An American Werewolf in London (1981): In an exciting departure from "Animal House" and "The Blues Brothers," writer-director John Landis cleverly balanced the funny and the frightening with this story of a couple of American students (David Naughton and Griffin Dunne) who run into some monstrous trouble while backpacking through England. The transformation Naughton's character undergoes is riveting, and the elaborate special-effects makeup ... more 

An American Werewolf in London (1981): In an exciting departure from "Animal House" and "The Blues Brothers," writer-director John Landis cleverly balanced the funny and the frightening with this story of a couple of American students (David Naughton and Griffin Dunne) who run into some monstrous trouble while backpacking through England. The transformation Naughton's character undergoes is riveting, and the elaborate special-effects makeup deservedly earned Rick Baker an Academy Award. "American Werewolf" also paved the way for Landis to direct Michael Jackson's landmark "Thriller" video. less