Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

Sorry George, I love ya, but what happened? Monkey Shines has an incredibly intelligent and unique premise. After a debilitating accident left him paralyzed, Allan Mann is introduced to Ella, a highly intelligent monkey. This animal has specialized training to help him adjust and cope with this drastic change in his lifestyle. It's a match made in heaven, Ella's skills and comprehensive abilities are extraordinary. But there is more to the story, of course. Ella has been injected with a special scientific formula, and the pair have unknowingly become part of an experiment. In the process they form an eerie bond, a possible telepathic link. Ella starts anticipating Allan's thoughts and acting out his subconscious desires. This soon turns violent, and the results are pretty frightening. The suspense builds steadily and provides some interesting subplots. Unfortunately though it gets a little too far-fetched and ridiculous. When this cute little monkey goes on a killing rampage, I couldn't help but shake my head. It made me wonder how a younger Romero might have handled the climax, possibly toned it down some. Maybe current audiences aren't much for subtlety, but I think this could have been one of the greats. Oh well, still not bad. 3.5 stars.

Hard to believe that the man who directed zombie horror fests such as "Night of the Living Dead," "Dawn of the Dead," and "Day of the Dead" would bring us "Monkey Shines" - a tense, psychological horror masterpiece involving a genetically altered lab monkey that becomes psychotic. The real star of this gem is Boo who plays Ella. A nerdy researcher with delusions of grandeur keeps injecting poor Ella with memory cells from a human brain. He then gives her to his best friend who has recently become a quadriplegic. They become co-dependent to the max. Soon the two become psychically linked. As Ella becomes more intelligent, she also becomes more violent. Soon she becomes the arms and legs for her owner and carries out his desire for vengeance against those who have harmed him.

The acting is superb. Jason Beghe ("One Missed Call") gives an excellent performance as the handsome, athletic law student who become angry and bitter because of his crippling accident. Beautiful Kate McNeil ("The Last House on Sorority Row") is very convincing as the energetic, robust trainer of monkeys for the handicapped. Together, Beghe and McNeil are a cute couple; their love scene is very sensual, proving that the handicapped can do most anything. A young Stanley Tucci ("Maid in Manhattan" and "The Devil Wears Prada") is a despicable neurosurgeon; who would've believed how handsome (and muscular) he was when he had hair.

The gore is kept to a minimum. "Monkey Shines" relies heavily on character development and a suspenseful, clever plot in which science has created a literal monster. A quadriplegic becomes trapped within his home by a diabolical beast. "Monkey Shines" is intelligent, well crafted science fiction horror with strong elements of romance and the supernatural. The theme of anger becoming a physical manifestation is also prevalent in David Cronenberg's psychological masterpiece, "The Brood"; it stars Samantha Eggar whose anger is physically manifested into killer dwarfs.

I enjoyed "Monkey Shines" much more than George Romero's zombie films. If you enjoy films about pets turning against their owners, then you may also want to watch "Cujo" or "Man's Best Friend." There are many films involving genetically altered lower life forms such as bees, wasps, bats, etc., but none of them are as sophisticated or psychologically horrifying as "Monkey Shines." Boo really shines in her performance as the homicidal monkey, Ella.