Line #34 Film/Konga


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/71bsfd6abml__sl1080_0.jpg]]
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3	Konga (or I Was a Teenage Gorilla) is a 1961 British/American science fiction horror film starring Creator/MichaelGough (of ''Film/{{Batman\|1989}}'' fame) in the lead role of Dr. Charles Decker. After being assumed dead for a year, Decker returns home with several specimens of carnivorous plants and a baby chimpanzee, whom he dubs Konga. Decker had conducted experiments on plants during his time in the African wilderness, and seeing the potential of stimulating plant growth, Decker injects a serum into Konga's circulatory system, causing him to reach his adult size in less than a minute. However, when the dean of the Essex University threatens his research, Decker doubles the dosage and sends the primate to kill all of his rivals.
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5	An obvious ripoff of ''[[Film/KingKong1933 King Kong]]'', the film served as a basis for a comic book series, and a novel based on the film was published around the time of the film's initial release.
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7	It received a sequel... [[SequelGap in 2020]], titled ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_WyeAlSouw&ab_channel=SRSCinemaLLC Konga TNT]]''.
8
9	!!This film provides examples of:
10	* AntagonistTitle
11	* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: "Konga! Ever-growing man-made beast!", who becomes almost as tall as Big Ben.
12	* AttemptedRape: Decker throws himself onto Sandra in a frenzy of lust when she declines his offer to become his assistant due to a lack of experience.
13	* BMovie
14	* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Decker uses seeds from the carnivorous plants to hypnotize Konga into subservience.
15	* ClassicVillain: Decker's a mixture of Pride and Lust.
16	* ComicBookAdaptation:
17	** Dick Giordano drew an adaptation for Creator/CharltonComics.
18	** Konga also appeared in a three-issue miniseries that started off as ''The Return of Konga'', before it was renamed ''Konga's Revenge'' with issue #2. The series ran from 1962 to 1964 AND was followed by a one-shot reprint of issue #3 in 1968.
19	* DirtyOldMan: Decker becomes obsessed with his young student, Sandra Banks (despite the massive age difference), taking note of how she changed physically when he was missing for a year.
20	* DisproportionateRetribution: Most of Decker's ordered murders fall under this, but one in particular is having Professor Tagore brutally murdered by the titular primate simply because he [[ItsAllAboutMe wanted to be the one to receive recognition for his research]].
21	* EvenEvilHasStandards: Not in the film itself, but in the novel, Decker attempts to save Sandra after she falls victim to one of his many Venus flytraps, to no avail.
22	%%* EvilIsPetty: Isn't Decker ever.
23	%%* EvilTeacher: Decker again.
24	* FauxAffablyEvil: While he portrays himself as a respected botanist and university professor, Decker is actually a ruthless MadScientist, being willing to extinguish any rivals to his success.
25	* ForScience: Decker tries to justify his murders by claiming it was to test Konga's obedience.
26	* FreudianExcuse: After being abused and experimented on by [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters Decker]], Konga goes on a rampage through downtown London.
27	* HoistByTheirOwnPetard: Befalls both Margaret and Decker [[spoiler: who are slain by the angry Konga]].
28	* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Sandra completely misjudges Decker's insistence with being close to her.
29	* KickTheDog: Decker shoots and kills Margaret's pet cat, Tabby, because he had drunk some droplets of the serum. He only gets worse from there.
30	* KillerGorilla: Konga morphs into one after repeated doses of the serum.
31	* KingKongCopy: Konga is a shameless rip-off of King Kong.
32	%%* MadScientist: Decker.
33	%%* ManEatingPlant: Decker has a bunch of them, like a venus flytap.
34	* TheMockbuster: Of the 1933 film.
35	* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Decker, yet again.
36	* MyCarHatesMe: Scooter, rather. Bob Kent has trouble starting up his scooter. After Konga [[spoiler:kills him]], his scooter finally starts, the rear wheel spinning while the scooter is on its side.
37	* MurderTheHypotenuse: While way over the horizon, Decker's murder of Bob Kenton stands out as noticeably petty.
38	* {{Novelization}}: A novel based on the film was written by Dudley Dean [=McGaughey=] under the pen name of Dean Owen.
39	* SmallNameBigEgo: Decker wants to be acknowledged as a genius by the scientific community, and is willing to eradicate rivals to accomplish this goal.
40	* StrippedToTheBone: Happens in the novel to the aforementioned girl.
41	* TooDumbToLive: Affects several people in this movie, but Professor Tagore deserves special mention for telling the obviously obsessed Decker that he lives alone in an isolated area and never even locks his doors. [[IncrediblyLamePun It should be no surprise that he soon joins the other victims in the Konga line.]]
42	* TragicVillain: Konga is really just an ordinary gorilla that was subjected to inhumane experiments.
43	* UngratefulBastard: Decker wants to kill Konga even though he would've died had he not have led him to the African village in the first place.
44	* VillainProtagonist: AntagonistTitle aside, Decker himself is responsible for all of the bad things that happen in the film.
45	%%* WeCanRuleTogether: Decker offers this to Sandra.
46	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The film ends without showing whether Sandra freed her arm from the Venus flytrap. In the [[{{Novelization}} novel]], Sandra ends up EatenAlive and [[StrippedToTheBone reduced to a skeleton]].
47	%%Tell us* {{Yandere}}: Guess who.

Context Film / Konga