Link (1986)

Directed by

Richard Franklin

Genre

horror film, science fiction film

Country

United Kingdom

Runtime

1h 43m

Rated

R

Rating

6.2 of 10 from 135 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A super-intelligent chimpanzee turns on his human handlers when they decide to euthanize him. A young woman and a scientist find themselves trapped and hunted by the animal at a remote Scottish estate.

tenseslow-burnsuspensefuldarkbleakunsettlingclaustrophobic

What happens

Link is a 1986 British horror film starring Elisabeth Shue and Terence Stamp along with a trio of simian stars which consist of Locke as Link, Jed as Imp, and Carrie as Voodoo. The title character, "Link", is a super-intelligent yet malicious chimpanzee (played by an orangutan) who lashes out against his masters when they try to have him euthanised. It was directed by Richard Franklin and written by Everett De Roche from a story by Lee David Zlotoff and Tom Ackermann. The score was provided by Jerry Goldsmith. It was filmed in St. Abbs, Scotland. Shue and Goldsmith received Saturn Award nominations for their contributions. Franklin was a devotee of Alfred Hitchcock - he had recently directed Psycho II - and said after filming “I hesitate to liken it to The Birds because everyone will say ‘Oh shit, he's doing Hitchcock again.' Unlike The Birds, which is kind of a fantasy, Link is based on anthropological realities. I'm calling it an anthropological thriller as opposed to a psychological thriller.” (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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