Review of Nightmare Demon - American Werewolf in London
Ultimate Action Figure

Introduction

While it might seem like every license in the history of film and television has been mined for collectibles, there are actually quite a few classics out there who have never gotten a great, or even good, treatment in plastic. One of those is the wonderful flick American Werewolf in London.

While horror films in the 80's are best known for their slasher roots, there were still a few classics created in other genres. American Werewolf in London was the best werewolf movie in decades, and started a resurgence of hirsute killers.

But we've only seen it pop up in the action figure aisle once, when SOTA did the Nightmare Demon as part of their Now Playing series. It was the only character they did though, and it's been more than 15 years since its release. Other companies have teased potential figures, including the great looking sixth scale figures PCS showed off a number of years ago at SDCC, but no one else has come through.

Until now, of course. NECA has added the license to their stable of Ultimate figures, with the Nightmare Demon hitting first. The werewolf will be on shelves soon if it hasn't hit your area yet, and you can expect to pay around $30 - $40 depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ****
If I picked the best packaging of the year, this one would be the easy winner. It's the usual hanger box from NECA, all collector friendly (no reason for you to keep these figures boxed up), and quite sturdy. But the cover is a heavy, thick lenticular piece of art. It's so great looking that you'll be tempted to cut the cover off and frame it. Yep, it's that good.

Sculpting - ****
The figure includes a whopping four portraits, covering all the Demons we see in the dream sequence in the film. The sculpting on every one is outstanding, and they have a realism that's quite impressive in this scale.

Speaking of which, the figure stands about 7" tall, fitting in with the rest of the Ultimates releases.

The expressions are evil, with snarling mouths and hideous fangs, ready to rip your throat out. There's a ton of detail work in the hair and skin texture, and the various textures on the clothes imply different materials. Every wrinkle, every fold, every button is just about perfect.

The figure is also very articulated, but this articulation was engineered in such a way as to take away very little from the sculpt.

Paint - ****
The paint work is also quite impressive in this scale, with a ton of tiny details and a very realistic overall application.

The smaller crucial details, like eyes, teeth, fangs, buttons, straps, etc. are super clean and well done. There's a grittiness to the look, a dirty rough appearance, but it's also sharp and even where appropriate. This makes the final result far more realistic than simply throwing a lot of paint at the figure and using the mess as a feature.

Articulation - ***1/2
The figure is very articulated, far more so than the old SOTA release.

The ball jointed neck has two points, one below the chin, and one where it attaches to the torso. That means plenty of lean, tilt, and personality in every pose. My one complaint is that the heads don't swap particularly well, with some of them having a hard time staying in place.

The rotating hinge shoulders and elbows are well hidden in the jacket sculpt, but still have an excellent range of motion. Combined with the wrists, the arms can take plenty of one and two handed gun poses, and hang naturally.

Likewise, the hips, knees and ankles are well hidden by the sculpt, yet have a fantastic range of movement. And while it might appear the torso is a single piece, it's just the jacket that is. Underneath, there's a cut waist that can turn, at least a bit.

All this articulation is particularly useful, since if you buy more than one of the Demons to use multiple heads on the shelf, you'll also be able to create unique poses for each.

Accessories - ****
He comes heavily outfitted, even for an Ultimate figure.

There's the four heads I've already mentioned, and that's quite impressive in itself. There's also an extra set of hands, and the four grips can work with most of the other accessories. Swapping hands works better than swapping heads, and I had no fear of breakage.

He has plenty of extra weapons as well. There are three machine guns of different sizes and types, as well as two knives. The knives are identical in sculpt, but one has some blood added to the blade.

Finally, he also has a burning torch, a great add that I will definitely be using on the shelf. The flame is sculpted blowing back, as if he was walking forward carrying it, or swinging it at his target.

Fun Factor - ****
With this many extras and great articulation, you'll have plenty of fun posing and re-posing this guy. And like Lays potato chips, it's going to be awful hard to just have one.

Value - ***
At $30 - $35, you're getting a solid value. That's thanks to the four unique head sculpts, and a ton of other extras.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. While swapping heads was a little annoying, I wasn't worried about breaking anything. Getting some of the guns in his hands can take a bit of patience, but pick the right grip and it's definitely easier.

Overall - ****
I've had this guy sitting here for about a month, too busy to open him up and appreciate him. But I'm definitely glad I got around to it, because he's simply outstanding. While the scale will work alright with the SOTA version, I'm very tempted to buy a second to use at least one more of the heads. Trust me, you will be too.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ****
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ****
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ****
Fun Factor - ****
Value - ***
Overall - ****

Where to Buy 
Stores like Target and Walmart will get this guy in stock, and I've seen him on the shelves at both places for around $30. Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has him for $35.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
This is the first American Werewolf in London item I've reviewed in more than 20 years, but with the Werewolf hitting soon, there will be more.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!