A*P*E (1976) - Color / 86 mins

Ape (stylised as A*P*E and released in South Korea as 킹콩의 대역습 - King Kong eui daeyeokseup; The Great Counterattack of King-Kong) is a 1976 monster movie. It was an American/South Korean co-production produced by Kukje Movies and the Lee Ming Film Co. (South Korea) and Worldwide Entertainment (USA) with 3-D effects. Directed by Paul Leder and featuring special effects by Park Kwang Nam, the film stars Rod Arrants, Joanna Kerns from TV series Growing Pains (credited as Joanna De Varona) and Alex Nicol. It was released at approximately the same time as Dino De Laurentiis' 1976 remake of King Kong. In latter years the film has gone under the titles of Attack of the Giant Horny Gorilla (for its 1982 grindhouse re-release), and Hideous Mutant (for its original home video release). It marked an early film appearance by Kerns, who later moved to TV movies and shows. The movie was a quickie production meant to capitalize on the upcoming release of Dino DeLaurentis' King Kong. Several plot elements, such as a giant gorilla's relationship with an American actress, are essentially lifted from the King Kong story. In fact when the film was announced, it was going to be called The New King Kong. When RKO got wind of this, they filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against the company. Because of the lawsuit the title was changed to A*P*E and the tagline "Not to be confused with King Kong" was added to the theatrical posters and movie trailer. However the company was able to get away with using King Kong's name not only in its native South Korea but also in some international markets where it was known as Super King Kong and King Kong Returns respectively. The film's special effect budget for the miniature buildings was only $1,200. The entire budget for A*P*E was $23,000. The film was shot in just 14 days. The film's title A*P*E stood for (Attacking Primate MonstEr), with the deliberate intention to spoof the acronym title of M*A*S*H, a popular 1970 film and subsequent TV series of the same name that was based in Korea where this film was produced. The movie pitted the titular giant ape against a huge great white shark, meant to take a shot at Jaws, a movie made a year earlier about a giant shark. The film hit North American screens in October 1976, merely two months before the release of King Kong.

A 36-foot-gorilla escapes from an oil tanker off the coast of Korea. After battling with a giant Great White Shark, the ape reaches land and destroys several buildings before attacking a giant Python (the snake's origins are never revealed). After finding and kidnapping an American actress named Marilyn (Joanna Kerns), the military is brought in to deal with the giant simian.

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