DirkH’s review published on Letterboxd:
Part of Dastardly Difficult December: film nr.80
Yeah, this was yet another long overdue rewatch.
John Landis has made some fantastic films, but this is perhaps his very best. It is the kind of light and breezy horror that only work of you understand both the horror and the comedy genre, and that Mr. Landis does really well.
This is an homage to one if horror's most classic and most mistreated creatures. There are just not that many great werewolf films out there and that probably has a lot to do with the fact that the mythology doesn't give that much room for creativity. And yet, this film manages to do just that. It takes the classic tale of the werewolf, turns it upside down and injects it with an irresistible dose of humour.
I love the fact that the opening scenes harken back to the classic original Wolfman, with its misty moonlit heathers. And from there it just goes and keeps going, with perfectly timed comedy, striking horror and a plot that unveils itself in such a way that we never lose interest and are always eagerly anticipating the next turn of events. I'd be remiss if I didn't single out the excellent and hilarious dialogue. There are so many quotable lines, it is, apart from one thing, perhaps the best thing in it.
That one thing is of course that one scene. In this day of CGI riddled films it is necessary to experience the strength of practical effects every now and then. And this transformation scene kicks most modern CGI effects' collective asses. It's as simple as that.
One of the best genre crossover films ever made.