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog are credited.
• After filming was completed the whole crew danced in a circle around David Naughton who was still in his werewolf makeup on the floor singing "I'm a werewolf, you're a werewolf, wouldn't you like to be a werewolf too" as a throwback to his days as a pitchman for the Dr. Pepper commercials.
• Rick Baker claimed to have been disappointed by the amount of time spent shooting the face-changing shot for the transformation after having spent months working on the mechanism. John Landis only required one take lasting about seven seconds. Baker felt he had wasted his time until seeing the film with an audience that applauded during that one seven-second shot.

Sources:

Wikipedia, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo,

https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3609546/an-american-werewolf-in-london-iconic-transformation-came-80s/

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