The_Film_That_Changed_My_Life

An American Werewolf in London
5
to them, which is very unusual for any horror film. When Griffin Dunne
gets killed within fifteen minutes, it’s shocking. Because even in just the first
fifteen minutes, he establishes himself as incredibly engaging and funny.
Landis set out to make a horror film, and then his comedy instincts,
which are amazing, just kind of shined through throughout the film. But
what really sells An American Werewolf in London is the horror elements,
which are really vivid and really work. It’s properly scary and properly gory
and full-blooded.
It is just as interesting that he wrote it when he was a teenager because it
does feel like—and this is probably one of the reasons I liked it so much at
a young age—it feels so much like the ultimate sixteen-year-old film. And I
mean this so much as a compliment.
He actually said this to me when I did the Q&A with him. Some of the
dialogue in the film—particularly the monologue by Jenny Agutter just
before she sleeps with Naughton, when she says, “I’ve had seven lovers”
[laughs]—Landis said, “Oh, that was like the teenage me speaking.”
And I said, “I don’t care; I love it! It worked for me.”
Well, anytime you have a female character be that open . . .
Wright: Yes. It’s interesting that he brought that up as being something
that didn’t work for him. But it’s funny. I’ve just seen it so many times. Obviously
when you’re a preteen or teenager, you’re thinking, “Oh my God, he’s
kissed Jenny Agutter. This is amazing! Things aren’t that bad! His friend’s
dead; he’s a werewolf. But he gets to go home with the ultimate English rose
straight out of hospital. It’s not a bad game!” [laughter]
How much impact did An American Werewolf in London have on Shaun
of the Dead, your own horror-comedy?
Wright: The tone of it very much influenced Shaun of the Dead. One of the
things that we made as a rule for ourselves in Shaun of the Dead is that—
with very few exceptions—all the humor came from the reactions and the
context. And nobody said anything in dialogue that they wouldn’t be able to
come up with on the spot.
Now, a lot of ’90s horror-comedies are written with more stylized dialogue,
you know, where people are being very witty about things that are