Eddie Brock and the Symbiote will become one later this year when Ruben Fleischer's Venom premieres in October. There's a lot of anticipation to see what Tom Hardy brings to the role, especially with the promise of an anti-hero story that skews somewhat darker than the average superhero film. In fact, it turns out that Venom draws ample inspiration from the world of horror, as Fleischer recently opened up and admitted that the film takes inspiration from John Landis' An American Werewolf in London. The director explained:
An American Werewolf in London was an influence for the body horror faced by Eddie Brock.
Upon reflection, Ruben Fleischer's remarks to USA Today actually make quite a bit of sense. From what we have been able to glean from the trailers for the upcoming anti-hero adventure, it looks like Eddie Brock is not going to willingly become Venom, with the alien Symbiote infecting him and turning him into the creature. That's not too far off from the plot of John Landis' An American Werewolf in London, which similarly tells the story of an American tourist who gradually transforms into the titular canine monster after being attacked by another werewolf while walking with his friend at night.
With all of that in mind, we should also take the time to note that An American Werewolf in London has become notably infamous for its gruesome transformation sequence -- which was entirely achieved through practical effects. You can check out the legendary scene, below.
Given the fact that Venom has apparently taken inspiration from John Landis' horror classic, we're left to wonder how painful Eddie Brock's transformation into the titular anti-hero may look when all is said and done. There's obviously going to be more CGI in this version of the body horror story, but the promise of something inspired by An American Werewolf in London seems to suggest a very horrific film nonetheless.
Of course, it's also not just a matter of the body horror experienced by Eddie Brock in Venom. There are other similarities to An American Werewolf in London in the mental decline experienced by the main character. The previews have shown Eddie having full conversations with the Symbiote, which very much mirror the conversations that An American Werewolf in London's David Kessler has with his dead friend, Jack Goodman.
Make sure to keep it here for more updates related to Venom as further information about the upcoming Sony Spider-Verse film becomes available to us. The movie will premiere on October 5, and until then, you can head over to our movie premiere guide to read up on all of the other films that are set to debut in theaters in 2018!
