← Apex Mountain

An American Werewolf in London

1981 · directed by John Landis · 97 min
24,463 feet · Prominence
676th of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw56

Lifetime worldwide gross $32m, re-releases included; about $116m in 2026 money.

Rank2,651 of 11,051In 198124 of 90

How Draw works

Inflation-adjusted worldwide box office, on one global curve, and nothing else. It does not know whether a film was good.

Praise69

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics68 baseAwards12 signal → +2 lift

Oscars1 won Makeup and Hairstyling
How Praise works

Critics set the score; a tiered award record, Picture and Directing carrying the most weight, claims half the headroom above it. Praise is the verdict at the time; Legacy is the verdict since.

Legacy65

Judged directly: Landmark transformation effects, first makeup Oscar.

Verdict65 of 100IMDb7.5 from 133kWikipedia30k views a monthAge45 years

Scored beside it · 429 of 4,039 films judged

If it does not belong in this company, the number is wrong.

How Legacy works

Legacy is a judgment, not a formula. A film can be adored by critics and culturally quiet, or lightly reviewed and permanently lodged in the culture, and no arithmetic over IMDb numbers tells the difference. Every signal behind it keeps updating.

draw 56 praise 69 legacy 65averages 63, placing it at24,463 ft
How the three become one number

Added, not multiplied, so a film transcendent on one pillar and weak on another is not zeroed out. A compression curve then squeezes the top, because the seven greatest films ever made should not be four thousand feet apart.

Whose apex this is

▲ Jenny Agutter▲ David Naughton▲ John Woodvine

In these careers — elevation for this film

Griffin Dunne19,063 ftDavid Naughton18,729 ftJenny Agutter18,344 ftJohn Woodvine17,789 ftFrank Oz17,653 ft