Monkey Shines (1988)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

George A. Romero

Writers (WGA):

Michael Stewart (novel)
George A. Romero (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 July 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil...

Plot:

A quadriplegic man has a trained monkey help him with his paralysis, until the little monkey begins to develop feelings, and rage, against its new master.

Plot Keywords:

Quadriplegic | Monkey Butler | Wheelchair | Murder | Simian Fiction

Awards:

7 wins

Cast

Jason Beghe	...	Allan Mann
John Pankow	...	Geoffrey Fisher
Kate McNeil	...	Melanie Parker
Joyce Van Patten	...	Dorothy Mann
Christine Forrest	...	Maryanne Hodges
Stephen Root	...	Dean Burbage
Stanley Tucci	...	Dr. John Wiseman
Boo	...	Ella
Janine Turner	...	Linda Aikman
William Newman	...	Doc Williams
Tudi Wiggins	...	Esther Fry
Tom Quinn	...	Charlie Cunningham
Chuck Baker	...	Ambulance Driver
Patricia Tallman	...	Party Guest
David Early	...	Anesthetist

Also Known As:

Ella
Monkey Shines: An Experiment in Fear (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

113 min | West Germany:105 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | France:-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Carnegie Mellon University - 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Quotes:

Geoffrey Fisher: [dazed] Sorry. She got me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kicking and Screaming (1995)

Soundtrack:

THERE'LL BE ANOTHER SPRING

not your typical horror flick

If you're looking for body count, blood, or bogeymen, this film is not for you. It is more of a psychological thriller than a horror film, though it was billed as horror, likely because of the pseudo-science gimmick that provides the basis for the conflict in the plot.

While the film tends to wander a bit (i.e. a sub-plot involving the research head that gets dropped 3/4 of the way through) it stays fairly well focused on the main character and his problems. Aside from the lead, the most effective acting was done by the monkey(s), but the "real" actors do a pretty good job of carrying their own. It gives you a little insight into what it's like to be quadriplegic. For a late 80's movie, the style of filming was well done, there is very little cheese, and the special effects didn't overreach.

The premise seems a bit farfetched to our currently more sophisticated and informed sense of what's possible on the genetic engineering front. After all, this movie was made 15 years ago. If Romero had gone with either a supernatural cause or a plain animal jealousy angle, it might be less dated, but then again it might have been a little less believable to begin with.

Not very horrific, not startling or scary, but worth seeing if you don't mind a slightly slow-paced thriller. I gave it a higher than average score (6 out of 10) just because it didn't make me say "oh, please!" too many times unlike other movies from that time--particularly horror films--are prone to do. For example, the pivotal moment is fully supported by plausible input earlier in the film, it's not one of those miraculous developments pulled out of nowhere in the last few seconds before the climax.