Directed by: Richard Franklin. Starring: Terence Stamp, Elisabeth Shue, Steven Finch.
Released on Blu-ray, DVD & digital download digital on 1st
February 2021 by Studiocanal.
Thankfully, Australian director Richard Franklin (PATRICK, ROAD GAMES,
PSYCHO II), chose not to heed W.C Fields’ advice to never work with animals or
children when he helmed his pet project (no pun intended) high-concept killer
chimp flick, LINK. Eschewing the conventual wisdom of using stunt performers in
ape costumes, Franklin plumped for dyeing an orangutan’s fur black and kitting
him out with prosthetic ears to provide his gloriously barmy conceit with its
titular ‘chimpanzee’.
A brief plot summary just doesn’t do this film justice in terms of its
numerous jaw-dropping elements. But for the record, future Oscar nominee Elisabeth
Shue (THE KARATE KID, BACK TO THE FUTURE II/III, LEAVING LAS VEGAS), plays American
zoology student in London ‘Jane’, in a far from subtle Tarzan reference from Ozploitation
scripter Everett De Roche. Taking a summer job at a remote gothic farmhouse
pitched picturesquely and precariously on a cliff-top along the English
coastline, her goal is to work for, and study with, its human inhabitant, Dr
Steven Phillip. Sporting a wild mop of hair and a crazed Rik Mayall like
appearance, it’s none other than ‘General Zod’ (SUPERMAN II) himself Terence
Stamp. Dr Phillip, a mad misguided anthropologist, is studying the link (ahem),
between man and ape, and rather dubiously exploring the concept of ‘civilisation’
by utilising his prime primate chimpanzee ‘Link’ (played by Locke the orangutan)
as a butler.
(Side note: the film’s German title was literally ‘Link, der butler’).
In addition to which, Dr Phillip also encourages his former circus
trained captive companion to recreate his talent for lighting and smoking
cigars. (This is foreshadowing folks). In addition to Link, Dr Phillip is also
working with a rather aggressive and mostly caged elder female chimp ‘Voodoo’,
and a deceptively playful younger chimp, ‘Imp’, who may well be not nearly as
child-like and innocent as the cheeky little scamp appears. This dysfunctional
and frankly disturbing set-up cranks up through several bizarrely unnerving notches
until Jane finds herself suddenly abandoned and alone in the farmhouse with the
three primates. And she’s about to find out quite how accurate were Dr
Phillip’s graphic warnings about the inherent aggressive nature of chimps…
This stylishly idiosyncratic addition to the killer primate sub-genre,
released two years before George A. Romero’s critically regarded MONKEY SHINES,
is often unjustly overlooked. Having pulled off, with some considerable aplomb,
the unenviable task of delivering a worthy sequel to Hitchcock’s seminal shower
slasher, director Franklin (a Hitchcock devotee), works in several PSYCHO
references in his commendably warped take on beauty and the beast. Dispensing
with the star-billed lead a third of the way in mirrors PSYCHO structurally. A further
doff of the cap occurs from a notable dissolve into a bath drain sequence. Then
there are the PSYCHO (and PSYCHO II) reminiscent interiors, crowned with the ominous
looming overhead shots of the grand staircase. Lensed by veteran cinematographer
Mike Molloy (who worked as camera operator for Kubrick on A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
and BARRY LYNDON), Franklin pulls out all the stops visually, including a
bravura opening POV sequence stalking a pursued cat up a trellis and across a
rooftop toward a pigeon coop, whilst cutting to TV footage of Marlene Dietrich emerging
from a gorilla costume in BLONDE VENUS.
Even though most of the film’s mayhem (and modest final third body count)
occurs offscreen - which may have harmed its commercial success – the tangible simian
threat (not to mention the added menace of attack dogs) is convincingly staged thanks
to the work of animal trainer Ray Berwick (THE BIRDS) and skilfully judicious editing.
The actual ‘performance’ from Locke the orangutan as ’Link’, garnered from the meticulously crafted use of montage, is brilliantly nuanced, and the scene whereby Link perves at a naked Elisabeth Shue is unforgettably disturbing on several levels.
Composer Jerry Goldsmith (scoring again for Franklin after PSYCHO II), opts
for an impishly playful musical approach, reminiscent of his GREMLINS work,
which perfectly complements the largely tongue-in-cheek off-kilter material on
screen.
Inspired by the work of primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall
(perhaps another reference for Elisabeth Shue’s character’s name), LINK is a far
more interesting work than its somewhat limiting and misleading tagline: ‘an
experiment in terror’ suggests. Thematic development and character backfill were
pruned from the released print’s running time, but thankfully there is some
tantalising clues to the originally intended version provided on this disc with
a generous reel of deleted workprint scenes.
As well as a superbly restored HD transfer, which showcases the richly infused
visual storytelling of this hairy tall tale, there’s also some juicy treats to forage
for.
A new audio commentary by film historian Lee Gambin, (author of ‘Massacred
by Mother Nature’) and film critic Jarret Gahan is both exhaustive and
exhausting. Lee’s boundless enthusiasm for nature-centric horror films is
infectious, and it’s a great accompaniment. Film programmer and horror expert
Anna Bogutskaya’s interview offers a fascinating reading of the film, and a
short audio interview with director Franklin serves up some tantalising titbits
about the project. (I particularly chuckled at his disappointment with the work
ethic of the British film crew and their slavish devotion to tea-breaks.
Perhaps it was the simian cast providing a constant reminder of PG Tips TV
commercials?). Jerry Goldsmith’s demo of the main theme is included as an audio
extra – fair warning, it’s an infectious earworm, and the original UK trailer rounds
off a decent selection of extras.
LINK is very much a product of its time. Were it to be made today (highly
unlikely, granted) we would probably have Andy Serkis’ motion-capture wizardry
replacing living breathing primates. Of course, it is morally questionable to stick
fake chimpanzee ears on an orangutan and dye his fur (or for that matter dyeing
a tiger in order to play a black panther, Don THE BEASTMASTER Coscarelli I am
looking specifically at you here) purely for the pursuit of entertainment. But
LINK is nevertheless far more than one-dimensional schlock, and worthy of
reappraisal and appreciation.
Paul Worts
****(out of 5*)
This review was originally published by FrightFest.
