John Landis' 1981 classic "An American Werewolf in London" is one of the most revered horror-comedies ever, standing on the shoulders of the goofy "Abbott and Costello Meet..." film series and leaning into the natural absurdities of one of the horror genre's most overt manifestations of man's duality. Casting the lead roles of doomed Americans David Kessler and Jack Goodman was of paramount importance; the movie was conceived as homage to "The Wolf Man," after all. The suits at Universal initially wanted SNL alum and "Blues Brothers" stars Dan Akroyd and John Belushi to lead, but Landis went with unknowns David Naughton and Griffin Dunne instead.

An ordinary casting process might include screen tests and further evaluations of the actor, but the way Naughton told it to journalist Sandy Auden, one meeting with the "Animal House" director was all it took to land the role of the doomed backpacker. He describes...