Scene Screams is a recurring column that spotlights the scenes in horror that make us scream, whether through fear, laughter, or tears. It examines the most memorable, and often scariest, scenes in horror and what it is about them that makes them get under our skin.
So much about An American Werewolf in London makes it a standout entry in lycanthropic horror. The shocking jump scares, the nightmare imagery, the eerie mythology of a werewolf haunted by his decomposing victims, the blend of humor and horror, and the tragic romance of it all make this a pinnacle even 40 years later. Above all, it’s remembered for its iconic scene that captures the excruciating pain and terror of transforming from human to werewolf.
American backpackers David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) trek across the Yorkshire moors, despite warnings, and get attacked by a beast. David barely survives, but his pal does not. David wakes three weeks later in the hospital, where he meets and falls for nurse Alex (Jenny Agutter) and suffers horrific visions of his dead friend. Jack warns David to kill himself before the next full moon to prevent more deaths and end the curse, but David ignores what he presumes as a delusion and moves in with Alex.
The unforgettable moment finally arrives when David is alone in Alex’s apartment. The hours of the day blur into the night as David paces about her place, trying to stave off boredom. Cut to Alex on her shift, tucking in a young patient. The camera pans up to gaze at the full moon in the sky, then back to the apartment. David is struck with searing pain in his skull, he rips his clothes off to free his burning skin, and the slow, painful change into wolf begins.
David trembles and screams in pain for three long minutes as his limbs stretch and rip in inhuman ways. His torso elongates, hair erupts all over his body, and his teeth grow sharp. His face morphs, and his screams eventually become guttural growls. The transformation into wolf swallows David whole, and a howl that echoes into the night signals the shift as complete.
Rick Baker’s Academy Award-winning makeup effects design and creation go a long way, making this transformation so powerfully unforgettable. 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 actual sequence took a whole 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. Naughton’s lower body was secured beneath the floor for some of this scene, with fake legs attached above. Baker and his team approached this with ingenious 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.
But Naughton deserves a lot of credit, too; the physicality of this scene and his anguished cry work in tandem with Baker’s effects to sell the horror. The stretching sounds and how director John Landis shoots this scene, capturing the terrifying transition from multiple angles, wide and closeup, create a symphony of terror.
It’s a pivotal moment narratively, too, as it’s the point of no return for David. David wakes up naked and back in human form, but he’s no longer the person he once was. He’s now a murderer responsible for claiming the lives of many. Poor David’s fate was sealed that night on the moors, but now it’s a matter of how much collateral damage he’ll cause to end his curse.