An American Werewolf in London(1981)
Beware the moon.
David Kessler (David Naughton) and Jack Goodman (Griffin Dunne) are backpacking across the Yorkshire moors when they are attacked by a huge, vicious wolflike creature that pretty much leaves poor Jack a bloody mess and David rescued by the locals, but not before he's sliced up a bit. He wakes up three weeks later in a London hospital, only to learn that the hospital staff and the police are under the impression that David was attacked by an escaped lunatic. Jack, on the other hand, is re-animated, visible only to David, and warns him of what will happen to David at the next full moon. Jack urges suicide to avoid further bloodshed but Jack is unconvinced. Nurse Price (Jenny Agutter) takes quite a shine to this sad case for a man and takes him home with her for further recovery. Full moon awaits as David is growing worried for his sanity.
First of all, why the hell didn't they stick to the road, as admonished by the locals, and instead took a path further into the moors? Well, that aside (and all other plot-holes), it was an enjoyable movie experience. In terms of quality, I don't think it could have been better. It's very well-crafted, perfectly paced. I believe Landis made a magnificent job in mixing comedy, horror, gore and romance all in one movie. For a horror, I wouldn't say it was actually scary but like all other horror films, there is quite a thrill in it. There is a whole lot of fun moments driven mainly by well written dialogs. The special effects/makeup, as I understand, was groundbreaking during its time. The transformation scene is considerably superior even when compared to modern CGI.
Some of the most notable scenes are: the one where David dreams of his family being slaughtered by Nazi-like monsters, the chase in the underground, and my favorite - the total mayhem at the Piccadilly. Some would say the ending was too abrupt, but it was just the way I liked it. It left the impression that the whole story is about the tragedy.
There is so much to like about this film. Not my favorite of the horror-comedy genre, but definitely one of the best.