Popularity: 6 (history)
| Director: | John Landis |
|---|---|
| Writer: | John Landis |
| Staring: |
| American tourists David and Jack are savaged by an unidentified vicious animal whilst hiking on the Yorkshire Moors. Retiring to the home of a beautiful nurse to recuperate, David soon experiences disturbing changes to his mind and body. | |
| Release Date: | Aug 21, 1981 |
|---|---|
| Director: | John Landis |
| Writer: | John Landis |
| Genres: | Comedy, Horror |
| Keywords | london, england, nurse, loss of loved one, intensive care, zoo, affectation, dying and death, transformation, full moon, black humor, london underground, yorkshire, rural area, werewolf, creature, moor (terrain), british pub, dream sequence, macabre, angry, hikers, aggressive, malicious, playful, london zoo, practical special effects, provocative, absurd, incredulous, hilarious, admiring, adoring, ambiguous, ambivalent, amused, baffled, defiant, foreboding, horrified |
| Production Companies | Lyncanthrope Films, Polygram Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $31,973,249
Budget: $10,000,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 21, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| David Naughton | David Kessler |
| Jenny Agutter | Nurse Alex Price |
| Griffin Dunne | Jack Goodman |
| John Woodvine | Dr. J. S. Hirsch |
| Don McKillop | Inspector Villiers |
| Brian Glover | Chess Player |
| David Schofield | Dart Player |
| Lila Kaye | Barmaid |
| Rik Mayall | Second Chess Player |
| Sean Baker | 2nd Dart Player |
| Frank Oz | Mr. Collins |
| Paul Kember | Sergeant McManus |
| Joe Belcher | Truck Driver |
| Paddy Ryan | First Werewolf |
| Anne-Marie Davies | Nurse Susan Gallagher |
| Colin Fernandes | Benjamin |
| Albert Moses | Hospital Porter |
| Michele Brisigotti | Rachel Kessler |
| Mark Fisher | Max Kessler |
| Gordon Sterne | Mr. Kessler |
| Paula Jacobs | Mrs. Kessler |
| Claudine Bowyer | Creepy Little Girl |
| Johanna Crayden | Creepy Little Girl |
| Nina Carter | Naughty Nina |
| Geoffrey Burridge | Harry Berman |
| Brenda Cavendish | Judith Browns |
| Christopher Scoular | Sean |
| Mary Tempest | Sean's Wife |
| Cynthia Powell | Sister Hobbs |
| Sydney Bromley | Alf |
| Frank Singuineau | Ted |
| Will Leighton | Joseph |
| Michael Carter | Gerald Bringsley |
| Elizabeth Bradley | Woman in Zoo |
| Rufus Deakin | Little Boy with Balloons |
| Lesley Ward | Little Boy's Mother |
| George Hilsdon | News-vendor |
| Gerry Lewis | Man in Bus Queue |
| Dennis Fraser | 2nd Man in Bus Queue |
| Alan Ford | Taxi Driver |
| Peter Ellis | Bobby in Trafalgar Square |
| Denise Stephens | Girl in Trafalgar Square |
| Christine Hargreaves | Ticket Lady |
| Lucien Morgan | Lance Boyle ("See You Next Wednesday" Cast) |
| Dave Cooper | Chris Bailey ("See You Next Wednesday" Cast) |
| Susan Spencer | Georgia Bailey ("See You Next Wednesday" Cast) |
| Bob Babenia | Usher |
| Ken Sicklen | Bobby at Cinema |
| John Salthouse | Bobby at Cinema |
| John Altman | Assorted Police |
| Keith Hodiak | Assorted Police |
| John Owens | Assorted Police |
| Roger Rowland | Assorted Police |
| Linzi Drew | Brenda Bristols |
| John Cannon | Villager (uncredited) |
| George Oliver | Man in Cinema (uncredited) |
| John Landis | Man Smashed into Window (uncredited) |
| Simon van Collem | Shop Owner (uncredited) |
| James Payne | Taxi Driver (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| John Landis | Director, Screenplay |
| Elmer Bernstein | Original Music Composer |
| Debbie McWilliams | Casting |
| Colin Skeaping | Stunts |
| Rick Baker | Makeup Artist, Makeup Effects |
| Bill Hargreaves | Props |
| Greg Powell | Stunts |
| Dickey Beer | Stunts |
| Nick Hobbs | Stunts |
| Vic Armstrong | Stunts |
| Tracey Eddon | Stunts |
| Peter Diamond | Stunts |
| Valentino Musetti | Stunts |
| Rocky Taylor | Stunts |
| Romo Gorrara | Stunts |
| Paul Weston | Stunts |
| Robert Paynter | Director of Photography |
| Malcolm Campbell | Editor |
| Leslie Dilley | Art Direction |
| Deborah Nadoolman Landis | Costume Design |
| Robin Grantham | Makeup Artist |
| Joyce Herlihy | Production Manager |
| John Poyner | Sound Editor |
| Martin Gutteridge | Special Effects |
| Roy Alon | Stunts |
| Ray Freeborn | Location Manager |
| Simon Battersby | Assistant Editor |
| Clive Hartley | Assistant Editor |
| Anna Ksiezopolska | Assistant Editor |
| Steven Maguire | Assistant Editor |
| Jonathan Lucas | Assistant Editor |
| Beryl Lerman | Makeup Artist |
| Roy Benson | Assistant Sound Editor |
| Rocky Phelan | Assistant Sound Editor |
| Don Sharpe | Sound Editor |
| Ivan Sharrock | Sound Mixer |
| Ken Weston | Boom Operator |
| Rowland Fowles | Boom Operator |
| Richard Lightman | Special Sound Effects |
| Ian Hickinbotham | Wardrobe Master |
| Michael Clifford | Music Editor |
| Peter Childs | Assistant Art Director |
| Len Furey | Construction Manager |
| Fred Gunning | Supervising Carpenter |
| Derek Ixer | Dressing Prop |
| Dave Jordan | Property Master |
| Keith Pain | Assistant Art Director |
| Simon Wakefield | Set Dresser |
| Donald Banks | Sound Assistant |
| Sue Crosland | Stunts |
| Ken Barker | Stunts |
| Sadie Eden | Stunts |
| Terry Forrestal | Stunts |
| Clive Curtis | Stunts |
| Billy Horrigan | Stunts |
| Fred Haggerty | Stunts |
| Gareth Milne | Stunts |
| Carl La Fong | Stunts |
| Arthur Howell | Stunts |
| Terence Plummer | Stunts |
| Doug Robinson | Stunts |
| Tony Smart | Stunts |
| Ken Sheppard | Stunts |
| Nick Wilkinson | Stunts |
| John Roberts | Painter |
| Marc Boyle | Stunts |
| Frank Henson | Stunts |
| Jim Passon | Color Timer |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Peter Guber | Executive Producer |
| Jon Peters | Executive Producer |
| George Folsey Jr. | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 36 | 54 | 28 |
| 2024 | 5 | 40 | 57 | 24 |
| 2024 | 6 | 36 | 61 | 24 |
| 2024 | 7 | 37 | 60 | 26 |
| 2024 | 8 | 31 | 41 | 22 |
| 2024 | 9 | 31 | 51 | 25 |
| 2024 | 10 | 33 | 59 | 25 |
| 2024 | 11 | 29 | 42 | 22 |
| 2024 | 12 | 25 | 32 | 17 |
| 2025 | 1 | 31 | 46 | 22 |
| 2025 | 2 | 25 | 49 | 5 |
| 2025 | 3 | 11 | 31 | 2 |
| 2025 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 3 |
| 2025 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 2 |
| 2025 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 3 |
| 2025 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| 2025 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| 2025 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 3 |
| 2025 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 3 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 10 | 330 | 763 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | 561 | 694 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 | 300 | 752 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | 565 | 767 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | 586 | 740 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | 496 | 745 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 713 | 813 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 229 | 679 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 646 | 849 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 633 | 805 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 11 | 568 | 761 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 10 | 545 | 728 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 9 | 696 | 845 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 8 | 634 | 821 |
**The best horror film of the eighties** This is a gem, it really is. Alternately amusing and horrific - John Landis plays our emotions like a fiddle here. He is pulling all the strings and we are uncertain as to which string he is going to pull next. From the eerie Yorkshire countryside of th ... e opening scenes through David's _awful_ nightmares in hospital to amusing zombie chit chat and finally the climactic slaughter in London - this film never lets up. How many films will you find Kermit the frog sharing a scene with throat slicing, machine gun wielding mutants dressed as Nazis? - Potential Kermode
"Beware the moon, lads." Still frightening and funny 38 years later. The transformation scene was absolutely incredible, but also really painful. You literally hear every bone crack in his body, and all his organs reshaping and shifting. No other werewolf movie has topped that scene and never ... will. The song Bad Moon Rising is the icing on the cake. Rick Baker make-up work is masterful. He's the real beast here.
An 80s horror classic! The storyline was well written, the special effects were amazing, and Jenny Agutter was so sexy! Although the ending was a bit rushed - just like the Wolfman, the main character dies, and the film ends, just like that! What's more messed up is they play an upbeat song ... during the end credits, right after we see David's lifeless body. The ending is my one critique. The rest of the movie was pretty good.
"David" (David Naughton) and his pal "Jack" (Griffin Dunne) are taking a walking tour of the UK when they decide to stop off at a pub. They are about as welcome as a dose of the clap and after a few minutes banter with the natives decide they are better off walking. The thing is, those inside know h ... ow dangerous it's about to be out there - and the boys soon find out. It's "David" who wakes up in hospital, replete with some mysterious scratch marks, nightmares and claiming that they were attacked by a brutal hound. Nobody really believes him, and anyway his attention is quickly diverted by nurse "Alex" (Jenny Agutter) whom he visits for dinner and never leaves. Luckily she works nights, else she might have discovered that her beau doesn't just stop at a bit of gentle biting. With corpses piling up around London, he is at a loss to know where he goes at night (waking up naked in the wolf enclosure at the zoo might be the final straw) but try as he might, he can't engage the authorities with his claims. Maybe only doctor "Hirsch" (John Woodvine) believes that something unusual is amiss - but can he help before "David" does himself or anyone else more damage! Increasingly more often naked as he goes along, Naughton joins in with the spirit of this enjoyable comedy horror with enthusiasm. I wonder what might happen now if a naked man in a bush even mentioned a boy's balloons!? It runs out of steam a little at the end, and Agutter's acting never really evolved much from the "Railway Children" 1970) but the visual effects work quite well especially when the full moon rises!