An American Werewolf in London 4K UHD

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Directed by John Landis
USA 1981

One of the most successful directors of the 1980s, John Landis (The Blues Brothers, Trading Places), expertly combines macabre horror with dark humour in the lycanthropic classic, An American Werewolf in London. American tourists David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) are savaged by an unidentified vicious animal whilst hiking on the Yorkshire Moors. David awakes in a London hospital to find his friend dead and his life in disarray. Retiring to the home of a beautiful nurse (Jenny Agutter, Walkabout) to recuperate, he soon experiences disturbing changes to his mind and body, undergoing a full-moon transformation that will unleash terror on the streets of the capital... An American Werewolf in London had audiences howling with laughter and recoiling in terror upon its cinema release. Landis’ film has gone on to become one of the most important horror films of its decade, rightly lauded for its masterful set-pieces, uniquely unsettling atmosphere and Rick Baker’s truly ground-breaking, Oscar-winning special make-up effects. Now newly restored and presented with an abundance of extra features, this big beast of horror can be devoured as never before...

***

Re-discover one of the most gripping horror films of all-time with the cult classic An American Werewolf in London. Blending the macabre with a wicked sense of humor, director John Landis (National Lampoon’s Animal House) delivers a contemporary take on the classic werewolf tale in this story of two American tourists who, while traveling in London, find their lives changed forever when a vicious wolf attacks them during a full moon.

Posters

Theatrical Release: August 21st, 1981

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

Review: Arrow - Region FREE - 4K UHD

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures:
Distribution	Arrow - Region FREE - 4K UHD
Runtime	1:37:16.163
Video	1.85:1 2160P 4K Ultra HD Disc Size: 96,625,205,296 bytes Feature: 75,018,840,384 bytes Video Bitrate: 92.87 Mbps Codec: HEVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate 4K Ultra HD:
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1083 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1083 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit) DTS-HD Master Audio English 3616 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3616 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit) Commentaries: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Arrow 1.85:1 2160P 4K Ultra HD Disc Size: 96,625,205,296 bytes Feature: 75,018,840,384 bytes Video Bitrate: 92.87 Mbps Codec: HEVC Video Edition Details: 4K Ultra HD disc • Audio commentary by Beware the Moon filmmaker Paul Davis • Audio commentary by actors David Naughton and Griffin Dunne • Mark of The Beast: The Legacy of the Universal Werewolf, newly produced, feature-length documentary by filmmaker Daniel Griffith, featuring interviews with John Landis, David Naughton, Joe Dante and more (01:17:18) • An American Filmmaker in London, a newly filmed interview with John Landis in which he reflects on British cinema and his his time working in Britain (11:41) • I Think He's a Jew: The Werewolf's Secret, new video essay by filmmaker Jon Spira (Elstree 1976) about how Landis’ film explores Jewish identity (11:26) • The Werewolf’s Call, Corin Hardy, director of The Nun, chats with writer Simon Ward about their formative experiences with Landis’ film. (11:26) • Wares of the Wolf, new featurette in which SFX artist Dan Martin and Tim Lawes of The Prop Store look at some of the original costumes and special effects artefacts from the film (07:58) • Beware the Moon, Paul Davis’ acclaimed, feature-length exploration of Landis’ film which boasts extensive cast and crew interviews • Making An American Werewolf in London, a short archival featurette on the film’s production (04:54) • An Interview with John Landis, a lengthy archival interview with the director about the film (18:19) • Makeup Artist Rick Baker on An American Werewolf in London, the legendary make-up artist discusses his work on the film (11:13) • I Walked with a Werewolf, an archival interview with the make-up artist about Universal horror and its legacy of Wolfman films (07:30) (2009) • Casting of the Hand, archival footage from Rick Baker's workshop as they cast David Naughton's hand (10:59) • Outtakes (03:07) • Storyboard Featurette • Original trailers, teasers and radio spots Trailer (02:53) Teaser (01:01) TV Spot (00:31) Extensive image gallery featuring over 200 stills, posters and other ephemera Reversible sleeve featuring original poster art and artwork by Graham Humphreys Double-sided fold-out poster • Six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproductions • Limited edition 60-page, perfect-bound book featuring new writing by Craig Ian Mann and Simon Ward, archival articles and original reviews 4K Ultra HD Release Date: March 14th, 2022 Custom 4K Ultra HD Case (see below) Chapters 12

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray and 4K UHD captures were taken directly from the respective discs.

ADDITION: Arrow 4K UHD (February 2022): Arrow's are releasing John Landis's "An American Werewolf in London" to 4K UHD. One of the first things I noticed about this 3840 X 2160 transfer was how dark the opening scenes are. Arrow use Dolby Vision and it has some improved subtleties. Yes, it is darker and colors gain a richness without looking as saturated as Arrow's 2019 Blu-ray. The HDR advances on the previous image(s) looking more thick and stable, gorgeous heavy grains and the layered contrast provides much deeper black levels. Darker scenes can appear quite dark, with more lit sequences expanding the color palette to newer level of richness. Saying that it never looked inappropriately embellished in the context of their consistency and balance. Outside of the opening scenes when you get into the guts of the film the superiority becomes very apparent. This may have the highest bitrate I have seen on a digital film media at over 90 mbps - exceeding triple that of anything seen previously and the make-up limitations are never fully transparent thank to the expert editing.

It is likely that the monitor you are seeing this review is not an HDR-compatible display (High Dynamic Range) or Dolby Vision, where each pixel can be assigned with a wider and notably granular range of color and light. Our capture software if simulating the HDR (in a uniform manner) for standard monitors. This should make it easier for us to review more 4K UHD titles in the future and give you a decent idea of its attributes on your system. So our captures may not support the exact same colors (coolness of skin tones, brighter or darker hues etc.) as the 4K system at your home. But the framing, detail, grain texture support etc. are, generally, not effected by this simulation representation.

NOTE: 52 more more full resolution (3840 X 2160) 4K UHD captures, in lossless PNG format, for Patrons are available HERE

We have reviewed the following 4K UHD packages to date: A Hard Day's Night (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Piano (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Great Escape (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Red Shoes (software uniformly simulated HDR), Citizen Kane (software uniformly simulated HDR), Unbreakable (software uniformly simulated HDR), Mulholland Dr. (software uniformly simulated HDR), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Hills Have Eyes (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Servant (software uniformly simulated HDR), Anatomy of a Murder (software uniformly simulated HDR), Taxi Driver (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Wolf Man (1941) (software uniformly simulated HDR), Frankenstein (1931) (software uniformly simulated HDR), Deep Red (software uniformly simulated HDR), Misery (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Silence of the Lambs (software uniformly simulated HDR), John Carpenter's "The Thing" (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Cat' o'Nine Tails (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (software uniformly simulated HDR), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (software uniformly simulated HDR), Perdita Durango (software uniformly simulated HDR), Django (software uniformly simulated HDR), Fanny Lye Deliver'd (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, (NO HDR applied to disc), Rollerball (software uniformly simulated HDR), Chernobyl (software uniformly simulated HDR), Daughters of Darkness (software uniformly simulated HDR), Vigilante (software uniformly simulated HDR), Tremors (software uniformly simulated HDR), Cinema Paradiso (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Bourne Legacy (software uniformly simulated HDR), Full Metal Jacket (software uniformly simulated HDR), Psycho (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Birds (software uniformly simulated HDR), Rear Window (software uniformly simulated HDR), Vertigo (software uniformly simulated HDR), Spartacus (software uniformly simulated HDR), Jaws (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Invisible Man, (software uniformly simulated HDR), Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds (software uniformly simulated HDR), Lucio Fulci's 1979 Zombie (software uniformly simulated HDR),, 2004's Van Helsing (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Shallows (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Bridge on the River Kwai (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Deer Hunter (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Elephant Man (software uniformly simulated HDR), A Quiet Place (software uniformly simulated HDR), Easy Rider (software uniformly simulated HDR), Suspiria (software uniformly simulated HDR), Pan's Labyrinth (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Wizard of Oz, (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Shining, (software uniformly simulated HDR), Batman Returns (software uniformly simulated HDR), Don't Look Now (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Man Who Killed Killed and then The Bigfoot (software uniformly simulated HDR),, Bram Stoker's Dracula (software uniformly simulated HDR), Lucy (software uniformly simulated HDR), They Live (software uniformly simulated HDR), Shutter Island (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Matrix (software uniformly simulated HDR), Alien (software uniformly simulated HDR), Toy Story (software uniformly simulated HDR), A Few Good Men (software uniformly simulated HDR), 2001: A Space Odyssey (HDR caps udated), Schindler's List (simulated HDR), The Neon Demon (No HDR), Dawn of the Dead (No HDR), Saving Private Ryan (simulated HDR and 'raw' captures), Suspiria (No HDR), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (No HDR), The Big Lebowski, and I Am Legend (simulated and 'raw' HDR captures).

On their 4K UHD, Arrow gives the same options as their 2019 Blu-ray. An original uncompressed 1.0 mono and optional 5.1 DTS-HD Master tracks are the two choices here (both offered in 24-bit). The surround is quite robust and the film is filled with aggression - notably the werewolf's fierce, and terrifying, growls. It lacks subtlety and purists may opt for the more passive mono that still exports bass. The score is by Elmer Bernstein (From the Terrace, The Hallelujah Trail, The Grifters, Birdman of Alcatraz, Love With the Proper Stranger, The Bride at Remagen, The Comancheros, The World of Henry Orient, Kings of the Sun, Hud, To Kill a Mockingbird, Summer and Smoke) and there are a wonderful selection of 'moon-related' tunes including Blue Moon with The Marcels, Bobby Vinton and Sam Cooke versions, Van Morrison's Moondance, Creedence Clearwater Revival's Bad Moon Rising etc. They all sound excellent... and appropriate. There are optional English subtitles on this Region 'Free' 4K UHD (as they all are) from Arrow Video.

The numerous extras on this 4K UHD disc were on the Arrow Blu-ray from 2019. Some bonus features had been released before (both on the Universal Blu-ray and elsewhere) but there are also a lot of content very worthy of "An American Werewolf in London". Included in this 4K UHD release is the audio commentary by Beware the Moon filmmaker Paul Davis. The previous commentary with actors David Naughton and Griffin Dunne also reappears on this new 4K UHD release. "Mark of the Beast: The Legacy of the Universal Werewolf" is one of the better bonus features. It's a well-produced feature-length (77-minute) documentary from filmmaker Daniel Griffith (featuring interviews with John Landis, David Naughton, Joe Dante, Steve Haberman, Mick Garris, Peter Atkins, Phoef Sutton, Richard Heft, Eric Hoffman, Preston Neal Jones, Craig Reardon, Justin Humphreys, C. Courtney Joyner, and Mike Hill - a veritable who's who of monster movie writers, directors, historians, and special effects artists). This is not just a talking heads affair, rather there are many scenes from the Universal vault, showing the evolution of the werewolf over the years, as well as various posters and artwork. Also here in the special features menu is a rather exhaustive image gallery (broken up into the following subjects; Production Stills, Behind the Scenes, Posters, Lobby Cards, Storyboards, Shooting Schedule). This 4K UHD release also includes a double-sided fold-out poster, six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproductions and a limited edition 60-page, perfect-bound book featuring new writing by Craig Ian Mann and Simon Ward, archival articles and original reviews. It's quite a loaded package - especially considering all digital extras are on the lone 4K UHD disc (there is no additional Blu-ray.)

One of the more enduring attributes of John Landis's "An American Werewolf" is the sly mix of genres including comedy, romance and, of course, horror. It's also quite fun... and often shockingly graphic. It offers a minor homage to the Universal original The Wolf Man. I enjoy it every time I watch it - over decades now. It remains a very visual experience and Arrow's 4K UHD release is easily the definitive with such a film-like image, lossless sound options, and expensive extras including commentates plus the large booklet. Fans of this unique early 80's gem should definitely indulge in this 4K UHD.

Gary Tooze

Menus / Extras

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY and 4K UHD CAPTURE TO SEE IN FULL RESOLUTION

1) Universal - Region 1 - NTSC TOP

2) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray MIDDLE

3) Arrow - Region FREE - 4K UHD BOTTOM