1981 had two werewolf movies made by a teacher and his student, and the Academy already picked a winner. Tonight we pick again. This week on CinemaJam Versus: The Howling (1981, dir. Joe Dante) vs An American Werewolf in London (1981, dir. John Landis). Both came out within five months of each other, both grew out of Rick Baker's workshop, and Roger Ebert gave both of them two stars. Pablo brings the matchup; Sebastian asks the questions. Six rounds: David Naughton vs Dee Wallace, fog and shadows vs a werewolf in full light, three versions of "Blue Moon," and the transformation scene that won the first-ever Oscar for makeup. What we get into: - A horror movie that turns into a joke about TV news vs a comedy that turns into a tragedy. Which script knows what it's doing? - Why we're both underwhelmed by Karen White, and why Griffin Dunne steals every scene he's in (yes, he's Madonna's love interest in Who's That Girl). - Joe Dante hides his wolves in fog; John Landis puts his under the lights in Piccadilly Circus. The one round we couldn't settle. - Rick Baker's living-room transformation vs Rob Bottin's bubbling skin. Pablo prefers one werewolf's design and the other's transformation. - The Howling's opening that neither of us remembered, and Pablo's guilty-pleasure sequel. - Bonus: the third 1981 werewolf movie you probably haven't seen. Six rounds, one winner. Watch to find out who survives the full moon. Timestamps: 00:00 Cold open: the teacher and the student 02:14 Welcome to CinemaJam Versus 03:01 Round 1: Script 06:34 Round 2: Acting 10:56 Griffin Dunne, Madonna's love interest 11:46 Round 3: Direction 14:04 The Howling, blueprint for Dog Soldiers 18:02 Round 4: Soundtrack & Vibe 22:15 Round 5: Memorable Moments 23:54 Two werewolf movies, two X-rated theaters 24:37 Rick Baker vs Rob Bottin: the transformations 30:37 From The Howling to The Thing 31:49 Fog, files and a body swap: The Howling's best scares 34:34 The subway scene 35:16 The Howling opening nobody remembers 36:33 The marsupial sequel 37:06 Round 6: Rewatchability 39:04 The winner 39:48 Bonus: Wolfen, the other 1981 werewolf movie 40:44 Wrap-up Movies mentioned: - The Howling (1981), dir. Joe Dante - An American Werewolf in London (1981), dir. John Landis - Wolfen (1981), dir. Michael Wadleigh - Dog Soldiers (2002), dir. Neil Marshall - The Thing (1982), dir. John Carpenter - The Witch (2015), dir. Robert Eggers - Gremlins (1984) and Gremlins 2 (1990), dir. Joe Dante - Piranha (1978), dir. Joe Dante - Innerspace (1987), dir. Joe Dante - Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) - The Blues Brothers (1980), Trading Places (1983), Spies Like Us (1985), Three Amigos (1986), Coming to America (1988), dir. John Landis - Who's That Girl (1987) - Body Bags (1993) - Cujo (1983), Critters (1986), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) - Friday the 13th (1980) - Howling III: The Marsupials (1987) - An American Werewolf in Paris (1997) - Poltergeist (1982) What's your favorite 1981 werewolf movie: The Howling, An American Werewolf in London or Wolfen? Tell us in the comments. 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2P5z2hgx6nNb7q8jhi2EQF 🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cinemajam/id1774079148 🎙️ Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/98nzjg58 📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CinemaJamPod 📸 Follow us on Instagram: @cinemajampod (https://www.instagram.com/cinemajampod/) 💛 Support us on Patreon for exclusive content (full transcripts in English AND Spanish, rankings, extended cuts): https://www.patreon.com/CinemaJam