For his follow-up to DAY OF THE DEAD, George Romero chose this adaptation of a novel which manages to be scary thanks to the fact that it's an extremely realistic film. I don't think the scientific experiments on monkeys portrayed here are that far-fetched, do you? Of course, it wouldn't be a very good film if there weren't some fantastic moments, but for the most part this is an accurate and bleak tale. It's also a rather unpleasant one, albeit a film without the graphic gore which Romero usually delivers. Fans of his zombie trilogy will probably be disappointed with the total lack of blood and guts on here, as instead we get a slow-moving, character-focused drama which runs for nearly two hours. Yes, there are a number of deaths, but most of them are off screen. Tom Savini is credited with effects but seriously, they're few and far between.What makes this film an interesting one for me is the unusual story that it has. Monkeys have always seemed to be quite evil creatures (check out OUTBREAK if you don't believe me) and this film dwells on an evil monkey, called Ella. The nature-running-amok theme is handled quite well, leading to a lot of creepy moments amid the more typical shocks. The acting can best be described as adequate, seeing as this is a late '80s movie... although I rather liked Jason Beghe's Jekyll/Hyde routine as the lead. But the real star of the show here is Ella, the monkey, who frequently does astonishing things. Watching a monkey running around with a straight razor and stabbing needles into people is something I found to be quite disturbing.Although the film is gore-free, it's also not for the squeamish, as lots of nasty things happen to people involving needles and implied violence (especially when that needle gets too close to someone's ear, ugh!). The climax is quite good, highlighting the shortcomings of Beghe's disability as he desperately fights for control against the monkey which is now openly murdering all and sundry. And I defy you not to be shocked by the ending, which sees Beghe literally biting and ripping the monkey apart using only his teeth (as he's paralysed from the neck down). All this and there's time for a happy ending too. MONKEY SHINES is a film with a great idea behind it, only let down by the long running time and slow pace which frequently mean scenes verge on boredom. I would call it an interesting curiosity piece, but not one to go out of your way to see and not one you would want to watch again.

This film may sound ridiculous in the most preposterous way because it's a killer monkey movie, but don't monkey around. Go see this movie. It's not that bad as it seem. It's honestly pretty alright. I have to say, this isn't your run-of-the-mill cheesy Slasher monkey horror film like 1990's Shakma & 1995's Congo. This is a pretty smart psychological thriller that you can go bananas for! Written and directed by George A. Romero, the film is based on a novel with the same title authored by Michael Stewart. Monkey Shines: An Experiment in Fear tells the story of an ex-track athlete, Alan Mann (Jason Beghe), whom became paralyzed when struck by a truck. Mann fails to adjust to his condition, becoming suicidal and despondent. To help Alan out, his friend Geoffrey Fischer (John Pankow) trained a monkey named Ella (Boo the Monkey) to help him with his paralysis. What he doesn't know is that Geoffrey has been experimenting with Ella, genetically alter her brain that cause the little monkey to develop more human-like deep feelings, and rage, against its new master and her monkey trainer, Melanie Parker (Kate McNeil). I can understand why, people might overlook this movie. The little monkey is too cute. Whose idea was it to use a capuchin monkey as a villain? Why didn't they just use a bigger ape? While, a capuchin monkey seem silly as a villain. There is a way to portray it, right like what they did in 1995's Outbreak. They was able to do it, because that monkey in that movie was carrying a deadly disease that cause its villains to have violent and gory deaths. This movie didn't have any of that, fears, because it lacks gore. The movie is a bit laughable as the small monkey tries to poison and burn fully grown human beings. Clearly, Boo has no clue, what she was doing. Most of the action in the film is very unintentionally hilarious. The crash scene involving a running man, a barking dog and flying bricks is just cheesy. While, I couldn't see the monkey as a serious threat. I did love, how the movie portray their relationship. The relationship built up is a genuinely loving one. It was a deep bond, between the two that's right out of any kid's animal movie and then it got really bizarre, with Alan picks up on Ella's primal behavior, and Ella picks up on Allan's feelings of frustration, rage and revenge. The movie never explain this odd empathy of two, as both feel increasing in love with each other. It almost beasty. As if the movie was trying to channel the same themes of horror in Gothic tales like Beauty and the Beast, Planet of the Apes & the Island of Doctor Moreau, where no matter, how civilize you can act, you still have one foot, out of the jungle. I guess, the movie was trying to say something like a link from man to beast, but it never fully explained satisfactorily leaving a gaping plot hole that is a wart to what the film is trying to accomplish. I had actually read Monkey Shines. It was not a great read, but it's explain the concept, better than the movie, with the main character taking the same pills intended to increase the learning ability of his primate companion, but in the movie, it's never explained. Why and how exactly does Geoffrey's intelligence-boosting potion wind up linking Ella to Alan psychically? Who Knows! The movie doesn't bothered with it. The concept of the story has some interesting aspects. The life of a quadriplegic is an interesting subject, and you see it, with the great acting from Jason Beghe. You really see the struggle of it, through his facial expression and eyes. Kate McNeil is very convincing as the energetic, robust and beautiful trainer. Together, Beghe and McNeil make a cute couple on screen, and unlike other viewers, I didn't find the sex scene between them weird. It's very rare to see how severely handicapped are able to make love. Their love scene is very sensual, proving that the handicapped can do most anything. A young Stanley Tucci is a cool look, as the supporting character, despicable neurosurgeon Dr. John Wiseman. I really couldn't believe that was him. Most of the rest of the supporting cast was alright in their roles. Boo the monkey was the star of the film, big time. Without her, the movie couldn't had work. A lot of people might hate this movie, due to the fact, that they have a monkey as a villain. Watching a monkey maim and kill people could be pretty traumatic for younger and even some older viewers I would imagine. PETA might jump in, for the very controversial ending. The ending was so controversial that the film's distributor, Orion Pictures, forced Romero to add a happy ending to the picture, a plot device which the director had long avoided in favor of more ambiguous endings, because they were desperate for a hit, as it was in financial difficulty. Second, after poor previews, the studio recut the film without Romero's knowledge to add a "shock" ending. While, there are tons of alternate endings. It didn't help the film, much. Overall: Unfortunately, the plotting and scripting is quite weak. The pacing, a bit too long. The concept is interesting, but the execution leaves much to be desired. Still, it's worth watching, at least once. Monkey see monkey do.

Offbeat horror film has a paraplegic being given a capuchin monkey named Ella as a companion. Only problem: the cute little monkey has been subjected to genetic experimentation, and has a mind of its its own. Pretty soon, the monkey is up to no good, and the paraplegic is becoming telepathically linked to the increasingly evil simian. George Rnmero made this little gem. The cast is largely unknown, although watch for a young Stanley Tucci as one of the paraplegic's surgeons and John Pankow as the paraplegic's buddy (and mad scientist). A weird little tale that takes its time to get to the nasty stuff, which is just fine with me as the killings are pretty routine.

George A. Romero directed and adapted this low-watt thriller from Michael Stewart's book about a sweet little monkey who is turned into a killer after a lab experiment goes awry. Handsome Jason Beghe is very good as a quadriplegic who relies on the monkey to help him get around, and Joyce Van Patten is also excellent as Beghe's domineering mother. Unfortunately, the plot's more thoughtful sections are pretty much thrown out for the sake of thrills, which seem awfully silly in view of the simian protagonist. Romero may well have his tongue-in-cheek, but he's checked his brain at the door. Good actors, cute monkey both wasted on dumb, unenthralling material. *1/2 from ****