John Landis, 1981, United Kingdom/United States, 97 mins
Fresh off of sleeper hits Animal House and The Blues Brothers, writer-director John Landis made it a trifecta with this instinct cult classic, a creature feature leavened with countercultural coolness. When backpacking American college students David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) become lost in the foggy Welsh moors, they’re suddenly attacked by an unidentified killer animal. David awakens weeks later to discover that Jack is dead, and then begins to experience disturbing changes to his mind and body. The film that put Dunne on the Hollywood map, An American Werewolf in London proves to be an ideal showcase for his transfixing deadpan and undeniable intellect, powers that remain in full effect even beyond the grave.