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An American Werewolf in London

£195.00

Film

An American Werewolf in London

Additional information

Year

1981 (1982 – first year of release in Japan)

Size/Type

Japan B2 / (20" x 28.5") / Single sided

Country of Origin

Japan

Condition

Near Mint minus; originally rolled

Director

John Landis

Actor/Actress

Albert Moses, Brian Glover, David Naughton, Frank Oz, Griffin Dunne, Jenny Agutter, John Woodvine, Lila Kaye, Linzi Drew, Mary Tempest, Rik Mayall

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“Stay on the road…Keep clear of the moors…Beware the moon, lads.”

A truly influential genre classic…John Landis’ tongue in cheek werewolf horror romp “An American Werewolf in London”. This original 1982 (first year of release in Japan) Japan B2 film poster is stunning and comes directly from the personal archive of the special effects maestro Rick Baker; great horror imagery and often referred to as the “monster montage style” featuring all of creatures from the Film and even a bit of saucy Jenny Agutter nudity . Amazing horror imagery…full on and very in your face and not at all understated and restrained as is the US one sheet version. With unique Japan design this is an extremely desirable, very rare poster from a “golden age” of physical movie special effects. In near faultless original, unrestored condition this rolled example presents in investment grade condition and represents an exciting piece of original horror film movie memorabilia…“Be rational, sure. I’m a fucking werewolf, for Christ’s sake!”

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Trivia: John Landis wrote the screenplay for this film following an incident while shooting Kelly’s Heroes (1970) (while he was a go-fer) in the countryside of Yugoslavia. While driving along a country road with a colleague, Landis encountered a gypsy funeral. The body was being buried in a massively deep grave, feet first, while wrapped in garlic, so he would not rise from the dead.

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Film Description

An American Werewolf in London Movie Poster

“On the moors, we were attacked by a lycanthrope, a werewolf. I was murdered, an unnatural death, and now I walk the earth in limbo until the werewolf’s curse is lifted.”

The most important thing to note about An American Werewolf in London is that it is more of a pure horror-comedy than any other film in history. It isn’t a spoof of the genre like “Scary Movie”, nor is it cartoon-ish to the point of being silly and humorous like “Evil Dead II”; instead it truly is a seamless blend of the genres. There are equal amounts of true horror and ingenious comedy in this 1981 John Landis classic, making it a unique and unforgettable film that will live on for generations to follow…The story is simple, a couple of friends are backpacking in England and land up on the creepy moors, the get attacked by a werewolf. One of them dies and the other becomes a werewolf. While being treated for his injury, the bitten but not dead party David Kessler, played to perfection by David Naughton, meets the film’s female lead, the always lovely Jenny Agutter, and a series of tragic, horrific, and often hilarious events follow. In a technical sense it is excellent, the effects and the Oscar-winning makeup hold up well to this day and the cinematography is excellent, as evident during the werewolf attack scene in the subway. The soundtrack, basically a collection of pop-rock songs about the moon works excellently in an offbeat, surreal manner, working both as accompaniment to the film and comic relief and adding to the film’s unique quality…Apparently some people find werewolves scary, which is the only plausible reason for the genre to enjoy continued popularity to this day. Personally, I never found them all that interesting or frightening, they’re just men who turn into wolves, after all. The genre films they have spawned have seemingly only gone from bad to worse, with some notable exceptions- the 1941 classic “The Wolf Man” and Neil Marshall’s superb “Dog Soldiers” come to mind immediately. “An American Werewolf in London” transcends the horror genre; it’s an ingenious mix of horror, comedy, and romance that has never been equaled, and when I say mix, I mean a truly seamless blend. It really is all its genres at once, which can’t be said for many (if any) other films, and it just serves to widen its appeal and make it probably the greatest werewolf film of all time. This is often remembered as a comedy, sadly, which might diminish popular opinion. It isn’t only a comedy, or only a horror film, it is both simultaneously, and in equal parts, making it quite unlike any other film ever made. Most certainly a ‘must-see’.

Vintage Movie Posters Grading Criteria

Mint
A poster that has never been used or displayed and may show the most minor signs of age and wear. The poster should have no holes or tears.

Near Mint
A generally unused poster with fresh, saturated colors. May have minimal tears at folds. Has no significant holes, no paper loss, may have minor tears along edges, may have fine pin holes.

Very Fine
A poster with bright colour and crisp overall appearance. It may have very general signs of use including slight fold separation and fold wear. It may have pin holes or very minor tears. This is the highest grade allowed for a poster that has been restored either on linen or on paper.

Fine
A poster with good colors and overall clean appearance. It may have minor tears small paper loss and minor stains. It may have some fold seperation.

Good
An average poster with overall fresh color. May have tears, minor paper loss, minor hazing. Paper may be brittle due to age, may have minor stains. May have a small amount of writing in an unobtrusive place. May have medium or major restoration.

Fair
A poster with faded colors and brittle paper, showing significant signs of use. May have tears and paper loss. May have tape, writing, stains in image area. In need of restoration or had major restoration.

Poor
A poster that is worn, torn, and/or damaged. May have staining, cracking, dry rot, and/or large tears. May be heavily soiled, may have pieces missing. In need of major restoration.

All photographs and images used on our site are photographs of the actual poster/item you are buying, we do not use stock photographs.

Most Popular Poster Types

US Posters

LOBBY CARD
11 x 14″ printed on heavy stock paper. Used as display in theatre lobbies. Originally made in sets of eight. Some sets have a title card, which contains credits and artwork, essentially a mini-poster. The remaining seven cards are coloured photographic credits and poster artwork showing different scenes from the movie.

WINDOW CARD
14 x 22″ printed on heavy stock paper with the top 4-6 inches usually left blank for the local cinema owner to fill in the cinema and the date it was due to play. Largely discontinued during the 1970’s.

HALF SHEET
22 x 28″ printed on heavy stock paper. The image displayed is normally a smaller version of the main poster, although some do have different artworks and sometimes come in two versions.

INSERT
14 x 36″ printed on heavy stock paper. Inserts usually have the same artwork as a one sheet. Popular with collectors since they are smaller and easier to frame. Normally come tri folded or rolled.

STYLE Y/FORTY BY SIXTY
40 x 60″ printed on heavy stock paper. Rare since they were primarily used for major motion pictures only. Designed to be used outside the theatre, on an easel, normally at a drive-in movie theatre.

ONE-SHEET
27 x 41″ printed on paper. This is the most common size of poster, intended to be displayed in a glass “marquee” case. It is the most sought after size by collectors. Since the 1980’s most posters are sent to the theatre rolled and maybe slightly smaller measuring 27″ by 40″ and with the advent of backlit light boxes a growing number of modern movie posters are available double-sided and the more traditional single-sided.

THREE-SHEET
41 x 81″ printed on paper. These were printed on two or three separate sheets designed to overlap, few survive. Used for larger advertising spaces, normally posted on walls, perfect for huge movie theatres the drive-in, where people could see them from a distance. From the 1970’s on, three-sheets were sometimes printed in one piece and issued as “international” versions to be used abroad.

BRITISH Posters

BRITISH QUAD
30 x 40″ Most common poster size used in the UK. British Quads are horizontal and may have different artwork to the US one sheet. Like a US one sheet they normally come in two versions. Like a US one sheet they are usually supplied single-sided or more commonly now as a double sided poster.

BRITISH ONE-SHEET
27 X 40″, printed on paper. Very rarely used size.

ITALIAN Posters

ITALIAN LOCANDINA
13 x 28″ six inches shorter than the US insert, very nice size to frame. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.

ITALIAN PHOTOBUSTA
18 x 26″ Glossy, high quality, used as lobby cards in Italy. Size may vary, either vertical or horizontal format. There are also double Photobusta or mini Photobusta.

2-FOGLIO (DUE)
(DUE): 39 x 55″ This is the standard poster size used in Italy. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.

4-FOGLIO
(QUATTRO) 55 x 79″ Very large Italian poster printed in two pieces, often contains very beautiful artwork.

FRENCH Posters

FRENCH
47 x 63″ (GRANDE) or 24 x 33″ (PETITE) French movie posters normally come with different artwork to either the US or the UK. Like the Italian’s some of the artwork is extrememly beautiful.