Despite the greying beard, John Landis has about him the youthful, upbeat air of a man who can’t believe his luck. His enthusiasm and good humour are infectious as he jabbers about the upcoming blu-ray release of An American Werewolf in London, premièring at this year’s FrightFest, as well as touching on his greatest hits, upcoming Universal Theatrical re-releases and his relationship with the late Michael Jackson. STS was lucky enough to catch the man at the recent Midnight Movies showing of Werewolf at Soho’s Curzon Theatre, where he proved to be as amiable and amusing as many of his films…
Striding into the Soho Curzon, the grubby seats and collections of movie-freaks in the audience suitably transported you back to 1981, as Midnight Movies celebrated the 30th anniversary of a monster hit. And although Director Landis expressed his hope that this was a good print and waxed lyrical about the Blu-Ray’s detail, the terrible print on offer actually adds to the experience, making this an authentic recreation of those godawful 80s visits to the Scala.
Werewolf is a movie that benefits from being BIG. The Yorkshire moors are oppressive in their grimness – brown and seemingly endless – and, speaking as someone who grew up in a rural area, the tiny hamlet standing in for East Proctor successfully conveys the boredom, and isolation inherent in the location. There really is a feeling that anything could go on out there and it adds to the atmosphere immensely.
