It Came From the ‘80s is a monthly series that pays homage to the monstrous, deadly, and often slimy creatures that made the ‘80s such a fantastic decade in horror.
In terms of werewolf horror, 1981 is still the year to beat. Theatrically, the year saw the release of Wolfen, The Howling, and An American Werewolf in London. The latter of which set the bar high for lycanthropic transformation sequences. The last to arrive on the big screen, An American Werewolf in London demonstrated how to approach a horror-comedy, emphasizing both the laughs and the scares in equal measure. More importantly, the stunning special makeup effects design and creation earned Rick Baker the first-ever Academy Award for Best Makeup.
Baker first formed a working relationship with writer/director John Landis on Landis’s directorial debut, Schlock. It was over that production that Landis told Baker of his script for Werewolf and that he wanted Baker to handle the special makeup effects. Getting the project off the ground, though, proved long and arduous. By the time he finally had the project greenlit, Baker had already signed on to handle the werewolf effects for The Howling. To appease his friend, Baker left the project, putting his protégé Rob Bottin in charge and serving as a consultant. In a candid interview in the 14th issue of Fangoria, Baker revealed this move would ultimately drive a wedge between the special effects artists; Bottin’s tremendous work on The Howling marked him as a competitor.
Though Baker designed and created the werewolf special effects, Landis was specific in his vision. Namely, in that he wanted a demonic hellhound look, a werewolf that walked on all fours. Baker initially had envisioned a bipedal lycanthrope in the vein of The Wolf Man. Based on the short description Landis provided, Baker came up with the final design. The ultimate transformed werewolf is never seen in its entirety. The inciting werewolf attack that leaves Jack Goodman (Griffin Dunne) dead and David Kessler (David Naughton) stricken with lycanthropy is shot with shaky and frenetic camera movements to heighten the ferocity of the attack. From a special makeup effects standpoint, it’s mostly Baker battering Dunne with a werewolf head.
The climactic scenes that feature werewolf David wreaking havoc on the crowded streets of London never show his hindquarters. It’s a werewolf suit built on a sort of wheelbarrow structure; an operator lays on a plank, using his arms to propel the creature forward. Showing the back legs would reveal the magic behind the curtains.
For the iconic transformation scenes, Baker and his team put in many months of work to prepare. They created numerous heads and limbs, which they dubbed “Change-o” heads, hands, and feet to swap out through various stages of David’s transformation. The stretching effect was achieved through a unique material that essentially dissolved over time after production wrapped. The actual sequence took a full week to shoot, working backward with the hair growth. They applied all of the hair to Naughton, and Baker trimmed a little off to mark the progression. For some of the sequence, Naughton’s lower body was secured beneath the floor, with fake legs attached above. Blocking the transformation also proved useful to the sequence; many shots are framed with only parts of the character exposed from behind pieces of furniture. Baker and his team approached this with brilliant simplicity, inventive techniques, and an insane amount of hard work and preparation, working in riveting unison with Naughton’s performance to sell the horror and pain of the transformation.
While David grappled with the horrific changes to his body and mind, his dead friend Jack returned from the grave to warn him. Each new appearance marks an enhanced stage of decay, until his final ghastly appearance in the porn theater. Baker and his team were also responsible for handling Jack’s deterioration. The first of which showed Jack at his most visceral and bloody, and the makeups seriously unnerved Dunne when he first saw himself in them. The final stage was a puppet, which Dunne operated from below as he said his lines for better synchronicity.
The heartbreaking romance between David and Alex (Jenny Agutter), the performances, and the perfect blend of humor and horror make this film a standout. Throw in timeless practical effects that have truly withstood the test of time, with a mind-blowing transformation sequence to top it all off, and An American Werewolf in London remains a gold standard in the genre.