Released in 1981, An American Werewolf in London was heralded early on for its groundbreaking special effects, which remain the de facto star all these years later.  A simple, stripped-down tale of men and the monsters that they become, it continued writer/director John Landis’ incredible 80s run after Animal House and The Blues Brothers and would lead directly to his working with Michael Jackson on the famous (and somewhat similar) “Thriller” video.  I championed the film and finally won in a hard-fought victory over crowd-favorite Children of Men (ask your shepherd Joel what he thinks of that one), and as such, hosted the MOTM segment of the LAMBcast (see below).

Before we get to the links, here’s the IMDb summary for the film, for those that aren’t familiar with it:

“Two American students are on a walking tour of Britain and are attacked by a Werewolf. One is killed, the other is mauled. The Werewolf is killed but reverts to its human form, and the local townspeople are unwilling to acknowledge its existence. The surviving student begins to have nightmares of hunting on four feet at first but then finds that his friend and other recent victims appear to him, demanding that he find a way to die to release them from their curse, being trapped between worlds because of their unnatural deaths.”

Now, let’s see what your fellow LAMBs had to say about it.  Thanks to all of the LAMBs that sent in their posts for this edition of the MOTM.

* Cinematic Catharsis
* Dan the Man’s Movie Reviews
* Forced Viewing
* French Toast Sunday
* The Droid You’re Looking For
* The Great Movie Project
* The Stop Button

It’s also time to vote on next month’s movie. Once again, I put out the call for MOTM Champions. The gist is this: I ask for volunteers – people to select a film to be placed on the poll (up to 10 per month, as usual), then promote it on their site, Facebook, Twitter, whatever. Should their film win, they are guaranteed a spot on the LAMBcast episode where we will discuss said film. As a bonus (?), they will also get to host that segment of the show.  Also, Joel likes me to mention that if you happen to campaign for your selection on your blog, he’d be happy to put up a Plug for it on the LAMB.

This month, we had seven Champions – the sites are listed along with the films in the poll below. You have one week to vote (and promote your movies!). I’ll be putting out the call for the next MOTM in a few weeks, so stay tuned.

As we do every month, the LAMBcast is tied in with the MOTM. This month, I got to sit in the hosting chair for the MOTM segment as Champion, as Fogs, Joel and Dan joined me for a look back at the effects-laden classic, touching on our favorite parts, issues we might have had, and its legacy now 31 years later.

Also on tap:

* Rants and Raves of the Week
* Last LAMB Standing

A couple notes:

* The show can be found, of course, via iTunes – just do a search for “LAMBcast.” Also, I always post a link to the show on the LAMBcast’s Facebook page, and there’s a player there if you’d like to listen online.

* Shows will eventually make their way to the LAMBcast Archives. If you’d ever like to catch up on back episodes, go there.

If you’re interested, you too can be a LAMBcaster – we love new blood! For more information on the LAMBcast, check out the topic at the LAMB Forums. Music provided royalty-free by Kevin MacLeod’s Incompetech website. Big thanks to Kevin for providing this service. Opening song by Cake. The LAMBcast loves feedback, too – if you’d like yours read on a future show, leave it in the comments section at the LAMB. Please visit and like our Facebook page, and finally, we’re on iTunes, and would still love a review, even if it’s a bad one.

Thanks for listening!