Trog

1970
Dir. Freddie Francis

After the discovery of a prehistoric troglodyte in a cave in primmest, properist England, Dr Brockton and her team of anthropologists attempt to communicate with it. The local townsfolk however, are not happy about a potentially dangerous Neanderthal residing so near to their quintessentially quaint English village. A botched plan to get rid of the creature results in it causing all sorts of havoc and mayhem in the local village. Can Dr Brockton put a stop to Trog’s antics before afternoon tea? Can she heck!

Trog is significant because it marked Joan Crawford’s last ever big-screen role. Hollywood had (and arguably still does have) a problem casting older women. Ageism and sexism were normalised, meaning Crawford and other actresses over 50 were considered too old for leading roles. In her later career though, Crawford obtained memorable leading roles in a number of horror films (including What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? [1963], Strait-Jacket [1964] and I Saw What You Did [1965]). Trog was the second film she worked on with her friend, screenwriter Herman Cohen, following Berserk! (1967). Despite the absurd material (hey, a girl’s gotta eat, right?) she still delivers a dedicated, poised performance as Dr Brockton - a wise, unflappable anthropologist with a penchant for pastel pantsuits.  

Director Freddie Francis, who was already a reputable cinematographer and director of such horror titles as The Skull, Paranoiac, Dracula Has Risen From The Grave and The Evil of Frankenstein, fails to inject any sense of momentum into proceedings. His direction feels stunted and uninspired, and aside from the mildly creepy opening, in which several explorers fall foul of the titular beast as they investigate an eerily lit cave in the English countryside, exhibits no flair or imagination whatsoever, and his obvious indifference to the material ensures events simply trundle along.

The film begins intriguingly enough with the same uneasy, stiff English malaise that wafts throughout the likes of Amicus and Tigon films; that bizarre juxtaposition of contemporary setting with an oddly cold, slightly gothic atmosphere. After our jaunty spelunking team are set upon by a briefly glimpsed creature, events quickly move on as Dr Brockton arrives with her hypogun and tranquilises the cave-man-beast and takes him back to her clinic for research. Henceforth the film becomes a combination of scenes featuring Crawford attempting to communicate with and educate 'Trog' and a bizarre series of court hearings in which disgruntled villagers demand the creature is exterminated. After all, his presence runs the risk of bringing property prices down (!).

Hammy acting, over enthusiasm and hopelessly overwrought emoting soon become the order of the day, ensuring Trog exudes a high-camp sensibility. In what other film would you see a montage of Joan Crawford playing catch with the Missing Link? Said montage also features Trog listening to music, playing with toys, being rewarded for good behaviour, and being gently reprimanded when he gets a little rough (“Bad Trog!” scolds Joan Crawford. And we really believe she means it).

“Get me my hypogun, quickly!”

A delightful flashback to prehistoric times featuring stop motion dinosaurs is lifted directly from Warner Bros.’ The Animal World (1956). It's wonderful, but also obviously a way for Francis to pad out the film. Trog’s highlight, when we finally get to it, is the sight of the titular creature bounding through a quaint English village, pushing jolly greengrocers through plate-glass windows and hanging inquisitive butchers on their meat hooks. There’s even a scene where he frightens off a group of small children and proceeds to traverse their climbing frame. Bad Trog! The rabble of journalists, villagers and policemen who pursue Trog back to his cave appear to have been told by director Francis to simply ‘run around a bit’, such is the ineptness of the climactic scene.

There is a whiff of social commentary thrown into the mix. No, really! Dr Brockton is constantly having to prove herself and defend her decisions to her male colleagues because they believe that she, a woman, cannot be trusted to run the experiments and maintain control of Trog. For so many women working in industries traditionally dominating by men, they have to work even harder just to prove they can do the same job. The authorities only listen to Dr Brockton's suggestions when several male scientists step forward to confirm and validate her approach, which was regarded as too 'sensitive'.

A few mildly interesting debates about Darwinism and Creationism are tossed into the already wordy mix. There is some subversive humour in how the civilised society Trog finds himself in, through no fault of his own, treat him in such an uncivilised way. The conclusion? Trog is a sentient being who can actually be reasoned with, but not in the opinion of civilised society, who only want to destroy him. 

Absurd, campy, weirdly touching and a testament to Joan Crawford's grit and commitment to her craft, Trog is B movie gold and an (almost) always entertaining cult oddity.