Monkey Shines (1988)

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.

Director:

George A. Romero

Writers:

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

Stars:

Jason Beghe, John Pankow, Kate McNeil

7 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

When Allan becomes a quadriplegic he loses all hope for living until he meets Ella - a monkey trained to fetch and carry for him around the house, obeying him in all things. But Ella is part of another experiment, and when she starts responding to Allan's underlying rage and frustration she has the ability to carry out her master's darkest wishes.

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Plot Keywords:

bare chested male | woman on top | nudity | telephone call | wrapped in a towel | 

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Taglines:

An Experiment In Fear

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is one of the few films in cinema history to have a male monkey. Females are generally used due to not being as aggressive as males.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 40 mins) Ella urinates on Allan as a sign of mating, but it's actually the male capuchin who urinates on its mate. This would suggest that Ella is in fact a male capuchin.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Allan Mann: [after waking up] Linda? I'm gonna go run.

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Crazy Credits

"Introducing Boo as Ella"

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Alternate Versions

Earlier versions of Monkey Shines allegedly contained a bizarre brain surgery scene, as well as several abusive scenes involving the small monkey, Ellie. Although the scenes were all staged and no animals were harmed in the making of the movie, the filmmakers decided it would be better to simply leave them out to avoid conflicts.

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Connections

Referenced in Corpse Fucking Art (1987)

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Soundtracks

Ain't We Got Fun
Written by Richard A. Whiting (as Richard Whitting), Ray Egan (as Raymond B. Egan) and Gus Kahn
Performed by Peggy Lee
Courtesy of Capitol Records, Inc.
Under license from Capitol Special Markets

User Reviews

A nice little Romero film

This movie's not going to have a fan base larger than Night of the Living Dead or Dawn of the Dead, but it is another example of Romero's uniqueness as s film maker. An original story with an original cast, Romero adds to the horror genre by going somewhere where no other film maker has gone before. Monkey Shines cast includes Christine Forrest who shows her finest performance as the nurse. Worth checking out, so check it out.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 July 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Monkey Shines: An Experiment in Fear

Filming Locations:

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,902,024, 31 July 1988

Gross USA:

$5,344,577

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,344,577

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min 105 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1