General Information

Director: Frank Agrama

Writers: Frank Agrama and Ron Dobrin

Cast: Robin Askwith, Rula Lenska, Valerie Leon, Roger Hammond, John Clive, Carol Drinkwater, Brian Godfrey, Anthony Morton, Fiona Curzon, Stanley Platts, Linda Hayden, Barbara Allen, Suzie Arthur, Lela Babbick, Melita Clarke, Jeannie Collings, Kathryn Hayes, Annette Lynton, Vicki Michelle, Trudi Van Doorne, Chai Lee, Eva Louise, and Tawny Sands

Composer: Pepper

Release Date: 12/10/1976

MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Overview

Before venturing to the jungles of Africa, film director Luce Habit (Rula Lenska) hires petty thief Ray Fay (Robin Askwith) to star in her upcoming production. After traveling a great distance on the seafaring vessel known as Liberated Lady, Ray develops a romantic bond with Queen Kong—a 64-foot-tall gorilla with protective instincts.

Combining the narrative structure of King Kong with many not-so-subtle references to second-wave feminism, Queen Kong would best be avoided by those with a sophisticated sense of entertainment. This effort should, however, be commended for making Dino De Laurentiis’ version of King Kong—often considered an inferior remake of a classic film—seem phenomenal by comparison.

Pros

None.

Cons

Despite poking fun at several of the most popular creature features ever made (e.g. Jaws, King Kong, and The Exorcist), Queen Kong is marred by a juvenile, if not infantile, variety of humor. Horror film enthusiasts may therefore wish to forgo this offering, which fails to satirize its iconic source material in a clever, intelligent manner.

Queen Kong should also be criticized for its appalling special effects and monster battles, which, even by the standards of a Z-grade adventure/comedy film, can accurately be described as among the worst of all time. In one scene, for instance, Queen Kong is attacked by a “trinosauropticus” that resembles a papier-mâché sculpture of Godzilla—an abysmal recreation of the T-rex fight from King Kong.

Analysis

While atop Big Ben (an obvious stand-in for the Empire State Building), Ray compels the people of London to embrace Queen Kong as a symbol of female empowerment—a ridiculous nod to the women’s liberation movement of the 1970s.

Concluding Comments

Queen Kong is an idiotic, uninspired parody of King Kong. Especially awful are the production values of this film, which will likely induce cringing from the majority of viewers.

Overall Quality: 1/10

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