BLU-RAY REVIEW

American Werewolf In London, An

Featured In Issue 117, February 2007

Picture3
Sound3
WSR Score4
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
31289
(MPAA Rating):
Not Rated
(Rating Reason):
(Retail Price):
$34.98
(Disc Type):
Dual Side/Dual Layer (HD DVD30/DVD9)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
97
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
1
(Theatrical Year):
1981
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
11/28/06
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
John Landis
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
Dolby Digital+ 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

This beastly cult favorite tells of two young travelers on a three-month European adventure, which turns to terror after they are attacked by a werewolf on their first night in England. Jack (Dunne) doesn't survive his wounds, but David (Naughton) wakes up in a London hospital. When he hears reports that they were attacked by a lunatic, David recalls amidst strange hallucinations and nightmares that their attacker was not human. With visionary help of a mangled undead Jack, David realizes he is a werewolf, and after several murders and two chaotic evenings in London, David meets his destiny.

Special features on the hi-def side include commentary with David Naughton and Griffin Dunne, and My Scenes. On the other side, you will find the same commentary as that found on the DVD reviewed in Issue 54 (minus the DVD ROM material and cast/filmmaker bios): making-of featurette, an interview with John Landis, an interview with makeup artists Rick Baker, archival footage of hand casting, outtakes, storyboard/photo montage, and production notes.

The VC-1-encoded 1.85:1 HD DVD picture is generally underwhelming, with a soft appearance throughout. There are times, however, where the picture can have adequate dimension and detail. Colors are drab, and heavy film grain and some edge enhancement can be bothersome. (Danny Richelieu)

The Dolby® Digital Plus 5.1-channel soundtrack is hampered by the age of the recording. The surrounds can be used effectively to create dimension in the soundfield, but the majority of the track is relegated to the front half of the room. (Danny Richelieu)