An American Werewolf in London vs The Howling Which is Better

An American Werewolf in London vs. The Howling: Which is Better?

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1981 gave the world two all-time classic werewolf movies, An American Werewolf in London and The Howling, but which one is truly better?

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An American Werewolf in London vs The Howling Which is Better

1981 gave the world two all-time classic werewolf movies, An American Werewolf in London and The Howling, but which one is truly better? Compared to other monsters like vampires and ghosts, the lycanthrope doesn’t boast nearly the amount of terrific, iconic films within the horror genre. There’s definitely a top tier though, and both An American Werewolf in London and The Howling hold prominent places within its vaunted ranks. Both films howl louder than the majority of their furry counterparts, and lead the pack of werewolf cinema.

An American Werewolf in London and The Howling also even share a direct connection, as future special effects legend Rick Baker was originally signed on to create the creatures and gore make-up for The Howling, but left the project to serve the same function on director John Landis’ howling horror comedy. Considering Baker would win an Oscar for his work, it would seem he made the right choice, although Baker protege Rob Bottin went on to design pretty great creatures and gore for The Howling in his stead.

Due to both how great they are, and their close proximity of release dates, An American Werewolf in London and The Howling are two of the most commonly compared films in horror history. Individual viewers will continue to decide which one works best for them, but meanwhile, we have our own take.

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An American Werewolf in London vs. The Howling: Which is Better?

Whether or not one prefers An American Werewolf in London or The Howling as their 1980s werewolf film of choice will greatly depend on how much comedy they like mixed with their horror. Both films contain good amounts of pitch black, subversive humor, with The Howling also leaning a lot on genre-specific references. That isn’t surprising with future Gremlins director Joe Dante at the helm. However, director John Landis’ An American Werewolf in London definitely puts the comedy front and center more often, with the film often seeming more focused on making the audience laugh than be scared. Those looking for a more straightforward horror film are likely to prefer The Howling for that reason.

Both films feature lots of gore, and a good amount of nudity as well, from both genders. On those aspects it’s kind of a wash. However, it’s hard to argue that An American Werewolf in London doesn’t feature the cooler creature. While there are far more werewolves included in The Howling, and Rob Bottin did very well with them, they just can’t measure up to what’s featured in American Werewolf, especially its transformation scene. The Howling’s transformation is no slouch, but Rick Baker’s effects work on American Werewolf’s transformation remains astonishing to watch nearly 40 years later, and is still arguably the benchmark for such a scene in horror history.

When it comes to cultural impact, An American Werewolf in London is the clear winner, but that doesn’t necessarily make it the better film. However, we do believe it does earn the victory overall. The Howling is a terrific film in its own right, but American Werewolf’s humor is funnier, its protagonist (played by David Naughton) more compelling – despite a game turn by Dee Wallace as Los Angeles news anchor Karen White – its gore grislier, and its special effects more impressive. At the end of the day though, werewolf fans can’t go wrong with either option, and they make a hell of a double feature.

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Link Source : https://screenrant.com/american-werewolf-london-howling-movies-better-which/

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