An American Werewolf in London (15)

An American Werewolf in London also does milieu well. When you think of the hamfisted way most American directors handle Englishness (anyone for Match Point?), Landis's sure sense of the social strata, from creepy Yorkshire pub to yuppie London mansion-flat, is remarkable.

And, unlike Animal House, this is good storytelling, helped along by the very appealing leads – David Naughton as the bewildered lycanthrope, Jenny Agutter (phwoar) as the nurse who falls for him and Griffin Dunne as his decomposing friend.

Some of the special effects are a little creaky now, but the snap of Landis's editing and the razor's-edge balance of horror and comedy are still fresh.