Editorials
[It Came From the ‘80s] ‘Link’ Unleashed Man Versus Ape Mayhem
It Came From the ‘80s is a series that pays homage to the monstrous, deadly, and often slimy creatures that made the ‘80s such a fantastic decade in horror.
For the most part, the great age of practical effects meant unbridled creativity in horror. Horrific and deadly creatures that thankfully only exist on celluloid. Monsters aren’t always plucked from the ethers of imagination; every once in a while, they’re based in reality. Such is the case with Link, a horror-thriller that unleashes a trio of primates upon unsuspecting humans.
Directed by Richard Franklin (Psycho II, Patrick, Roadgames), Link centers around young zoology student Jane Chase (Elizabeth Shue). She approaches university professor Dr. Steven Phillip (Terence Stamp) about an assistant position. She is invited to his remote coastal summer home to assist with experiments meant to research the link between man and ape. Dr. Phillip has a trio of chimpanzees at his home, free to wander the premises. The eldest of which is Link, a male chimp that dresses in butler’s clothes and prides himself on service. But the primates’ serious strength means that Jane has to abide by specific rules to preserve her safety; never interfere with the chimps’ in-fighting, and maintain dominance but always forgive. When Dr. Phillips disappears one day, Jane assumes he’s traveled to London for a scheduled appointment. The longer he’s gone, the more violent the chimps become.
Right away, you’ll probably notice something’s off with Link. It’s not that he’s wearing clothes or that he prefers praise for displaying human mannerisms, like smoking a cigar. It’s that he’s not a chimp at all. He’s an orangutan. After Locke the orangutan got the role, his trainers dyed him black, and he was given prosthetic ears to make him look like a chimp. In the film, Link is a 45-year-old former circus animal that often tests boundaries with his human masters.
As for the other two primates, there’s Imp (played by Jed), the youngest and favored chimp of the bunch with a penchant for animal slaughter, and Voodoo, a female often caged because she’s so aggressive. Carrie, an adult chimp, plays Voodoo. It’s very uncommon for a film to use an adult chimp because, like the character Voodoo, they tend to be much more aggressive and violent.
While using the primates for the shoot meant a much more authentic engagement with the film, it also made production more difficult. Even more so, considering there was pressure on Franklin to use men in primate suits, not actual primates. The animal actors could only perform their tasks in limited spurts, and often used wheelchairs when not shooting to conserve energy. Much of their performance was on head ape trainer Ray Berwick, a legendary animal trainer with notable credits on The Birds and Gremlins.
Franklin approached Link the same way he approached Psycho II, with a sense of mystery and mood. Dr. Phillip’s whereabouts are unknown for the length of the runtime. Meanwhile, Jane unwittingly breaks all the simian rules and causes increasingly erratic behavior from her chimp companions. That makes these “monsters” a little different than the norm in that they don’t fit the standard villain role. There is a body count, and one final “aha” moment that ends the film on a somber note of terror, but Franklin doesn’t treat this film as a traditional horror affair.
By the time the film was ready for release, the production company Cannon Films had acquired EMI. Cannon shaved off eight-minutes of the film and gave it a limited theatrical release on Halloween in 1986. Due in large part to that limited release, this horror-thriller remains an underseen gem to this day.
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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