An American Werewolf In — London Deleted Scenes __exclusive__ Cracked

The climax of the film in Piccadilly Circus is already a chaotic mess of car crashes and flying glass. However, several beats of "gratuitous" gore were trimmed to avoid an X rating.

Specifically, there were shots of the werewolf literally tearing into bystanders that were deemed "too much" for the pacing of the finale. Rick Baker’s team had created several "meat" props and blood-rigs for the crowd that only appear for a fraction of a second in the final edit. Fans have spent years looking for the "Cracked" vault footage of these extra kills. 4. Jack’s Increasing Decay

The film is famous for its abrupt ending—David is shot, he reverts to human form, and the credits roll instantly to "Blue Moon." an american werewolf in london deleted scenes cracked

While we see Jack (Griffin Dunne) progressively rot throughout the film, there were additional lines of dialogue and close-up shots of his decomposition that didn't make the cut.

There was a slightly longer version of this scene where the crowd’s reaction was more pronounced, and Alex (Jenny Agutter) had a few more seconds of dialogue or reaction. Landis opted for the "hard cut" to credits because it felt like a punch to the gut. It’s one of the most effective endings in cinema history, but seeing the "cracked" version of a more traditional, lingering ending makes you appreciate the final choice even more. Why Were These Scenes "Cracked" From the Final Product? The climax of the film in Piccadilly Circus

One deleted beat involved Jack describing the "sensations" of being a walking corpse in much more graphic, stomach-turning detail. The producers felt the humor of Jack’s undead state worked better if the audience wasn't too busy vomiting at his exposed ribcage. 5. The Extended "Blue Moon" Ending

The monkeys were intended to be more interactive and menacing, leaning into the surrealist dread of David’s deteriorating mental state. These shots were shortened to keep the nightmare sequence frantic and jarring rather than lingering and hallucinogenic. 3. More Gore in the Piccadilly Circus Massacre Rick Baker’s team had created several "meat" props

In the world of film editing, "cracked" usually refers to the moment a director realizes a scene doesn't fit the puzzle. For Landis, An American Werewolf in London was a tightrope walk. Too much gore, and it’s a slasher; too much comedy, and it’s a parody.