Arrow Video, out October 15

John Landis’ directorial debut gets a UK Blu-ray premiere in this tale of ape meets blind beautiful girl.

Filmed in 1973, for $60K over 12 days, the greatest pull here is to watch John Landis perform as the titular missing link in a suit designed by future Oscar winner Rick Baker. Both Landis and Baker can credit this light confection with the starting point of some glittering careers, and while the target of this spoof (ape on the rampage movies) is pretty clear, at 80 minutes it feels like a joke stretched a little too thin.

The Blu-ray transfer (4K restoration from original camera negative)is actually very clean and a vast improvement on the VHS copy I watched in the 80s (it never had a DVD release) and there’s a certain charm to the slapstick antics as D S Wino tracks down The Banana Killer. The commentary track by Landis and Baker is great fun, and the video interview with Landis (Birth of a Schlock) reveals the director’s affection for his debut.

Verdict: John Landis and Rick Baker completists will be delighted to pop this set on their shelves to fill the Schlock-filled hole, whereas the curious might find this monkey business just a little lightweight for a full-price purchase. 6/10

Nick Joy