Monkey Shines: An Experiment In Fear (1988)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Conner R

  
  If you look at Monkey Shines as a horror movie, it's a complete failure. It's not horrific or scary at all. However, if you see it as a goofy monkey movie it's a little better. The music is so inappropriate and the length it takes to go anywhere is unacceptable. It also… More
  If you look at Monkey Shines as a horror movie, it's a complete failure. It's not horrific or scary at all. However, if you see it as a goofy monkey movie it's a little better. The music is so inappropriate and the length it takes to go anywhere is unacceptable. It also feels like a second rate Stephen King novel a lot of the time. However, it does have some of the best monkey business i've ever witnessed. The capuchin monkey playing Ella gave the best performance in the movie. I just loved seeing it go crazy and fulfill all these bizarre tasks for its paraplegic master. That being said, it's not enough to take away from the boring story, mediocre acting and uninspiring visuals. When you know this comes from an extremely talented horror director it's even more disappointing. You know this could've been good, but it's like no one knew what they were doing (except for the monkey).

• Luke B

  
  George Romero does an excellent job of swapping Zombies for Monkeys. This film may sound ridiculous in the most preposterous way. But then again, we now live in a world of Snakes on a Plane and Burning Bright, so this is a little easier to swallow. In its genre, it is one of the best… More
  George Romero does an excellent job of swapping Zombies for Monkeys. This film may sound ridiculous in the most preposterous way. But then again, we now live in a world of Snakes on a Plane and Burning Bright, so this is a little easier to swallow. In its genre, it is one of the best examples, and I'm not just talking about killer animals. I'm also referring to the stalker/obsessive partner/friend genre. What Romero does brilliantly, is to take a number of characters and the audience on a journey of emotions and self discovery. For example, I started off wanting one of these monkeys. The relationship built up is a genuinely loving one. It's really cute, and this could easily be one of those lifetime inspirational movies. If the monkey wasn't a genetically modified, telepathic, homicidal, psycho monkey. The well trained monkey takes us from tragic victim of experiments, to a loving carer. We get a wonderful cleaning montage, as the monkey helps the friendship expands. The monkey's obsession grows steadily. It starts off with a few temper tantrums and escalates into bananas in the slippers. Soon bananas turn to murder. It's the evolution of all species. None of this would work if it wasn't for a dramatic human connection. Beghe is a law student/athelete that is paralysed. He goes through acceptance, denial, frustration, which is understandable as his girlfriend leaves him for his doctor (a sleazy Tucci), he gets a patronizing nurse, and then his overbearing mother. It's great to see how the characters react to Beghe's quadriplegia, as it enforces Beghe's later anger. Beghe also does a terrific job of facial acting, which is most important as he can't use his body. In a single look he can convey the embarrassment of his mother having to wash him. On the surface, this is a story of a monkey being a bitch to a cripple. But look deep down, REAAAAAAALLY deep, and you'll see a social commentary. For a long time, the monkey is the only one that treats Beghe as an equal. It doesn't throw money at his problem, try and cheer him up, nor can the monkey do everything for him. Romero fills the film with dread, absurdity, and most of all a serious edge that clearly does the film justice. It's easy to mock this film. But the truth is, this could actually happen. Monkeys are creepy and untrustworthy.

• Stephen M

  
  <I>"C'mon, Ace, let's go fishing"</I> Ordinarily I'm very cynical of so-called director's cuts and the reasons for their release. The way I see it, unless there was outside interference, the director should have got it right first time. And… More
  <I>"C'mon, Ace, let's go fishing"</I> Ordinarily I'm very cynical of so-called director's cuts and the reasons for their release. The way I see it, unless there was outside interference, the director should have got it right first time. And with something like <I>Apocalypse Now</I>, frankly I have much more respect for Coppola's artistic integrity circa 1976-1979, when he made it, than in 2001 when he re-edited it. Anyway, here's a potentially great little movie that really <I>was</I> ruined by studio interference and which, I feel, would not need a great deal of tweaking to improve it immeasurably. First to go, obviously, would be the unbearably corny, tacked-on ending. I'm trying not to give too much away for those who haven't seen it, but why not just end the movie directly after the tense climax, on the optimistic note that Allan (Jason Beghe) has done enough to guarantee his spinal surgery? It would, however, be unfair to blame the studio for everything that is wrong with this picture. Back in 1976/1977 when he made his brilliant modern day vampire movie, <I>Martin</I>, Romero was clever enough not to make an issue of pointy teeth, unless it was to poke fun at the silliness of traditional vampire lore. In <i>Monkey Shines</i>, Romero's own, unnecessary, equally silly dental fixation suggests a significant erosion of his artistic good sense over the intervening decade.

• Tim S

  
  Love this movie but I have three problems with it: the ending, some of the dialogue and the "sex" scene.

• Curtis L

  
  A guy's helper brain-pee fed monkey goes crazy and kills people. This movie has hilarious dialog and a priceless monkey-neck-bite death scene.

• A.D. V

  
  I liked it just fine even if the premise is a bit preposterous but there's a glaring mistake that is impossible to explain away near the end of the film that undoes it entirely.

• Dean M

  
  This intelligent horror flick takes time establishing convincing characters before ringing many new changes to a familiar story. The chills, when they come, are a knockout.

• Lafe F

  
  It looked like such a scary and suspenseful movie! It's actually a dull mess, as paraplegic man in a wheelchair is terrorized by his monkey helper. There's very little to get excited about here.

• Dr Blood  

  
  This is a welcome variation to the "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" idea. The monkey is superbly trained.

• Marcus W

  
  Let's face it, Romero may be known as the "zombie maestro" but he hasn't made a decent one of those since Dawn. And yet this film proves he has talent as a director of quality horror, without a zombie in sight. It's no big challenge to make a scary movie… More
  Let's face it, Romero may be known as the "zombie maestro" but he hasn't made a decent one of those since Dawn. And yet this film proves he has talent as a director of quality horror, without a zombie in sight. It's no big challenge to make a scary movie around a paraplegic, and that feeling of utter helplessness, but chuck in a genetically altered evil monkey and suddenly you're right there with him. The pacing is a delight, and there's plenty of philosophy, psychology, and a perfectly subtle use of gore. This is a wonderful little horror movie, even if I would have preferred a genetically altered evil cat.

• Barry L

  
  Very funky film. Quality direction as you'd expect.

• Leo L

  
  A great movie.

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