The Big Picture

An American Werewolf in London is more than just a horror film – it’s a tragedy that explores the meaning of loss and the curse of the werewolf. The film focuses on the psychological side of the curse, delving into the internal struggle of the protagonist and the effects of trauma on his identity. The ending of the film is depressing but not surprising, as it follows the tragic path of the doomed protagonist and highlights the cyclical nature of trauma.

Before the credits even begin to roll over the opening frames of An American Werewolf in London, there’s a cast of gloom hanging over the film. It’s dedicated to Jim O’ Rourke, a producer who died during the making of the film – a portent, in a way, of what’s to come. As the first strains of Blue Moon fade in, it seems as though we’re being warned. (You saw me standing alone, without a dream in my heart, the singer croons. Without a love of my own.) It’s jarring, even – isn’t this supposed to be a straight-up horror film, a Halloween classic? While it is both of those things, it’s also something else. Something that many viewers overlook in favor of the film’s comedic aspects and great practical effects. An American Werewolf in London is, in fact, a tragedy.

From the inescapable doom that befalls our hero to the bloody aftermath of his rampage, the film is most interested in exploring what meaning (if any) can be gleaned from loss. The archetypal Werewolf, after all, is more than just super strong and a symbol of transformative identity. He’s also a tortured creature, something cursed to live as he isn’t under the light of a full moon. Werewolf stories are, at their core, about a loss of control. 1981’s American Werewolf is no different. Instead of focusing on the gore, however, it chooses to linger on the psychological side of the curse, and in doing so remains fresh and relevant, even in the age of elevated horror.

Image via Universal Pictures An American Werewolf In London Two American college students on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists.

‘An American Werewolf in London’ Goes for the Throat
As the film begins, we’re presented with two main characters, or so we think. David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) are on a trip to Europe. When we meet them, they’re on the English leg of their trip, seeking shelter from the cold Moors by entering a local pub. (Ominously, it’s called The Slaughtered Lamb.) The secretive town citizens greet them with scorn and disdain, driving them out and onto the Moors with a warning: Beware the moon. Of course, being young American men, David and Jack pay no mind to the superstitious beliefs of the locals, until, suddenly, Jack is attacked. It’s shocking for David and for the audience. Right after a lighthearted attempt to help David up from a fall, he’s suddenly dragged to the ground and ravaged. His puffer jacket is torn apart, his throat is ripped open, and David – lying in a stunned daze – is saved by some townsfolk, who shoot the attacking creature. (David looks over once death has transformed the body back into its human form – it was just an old man.) We’re not even a fourth of the way through the film, and already our expectations have been usurped. Jack is gone.

Now, David is alone in a strange land, traumatized by what he’s witnessed. Worse yet, hospital personnel don’t seem to believe the true nature of what killed his friend. All of a sudden, this is no longer just a film about werewolves. After all, the question is not whether David is a supernatural creature, that’s cleared up quite quickly when an undead Jack visits him and fills him in. The question is what David will do about it. There’s no hope for Jack, and the movie is not interested in rescuing him from his fate. What’s even more shocking, however, is that there’s no hope for David either. As Jack tells it, the werewolf attack has cursed him to a lifetime of hurting others. The only way out is to take his own life. Stuck between his fear and his evil actions, David is essentially doomed from the start, a common element in many classic tragedies. Doomed, yes, but not before he takes someone else with him.

What Is ‘An American Werewolf In London’ Really About?

David begins having vivid nightmares after Jack passes away. (Or what he thinks are nightmares, anyway.) He runs through the woods naked, ripping into animals with his bare teeth. He imagines his home and family in a comfortable domestic scene, disrupted by lupine militants with machine guns. He sees his face, changed into a pale mask of wolfish delight. He is scared of himself, of his mind, and it all stems from the trauma of his friend’s horrific end. From witnessing his brutal death to being haunted by Jack’s rotting corpse, David is internally consumed by his grief.

He’s also transformed by it, quite literally. If the werewolf curse was passed to David after Jack’s death, its lingering physical effects could be seen as a metaphor for how trauma changes us. It makes us unfamiliar even to ourselves, afraid of our memories. In a very literal sense, David is no longer in control. The joy of a new relationship with nurse Alex Price (Jenny Agutter) has convinced David that he’s imagining the curse. It seems ridiculous, so why shouldn’t he treat it that way? He’s flippant about it, even naive, making snarling faces in the mirror. But the disdain quickly vanishes when his body begins to break. In one of the best examples of practical effects in horror history, we’re treated to a very well-lit transformation scene. His hands elongate, his face becomes more doglike, and hair pushes its way through his sweaty skin. It’s supremely gross, but the true horror comes from the pure pain David endures during the change. He might have been able to push his fear away in the light of day, but there’s no hiding from the full moon. The residual damage within us can’t simply be disregarded. Once again, as he writhes on the ground, Blue Moon plays on the soundtrack. It’s a strange choice, a mellow tune for such a horrible visual display. But that’s the nature of trauma, isn’t it? It doesn’t always match the mood.

What Happens at the End of ‘An American Werewolf in London’?
Image via Universal Pictures

Of course, the tragedy of An American Werewolf in London culminates with its famous ending. Though Alex does believe that David is in trouble, she’s too late to save him. David calls his little sister to say goodbye, and, later, causes a disaster at Picadilly Circus. Running wild as a werewolf, he bites citizens, causes car crashes, and contributes to accidents that kill many more. Alex does manage to make it to him, just barely, and tries to reach the humanity left in her lover. She looks into his eyes, pleading with him to stop his attack. And, for a moment, we see what could be a hint of recognition in his yellow-green irises. But then, of course, he lunges at her anyway and is killed by the police. It’s depressing but not surprising – we knew it had to end like this, one way or another.

But this moment is not the saddest one between Alex and David. Much earlier in the film, the two are lying in Alex’s bed. David has just seen Jack again, this time in Alex’s living room. “Do you believe me?” He asks. “I believe that you loved him very much, and that, somehow, you blame yourself for his death,” Alex says. David switches topics, quickly darting away from a painful memory. Has she ever seen Lon Chaney’s 1941 film The Wolfman? “Claude Rains is Lon Chaney’s father, and he ends up killing him,” David explains. “Well, I think that a werewolf can only be killed by someone who loves him.” Alex may not have pulled the trigger, but David still dies, and, in doing so, passes his pain down to her. Trauma is a cyclical beast. So is a werewolf.

An American Werewolf in London is available to buy on Apple TV+ in the U.S.

Watch on Apple TV+