Despite fans' hopes, director John Landis has confirmed that while he regrets some of the cuts, the most graphic footage likely no longer exists.
An extended shot of the werewolf ripping the throat out of a riot policeman.
If you want to dig deeper into the production of this horror classic, I can provide more details. The concepts that John Landis considered.
From extended undead conversations to gory dream sequences that never made the light of day, this is the complete excavation of the deleted, alternate, and lost scenes of An American Werewolf in London . 1. The Extended Slaughtered Lamb Exchange
Originally, the fake movie-within-a-movie had a longer, fully edited narrative sequence playing on the theater screen. The footage featured actors in ridiculous scenarios, serving as a hilarious counterpoint to the horrific, decaying corpses talking to David in the theater seats. Landis trimmed the onscreen movie down to ensure the audience focused entirely on the dialogue between David and his victims. Why Were They Cut? an american werewolf in london deleted scenes
In the deleted footage, the joke told by one of the pub regulars (played by Brian Glover) about the Alamo was significantly longer. The full joke involved a massive buildup about Texan bravery met with deadpan British cynicism. Landis trimmed the joke down to keep the building tension palpable and to prevent the scene from stalling. 3. The Cop and the Call Girl
Scenes were filmed showing the police investigating the carnage left by the werewolf. A specific sequence involved David being taken to the police station for questioning regarding the murders. While there, he begins to hallucinate the ghosts of his victims—just as he does in the hospital. This subplot would have raised the stakes, showing David trying to navigate human law while being hunted by a supernatural curse. Landis ultimately decided that seeing David handcuffed and interrogated slowed down the frantic energy of the third act.
Even the home video releases have a convoluted history. While many DVDs and Blu-rays are "uncut," some early UK releases were missing a brief moment of dialogue from a phone booth scene late in the film, leading to confusion among collectors. Later releases, like the 2019 Arrow Video 4K restoration, have finally provided a definitive, complete version of the film as Landis originally intended it to be seen (minus the tramp scene).
This deep dive explores the fascinating history of the An American Werewolf in London deleted scenes. We examine what was cut, why it vanished, and what remains of these lost cinematic treasures. The X-Rating Trim: Cleaning Up the Chaos Despite fans' hopes, director John Landis has confirmed
The absence of these scenes arguably works in the film's favor. By trimming the excess gore and tightening the narrative, Landis created a lean, mean cinematic roller coaster that balances laughs and scares perfectly—proving that sometimes, what stays on the cutting room floor makes the final film immortal.
Today, most of these scenes exist only in low-quality workprints or as "stills" in the Rick Baker archives. For fans, these fragments represent a fascinating "what if" for one of the greatest horror films ever made.
For decades, fans have clamored for a "Director’s Cut" or a home video release featuring these lost sequences. Unfortunately, the physical film negative elements for many of these deleted scenes are believed to be lost or destroyed.
As the chart illustrates, even the most dedicated fans cannot access a version of the film that includes all known deleted material. The 11 minutes included on the 20th Anniversary DVD are significant, but they represent only a fraction of what was reportedly shot. The lost tramp scene, in particular, remains a notable absence from every official release. The concepts that John Landis considered
While there is no "director's cut" that restores the junkyard scene (as it no longer exists), modern releases have restored other elements: Arrow Video 4K/Blu-ray
Here are some features about the deleted scenes from "An American Werewolf in London":
This is the most famous "lost" sequence. It featured the werewolf attacking and killing three homeless men along the Thames. Test audiences found it too distracting and intense, leading Landis to remove it entirely. Landis later expressed regret for this cut, as it left viewers wondering how the tramps died when they appeared as ghosts later in the film.
Some early UK television versions edited out the shot of the dead werewolf in human form on the moors at the end of the film. Behind the Scenes Trivia
The story of the film’s missing footage is a legend in its own right. It's a tale of lost reels, excised violence, alternate cuts, and a rumored extended version that has never officially seen the light of day. For years, the most sought-after piece of this puzzle was believed to be lost forever, but some of this long-mythologized material may be more accessible than ever before. This article dives deep into the history of those deleted scenes, what we know about them, and how you can finally see them today.
The deleted dialogue featured the locals dropped more cryptic hints about the "moors" and the history of the town. Landis cut these lines to make the villagers seem more abruptly defensive and isolated, which heightened the immediate sense of dread when David and Jack are kicked out into the rain. Jack’s Decay and Additional Gallows Humor
