American Werewolf in London, An

Date: 1981
Director: John Landis
Production Company: American Werewolf Inc

Stars: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, John Woodvine, Brian Glover, Rick Mayall, Frank Oz, David Schofield, Don McKillip, Paul Kember
Location(s): London, Surrey, Wales

Region(s): , ,

Storyline:

Two American tourists are attacked by a werewolf in Yorkshire and when the one survivor recovers in London, he finds he has inherited some lycanthropic tendencies. SJ

Additional Information:

Such is contributor Justin’s dedication to this film and Withnail and I that he has created a Google map with the exact locations of the “now” shots that he has provided. This way he can pinpoint any location that he has visited and, if not straight forward, offer hints and tips on how to get there. This can be viewed at https://www.movielocationhunter.co.uk/show/movie/an-american-werewolf-in-london

Buy this film on Amazon link

Can you help:

If you have any information regarding this film, any of the stills, or even better, some NOW shots please contact us.


Dunne and Naughton in Wales. Nigel Taylor was able to be more specific and correctly identified this spot as being adjacent to the Hay Bluff Car Park on the Black Mountains in the county of Powys.

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Only just, as it's near the border with England. Hay Bluff area southeast of Lanigon, Powys. This looks south. Justin provides this shot of himself at the exact location to replace Simon's Google Earth View. (RL)

An additional screen capture from Justin. (RL)

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And Justin again just before the approaching bend. (RL)

Justin provides this screen capture as daylight closes in. (RL)

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Justin at the same spot in full daylight. (RL)

Coming across a North Yorkshire Moor village the fictitious "East Proctor" known in real life as Crickadarn in central Wales off the A470.

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Brother Robin (RJ) didn't want to trespass, or, er, walk up the hill, so here's a reverse POV. RJ

Approaching from the south.

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Now. RJ

Close-up of Naughton

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Close-up of door. RJ

Leaving the Slaughtered Lamb.

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Another from RJ

And pass a garage door.

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The garge door is still blue. RJ

  • 'Now' required

Woodvine is interviewed by McKillip and Kember ... At first thought to be the Princess Beatrice Hospital, Finborough Road, London SW10 now a hostel, but this has been refuted by Natasha Rubin a personal assistant on the film and stated to be the now demolished Chiswick Maternity Hospital, Netheravon Road South, W4. With thanks to Germany's Stephan and Julia's efforts here.

St. Luke's Church, Redcliffe Gardens in SW10.

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Taken in the same season. SJ

Agutter and Naughton outside 64 Coleherne Road SW10.

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Now. SJ

Another shot of the same location as amwere001, Welsh hills.

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Another Google/SJ. Still cloudy.

Entering the village from the east.

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Nicer day. RJ

Blurred shot of Woodvine.

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One of two churches in the village. This one is the Hebron Congregational Chapel. RJ

Woodvine heads for the Slaughtered Lamb.

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RJ

Another shot taking in the statue.

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The "Angel of Death" statue was just a prop. RJ

Woodvine braves the rain.

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Now. RJ

More rain. Umbrella in hand, why didn't he use it? Spotted by sharp eyed Paul Weir.

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Now. RJ

At the time the "pub" was an empty cottage and rather looked it. The interiors were in The Black Swan, Effingham, Surrey where Performance was also filmed.

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Occupied now. RJ

Ah, he's got an umbrella now. Did he lift it from the pub? No, he had it in 016, Paul Weir found it.

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Charming. RJ

Close-up of Woodvine.

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Nice bright red gate to churchyard. RJ

Now, Schofield's standing in the other church's yard. St. Mary's to be precise.

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Had to get closer as the vegetation is winning. RJ

Woodvine enters the churchyard: note the crates outside the "pub."

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Much undergrowth. RJ

Following Woodvine.

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Church sign and wall still intact. RJ

Woodvine and Schofield.

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Now. RJ

Glover is not best pleased.

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Now: a lot prettier. RJ

Schofield flees from the Glover look.

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Real tombstones. RJ

Woodvine has learned enough.

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More gravestones. RJ

Naughton back on Coleherne Road SW10.

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No change, so to speak given what's about to happen to Naughton. SJ

Geoffrey Burridge and Brenda Cavendish outside The Pryors in Hampstead NW3, which also features in 'The Chain'.

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Slightly posher looking now with embellishments. SJ

They round the side of "The Pryors," East Heath Road, opposite Well Walk NW3.

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The north side of The Pryors. SJ

And round the back onto Hampstead Heath.

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A CCTV camera now guards against further werewolves. SJ

Christopher Scoular looks for his dinner guests while Mary Tempest looks out of the window.

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Now: the heath side of The Pryors unchanged. SJ

Tramps Sydney Bromley, Frank Singuineau, Will Leighton on the old Pool of London set but the warehouses are long gone as is the open space now filled by the London Assembly SE1. A similar view was seen in 'Mission: Impossible'.

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Peter provides a daytime shot from nearly the right place!

Michael Carter at Tottenham Court Road tube station, not Aldwych for once. Same cream and green tiles though, which indicated that he's on the Northern line.

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Eli Perl provides this comparison.

  • 'Now' required

Regent's Park zoo, London NW1. Naughton is naked behind the tree.

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There he is.

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Rufus Deakin with the balloons.

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No amount of searching has found the precise spot yet but I believe that is part of the Elephant and Rhino pavilion seen in the top right of the capture. SJ

Naughton grabs a coat on the Mappin Terraces, a zoo film location favourite.

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Nearly the right angle. SJ

Woodvine reads the next day headlines... From the north west side of Putney Bridge looking south, with thanks, to Abi Abiri.

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The corner of Putney High Street and Lower RIchmond Road, SW15. And this replaces Abi's google shot from March 2017. SJ

  • 'Now' required

This bus-stop may be Prince Albert Road, NW1, as it's close to the zoo... And this is confirmed by none other than director John Landis himself who answered Stephan Dicke's enquiry stating this scene was shot on the same day as the zoo sequence. Stephan opts for Well's Rise bus-stop (C) and I agree as that looks like Prince Albert Court reflected in the glass.

Naughton and Agutter.

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Location found by Paul. Taken by SJ at Wilton Crescent SW1. A fascinating story lies here. http://www.british-film-locations.com/blerg/john-landis-american-werewolf-in-joke/#more-12

No 35 just left of post-box above.

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Change of door, change of the number 35, change of motor. Wilton Crescent. SJ

Before the National Gallery road was pedestrianised, Trafalgar Square, WC2. Agutter chases after Naughton from the taxi.

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Now. SJ

In the square, one of the most photographed in the world.

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So let's keep snapping. Canada House in the background. SJ

Insulting things British to an officer (Peter Ellis) by the Landseer lions at the base of Nelson's Column with a view of St Stephen's down Whitehall.

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No longer St Stephen's but the Elizabeth Tower to celebrate the diamond jubilee, but I reckon it will always be called Big Ben. SJ

Naughton in the phone box in Piccadilly Circus, W1

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No phone box, surely never was: too noisy. SJ

A deteriorating Dunne inviting Naughton in to "See You Next Wednesday" on the Shaftesbury Avenue section of Piccadilly Circus, W1. The old Eros, also a news theatre in Passport to Pimlico.

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Hmmm, roughly here. I think a bit more to the left. Now a Gap store, which I seem to have missed. SJ

Mayhem in Piccadilly Circus intercut with the odd studio shot, as the werewolf runs amok.

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Now, showing clearly further repositioning of the Angel of Christian Charity or the Greek god Anteros or even, far more popularly, his brother Eros nevertheless still aiming to bury his shaft down Shaftesbury Avenue (geddit? but sadly maybe an apocryphal story). SJ

Now in SE1. Winchester Walk and its neighbour Clink Street, both in the Borough area, are often cited.

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A google shot sent in by Neil Pentecost which at last pinpoints this shot. This is directed west along Clink St at the top of Stoney St.

Agutter in the alley. Have the SE1 streets been widened since? Or did they close off the west end of Clink Street which is quite narrow? Neil Pentecost thinks this is looking east along Clink Street with the Golden Hind being on the other side of the building but the area has been redeveloped.

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Peter provides this comparison of the redesigned location.

Agutter further down the street for the climax. The location also features in 'The London Nobody Knows', 'The Elephant Man' and 'Murder by Decree'.

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Barely recognisable buildings in Peter's modern view of Clink Street.