This horror-comedy classic is a thrilling treat for the spooky season of Halloween…
From the onset, we are introduced to the main location of the film which proves very significant throughout the movie, but I won’t spoil it and reveal why. We look over some empty fields with a familiar song that fans of Grease will know, ‘Blue Moon’. Straight away, there’s a mysterious atmosphere in this setting, leaving the audiences wonder it is giving them this feeling.
David Kessler and Jack Goodman arrive from over the pond and later arrive at local pub ‘The Slaughtered Lamb’ (if that’s not creepy, I don’t know what is). The boys are repeatedly told by the locals to “Beware the moon” – but what could this mean? After the boys leave, their lives from then definitely change, involving a lot of startling surprises along the way.
A clear positive of this film is it clearly proves it is worthy of the thriller genre. The use of non-diegetic sounds and an endless amount of close ups used throughout show the terror the characters are experiencing, almost as if you are with them – but thank goodness we aren’t.
Even though this film is clearly a thriller, another sub-genre within the movie is comedy. In my opinion, this is a great add to the film because it makes a scary film somewhat better to watch just because it will make you want to keep your eyes on the screen even though someone might be getting torn into by a mythical wolf. The cross over of sub genres in films such as these is a typical trait of the director John Landis as he also does this in other films such as The Blues Brothers.
As the film is from the 1980s, it may give it an excuse as technology has progressed a lot since the 20th century, but the visual effects are not the best I have seen after seeing a lot of films. For example, when the unnamed person at this point is turning into the wolf, it is clear the wolf is not real and undoubtedly a stuffed toy. A scene that reminds me of this is when this person is turning into a wolf for the first time. This scene you would think would happen a lot faster but, in the moment, it feels like the process happens pretty slowly, in some way, watching it made me feel uncomfortable just because of how long it was taking.
Ultimately, even though this film may not have the best visual affects due to a different era of technology, it is still worth a watch for those wanting a thrill yet a bit of comedy this Halloween.
By Katie Green
Feature image credit: Universal Pictures