**May Contain Spoilers**
The British don't make many turkeys but when they do grind one out it's a beaut. The most interesting thing about this one is watching good actors trying to make something presentable out of a ridiculous script full of schizophrenic, unbelievable characters. Michael Gough heads the cast as a deranged scientist with a new growth serum and a pet chimpanzee to test it on. As if you couldn't guess, he runs into problems with the scientific establishment, then uses his formula to turn the cute little chimp into a big stupid-looking gorilla that's sent out to murder his enemies. Live-in assistant Margo Johns gets real mad when Gough pays too much attention to Claire Gordon, a young student with big blonde hair and an even bigger rack. Her rational solution is to turn Konga into a giant who goes on one of the most lackluster, poorly-staged monster rampages ever. In one scene, fugitives are more amazed than terrified and actually stop to gawk. Police superintendent Jack Watson tries to register horror as the guy in the ape suit flings a Michael Gough doll to the ground. One character is attacked by Gough's carnivorous plants in a scene that makes Andy Milligan's BLOOD look like THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS. I hope Ray Harryhausen never saw this; the not-so-special effects would have made him gag. After a bunch of crazy Brits made this howler it needed a U.S. distributor to pick it up and amaze audiences here; American International, of course, was happy to oblige. To drive yourself completely ape-s**t, watch this and THE MIGHTY GORGA as a double feature and try to figure out which is worse.
The British don't make many turkeys but when they do grind one out it's a beaut. The most interesting thing about this one is watching good actors trying to make something presentable out of a ridiculous script full of schizophrenic, unbelievable characters. Michael Gough heads the cast as a deranged scientist with a new growth serum and a pet chimpanzee to test it on. As if you couldn't guess, he runs into problems with the scientific establishment, then uses his formula to turn the cute little chimp into a big stupid-looking gorilla that's sent out to murder his enemies. Live-in assistant Margo Johns gets real mad when Gough pays too much attention to Claire Gordon, a young student with big blonde hair and an even bigger rack. Her rational solution is to turn Konga into a giant who goes on one of the most lackluster, poorly-staged monster rampages ever. In one scene, fugitives are more amazed than terrified and actually stop to gawk. Police superintendent Jack Watson tries to register horror as the guy in the ape suit flings a Michael Gough doll to the ground. One character is attacked by Gough's carnivorous plants in a scene that makes Andy Milligan's BLOOD look like THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS. I hope Ray Harryhausen never saw this; the not-so-special effects would have made him gag. After a bunch of crazy Brits made this howler it needed a U.S. distributor to pick it up and amaze audiences here; American International, of course, was happy to oblige. To drive yourself completely ape-s**t, watch this and THE MIGHTY GORGA as a double feature and try to figure out which is worse.