Mistress of the Apes is a 1979 film from Larry Buchanan.
The wife of a famous anthropologist is rushed to hospital in labor. At the same time, druggies raid the hospital looking for drugs, causing the baby to be stillborn. While recovering from the trauma, she learns that her husband has disappeared in Africa. She launches an expedition to find him, but is shocked to discover the missing link. She's even more surprised to find that they want her to become their queen.
Tropes:
- Adventurer Outfit: Cory and Thurston both wear versions of the Safari Outfit. Great White Hunter Cory looks a lot better in his than Fat Slob Thurston does.
- Caught in a Snare: Towards the end of the movie, Thurston gets caught in a snare set by Near Men.
- Darkest Africa: When Susan's anthropologist husband disappears in the Congo, she mounts an expedition to find him. She eventually discovers that this especially inaccessible stretch of jungle is home to a tribe of Homo habilis.
- Distinguished Gentleman's Pipe: Paul Cory smokes one as part of Great White Hunter persona.
- Evil Poacher: Thurston is secretly the head of the largest poaching ring in Africa. He hires two local poachers, Brady and Sikes, to kill the other members of the expedition so they do not discover his secret.
- The Ghost: Susan's husband, who disappears in Darkest Africa before the story starts. Susan mounts an expedition to find him, only to discover he has been murdered.
- Great White Hunter: Paul Cory is actually a journalist for a nature magazine, but he dresses and acts the part.
- Groin Attack: While breaking free in an attempt to warn Paul of the ambush, Laura knees Brady in the balls. Brady keeps bitching about this for the rest of the film, and tortures her to extract revenge.
- Gun Nut: David Thurston loves guns and in an Establishing Character Moment, spends several minutes waxing lyrical about his new Remington hunting rifle, despite the fact no one else in the room is interested.
- Mighty Whitey: Susan ends up becoming the leader of the Near Men.
- Misplaced Wildlife: The 'crocodile' in the river in Africa is fairly obviously an alligator.
- Ms. Fanservice: Susan does not wear a bra and takes her top off at the drop of a hat.
- Night Swim Equals Death: One of the Bantu maidens decides to take a moonlight dip in the river and is killed by the Near Men in retaliation for Thurston killing one of their women.
- Pistol-Whipping: Thurston knocks out Cory by butt stroking him with his rifle.
- Posthumous Character: Susan's husband is an anthropologist who goes missing in Darkest Africa. Susan mounts an expedition to find him, only to learn that he has been murdered by Evil Poachers working for Thurston. He never appears onscreen and is not even named.
- Rape Discretion Shot: Thurston offers his wife Laura to the Evil Poachers Brady and Sikes as part of their deal. The pair grab her and Sikes starts groping her and Brady holds her. The camera cuts away just before Sikes rapes her.
- Reckless Gun Usage: Gun Nut Thurston has a habit of blasting away without warning, and often without a clear target. His Trigger-Happy tendencies wind up killing a female of the Near Men and landing the expedition in serious hot water.
- Skinny Dipping: One of the Bantu maidens takes a naked moonlight dip in the river. Too bad for for her Night Swim Equals Death is in effect.
- Trigger-Happy: Evil Poacher Thurston is a Gun Nut with a fondness for large calibre hunting rifles. He has a habit of starting shooting without warning, and usually without a clear target.
- *Twang* Hello: Susan is walking through the camp when a spear flies out of the jungle and hits the tent behind her.
