I realize that director Freddy Francis didn't consider it his cup of tea. Joan Crawford has been besmirched for starring in it. I know a know-it-all from Upstate NY who takes great delight in ridiculing it. However, despite its deriders, I love Trog, and I'd sooner knock one on the ass than ever apologize for that adoration.
We Belong Dead also respects and defends Herman Cohen Productions' Trog, having published a new, 146-page book by horror-movie historian, John (Beasts in the Cellar) Hamilton (with a forward by the knowledgeable Richard Klemensen), which dares to unveil all there's to know about the 1970, Hammer/Amicus-esque, "missing link" opus.
Trog: The Ultimate Tribute covers the principals who brought the concept to life, including its producer, Herman (I Was a Teenage Werewolf/Frankenstein, Horrors of the Black Museum) Cohen, the aforementioned director Freddy (The Evil of Frankenstein/Dracula Has Risen from the Grave) Francis, and its storytellers, Abel Kandel, John Gilling and Peter Bryan. Though the production may have been just a job for some, it was the participants' collective professionalism that made Trog a box-office hit.
In addition to its behind-the-scenes, creative force, Hamilton devotes ample attention to the movie's stars: Joan Crawford (who bestows one of her tenderest portrayals, even though per Francis, she had difficulty remembering her lines); Michael Gough (who's as sinister here as he is in Konga, Horrors of the Black Museum, Horror Hospital and The Phantom of the Opera 1962); beloved, Hammer staple, Thorley Waters; recurring Doctor Who actor, Bernard Kay; and popular, pro-wrestler Joe "Dazzler" Cornelius (whose nuanced performance layers his ape man with as much naivety and heartache as vindictive ferocity.)
In addition, Hamilton shares Trog's then-and-now, shooting locations, pressbook excerpts and even a chapter on makeup artist Charles E. Parker's Trog masks, supplemented by a little crafty fiction and a fun rundown of simian movies (including 2001: A Space Odyssey and the original, Planet of the Apes run), with each section boosted by razor-sharp stills and gratifying artwork from Mark Maddox and Mark Armstrong.
For those who know and appreciate its intent, Trog works rather like a Lassie or Benji film, thanks to its comparable pathos and adventure, while at the same time performing as a tragic, next-generation Return of the Ape Man or Eegah!. It inspired Joshua Kennedy's miraculous Mantopus and John Landis' nutty spoof, Schlock (even if the latter is a crass mockery at heart). Ryan Murphy's Feud: Bette and Joan's final phase wouldn't be anywhere near as engaging if it had bypassed Trog. The movie is also a forerunner to Fred Schepisi's Iceman and Steven Spielberg's E.T., with Crawford acting as a pre-Elliott to her dear visitor, who really isn't a visitor at all, for Trog is part of a world much older than any of us, but what does he get for his seasoned lineage? He gets chided and belittled, just like the movie in which he stars. (Can one blame him for going berserk? I certainly can't.)
I salute Hamilton's dedication to the subject matter and for seeing Trog's special quality as I and (contrary to propagandized, snobbish claims) a good number of others see it. If you love Trog, you need this book, and you can purchase it (in either softback or hardback) at
https://webelongdead.co.uk/product/trog/
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