Verdict
Summary
Link has grown on me over the years. With a catchy electronic score by Jerry Goldsmith and snappy, eye-popping cinematography by Mike Molloy, the film works as a thriller and as a horror film if you choose to watch it that way. Shue makes for a good, relatable “final girl,” and with Franklin’s assured direction, the film has aged well.
Plot: When a Jane Chase, a young zoology student, is invited to assist anthropologist Steven Phillips with his experiments involving chimpanzees, mysterious events occur that all center around Phillip’s super intelligent simian servant, Link.
Review: An American zoology student named Jane (Elisabeth Shue) studying in England is asked to become the assistant to brilliant author Steven Phillips (Terence Stamp), who lives with two chimpanzees and an orangutan named Link. He spends his every waking hour studying these creatures and trying to make them smarter with his experiments. When Jane shows up at his estate to live with them for the summer, it takes awhile for her to adjust to the unusual way of life, and Phillips’ unorthodox methods, but she soon finds her groove. Gradually, Link becomes fixated on Jane, and when Phillips strangely disappears, Jane is left to fend for herself in the house, which is isolated in the countryside without a phone or a working vehicle. It becomes clear that Link has eliminated any means of rescue and terrorizes Jane, who must outsmart the uncommonly savvy creature who will surely kill her if she doesn’t learn how to survive, and fast.
Richard Franklin’s stylish and suspenseful slasher with a twist, Link has grown on me over the years. With a catchy electronic score by Jerry Goldsmith and snappy, eye-popping cinematography by Mike Molloy, the film works as a thriller and as a horror film if you choose to watch it that way. Shue makes for a good, relatable “final girl,” and with Franklin’s assured direction, the film has aged well.
Kino Lorber’s new Blu-ray of Link is upgraded to HD, so it looks nicer than the previous Anchor Bay DVD, and it comes with some bonus features, including an appreciative audio commentary by a film historian and film critic, plus deleted scenes, an audio interview with Franklin, and some trailers.