The_Film_That_Changed_My_Life

6 Edgar Wright
going on. People are coming up with zingers about the situation. And I
think the thing that really makes An American Werewolf in London feel
very real is that the reactions of all the characters—even though they’re
kind of incredulous sometimes—they feel kinda real.
The comedy helps the realism of the piece, if that makes sense. When
they’re on the moors and they know they’re in trouble, and they’re lost, and
it’s raining, and there’s a wolf howling—they start nervously laughing about it.
It’s moments like that where they’re joking around because you get into that
slight kind of hysteria. Like where you’re shit-scared and you’re trying to take
your mind off of it by joking with each other. And it really nails that aspect.
I think there’s just a real alchemy to this film. John knew exactly what he
was doing. It was the film that he really wanted to make even before Animal
House and The Blues Brothers. This was his real passion project, and he had
ten years to think about it and build up to it.
Well, Edgar, the title of the book is The Film That Changed My Life, so
can you tell me how it changed your life?
Wright: I’ve always been fascinated by horror films and genre films. And
horror films harbored a fascination for me and always have been something
I’ve wanted to watch and wanted to make. Equally, I’m very fascinated by
comedy. I suppose the reason that this film changed my life is that very early
on in my film-watching experiences, I saw a film that was so sophisticated
in its tone and what it managed to achieve.
It really changed my life. It’s informed both Shaun of the Dead and Hot
Fuzz. There have been moments of verbal comedy, physical comedy, and
tonal comedy. And extreme violence, somehow. Something like An American
Werewolf in London, the idea of having this mix of socially awkward
comedy preceded by incredibly vivid Oscar-winning horror, was just astonishing—is
really astonishing. Horror films never get considered for Academy
Awards; it’s kind of incredible that An American Werewolf in London
won the first ever makeup Oscar.
Tell me about your favorite scene.
Wright: I’ve got so many favorite scenes in that film. Well, the werewolf
transformation scene prominently features my favorite shot. The transfor-