There’s A Bad Moon Arising
I was very young when I was first
introduced to the horror genre. I was about 4 years old and I remember my
parents went to sleep and my dad had rented “An American Werewolf in London.”
Watching the infamous transformation scene was branded in my memory and after
viewing the film not only was I terrified at the end of it but I wanted to
watch more creature films that fascinated me. Fast forward 17 years later and
still to this day when I hear the howls of the beast I still get goosebumps. It
is because of that reason why I still love this film and can get scared from
it. The film itself is not all that scary since it is a 1980s film that I would
classify as a horror comedy, but the film is still able to convey certain topics
that still reflect society today even though it’s over 30 years old. The film touches on topics like an incurable
disease, primal lust, paranoia, and many other factors that is present in our
daily lives.
In the film the character named
David and his buddy Jack are attacked by a werewolf and David is wounded in the
after math while Jack dies. David is now infected with the lycanthrope disease
that makes him transform into a werewolf every full moon. While David was
staying in the hospital he was treated by English nurse that became attracted
to him from the moment he entered the hospital. After David was discharged he
didn’t have anywhere to stay so the nurse told him that he will be staying with
her. One night when the nurse was away
David transformed into a werewolf and went on a killing spree and wasn’t caught
until his second transformation. But right before he died, the nurse that he
fell in love with tried to speak to him in his wolf form but it didn’t matter since
he tried to attack her resulting in his death. This disease could have been a
reflection of the aids virus.
I thought it was interesting to see
the comparison of the aids virus and lycanthropy. They both are incurable diseases that can
even harm your loved ones by having physical contact. Even though turning into
a werewolf isn’t a real issue both share a similar fate of dying a horrible
death while love ones watch you. Making
these comparisons makes sense since the aids virus was a very problematic issue
when the film came out.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this
film growing up and still enjoy it today because of the other obvious message
in the film which is controlling ones inner demons. Since David is cursed he is
able to see the victims of his attacker . He is able to see jack again who
advices him to kill himself before he kills anyone. David of course doesn’t believe jack and
thinks he is hallucinating however he ends up going on a rampage and kills
people. Lycanthropy is not only a death sentence but it’s a reflection of
fighting the inner beast that we have. David even tried telling people that he
had this problem but people shrugged it off and thought he was joking. Help for
those who are struggling with mental illnesses aren’t receiving the help that
they are trying to seek similar to David.
Overall, after many of years of
watching this film I still find joy in watching it and it still manages to
scare me as if it was like I was watching it or the first time. What is even
more enjoyable about watching this movie now is understanding the reflections
of what society was like in the 80s and how some of the topics that are
discussed in the film are still relevant to today.
There's an entrenched tradition of horror movies conveying diseases using the supernatural, and American Werewolf in London is a wonderful example (and, yes, an essential horror-comedy, I agree...one that I almost put on our "required viewing" list). It's a pleasure to read your energetic thoughts here, Aden--thanks.
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In one of our readings, it was noted that the original three of the horror genre included Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I think a distinct parallel can be drawn between the two stories. Both represent a struggle over the repression of desires that are frowned upon by society. While both stories use the act of killing as a representative of the repressed desires, I think almost anything could be used in place if killing i.e. violence, sexuality, etc. I think both stories attempt to illustrate that only through a "monstrous transformation" can an individual hope to break away from the restraints that society holds over them. As you said in your posting, Lycanthropy is a death sentence. So too is it in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Again, both stories seem to imply that succumbing to an individuals inner, hidden desires, ultimately, will not end well.
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