An American Werewolf in London

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

An American Werewolf in London is a cult classic 1981 horror-comedy film written and directed by John Landis (The Blues Brothers, National Lampoon's Animal House). The film stars David Naughton as David Kessler, an American backpacker who is attacked by a mysterious wolf-like creature in the British Moors. Upon the next full moon, he turns into a werewolf and wreaks havoc across London.

Landis notably wrote the first draft of the script in 1969, but it was not produced for over a decade as prospective financers found that the script was too frightening to be a comedy, while also not being serious enough in tone to be a pure horror film. The film is famous for its gruesome werewolf transformation sequence and won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Makeup.

The following weapons were used in the film An American Werewolf in London:

Submachine Guns

Ingram MAC-11

During a nightmare sequence, David Kessler (David Naughton) dreams that a group of monsters who resemble werewolf-like creatures dressed in distorted World War II German-style uniforms massacre his family inside their home. (Trivia: the uniforms are not accurate for any group of the Third Reich, they are fantasy costumes). Two of the "Nazi" monsters carry Ingram MAC-11 submachine guns, chambered in .380 ACP, as distinguished from the larger MAC-10 by their small size in the actors' hands. What is puzzling is that the rate of fire in the movie is about half the rate of a real MAC-11 (which is a very fast 1,200 rounds per minute). The sound effect of the gunfire is about 450 rounds per minute (like an M3A1 "Grease Gun"), which is probably due to the addition of the sound effect in editing, and not the actual rate of fire of the submachine gun.

RPB Industries MAC-11 - .380 ACP. RPB built and sold their licensed copy of the MAC-11 after Military Armament Corp. went out of business.

When David's father opens the door, he is greeted by two firing MAC-11 submachine guns.

A "Nazi" werewolf-looking monster wields his MAC-11.

A detail shot of the MAC-11, showing its relative size to the actor's gloved hands.

IMI Uzi

When the Nazi zombie werewolf monsters open fire with their submachine guns at David's father as he opens the door, one of them appears to wield a full-sized Uzi. It's rather ironic that a Nazi would be using an Israeli design.

IMI Uzi - 9x19mm

The attacker on the left seems to be firing an IMI Uzi at David's father when he opens the door. It is most likely an Uzi based on its front sight.

Sterling Mk. IV

In David's nightmare sequence, one of the Nazi-zombie-werewolf attackers uses a Sterling Mk. IV (also known as the L2A3 in British military service).

Sterling Mk. IV Submachine Gun - 9x19mm

The monster attacker in the center fires his Sterling Mk. IV submachine gun.

A closer shot of the Sterling Mk. IV being used by the center attacker.

Rifles

L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle

The British L1A1 is used by London Metropolitan Police to deal with the rampaging werewolf. Contrary to popular myth that British police of the period were unarmed, there were actually many roving armed units of the Force Firearms Unit in the British equivalent of SWAT vans that were ready to meet threats with military firepower.

British L1A1 SLR (Self-Loading Rifle) - 7.62x51mm

A Metropolitan police constable loads up his magazine with 7.62x51mm full metal jacket rounds. One can see clearly by the front of the magazine that it is an "inch pattern" FAL magazine (which is correct for the L1A1 SLR) and not a metric pattern magazine.

A Metropolitan Police Force Firearms Unit team calmly loads their L1A1 SLRs (Self loading rifles) in their tactical van.

British Special Armed Response officers take positions while other constables try to hold back the crowd. Of course, one wonders why a crowd would be so keen on rushing toward a rampaging werewolf.

Armed London Metropolitan Police with L1A1 rifles. They are outfitted with ART II scopes and, somewhat surprisingly, P37 slings that have been "blancoed" (whitish green treatment of WWII-era cotton slings)- though most of the FALs or L1A1s were being issued with the newer nylon green slings by the late 1960s.

London Metropolitan Police armed with L1A1 rifles hesitate when Alex Price (Jenny Agutter) rushes past the police blockade.

Shotguns

Double Barreled Shotgun

North Yorkshire villagers at the beginning of the film use the ubiquitous 12 Gauge Double Barreled Shotgun. A group of villagers use their side by side shotguns to kill the first werewolf.

L.C. Smith Side by Side hammerless Shotgun - 12 gauge

North Yorkshire villagers, led by a character only identified as "Chess Player" (Brian Glover) (to the right), fire both barrels of their side by side shotguns at the werewolf.

Amidst the smoke of their black powder shells, the villagers rush to help a wounded David Kessler (David Naughton), most of them holding double barreled shotguns of unknown make or model.