Monkey Shines (1988)
- Directed by
- George A. Romero
- Genre
- drama film, fantasy film, horror film, science fiction film, slasher film, thriller film
- Country
- United States
- Runtime
- 1h 53m
- Rated
- R
- Rating
- 6.3 of 10 from 365 voters
- Elsewhere
- IMDb
The catalogue in 3D
The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.
How it feels
A paralyzed man gets a service monkey named Ella that was given an experimental brain serum. Ella becomes violently possessive and starts killing people around him.
tensedisturbingslow-burnbleakclaustrophobicsuspensefulunsettlingmelancholic
What happens
Monkey Shines (also known as Monkey Shines: An Experiment in Fear) is a 1988 American science fiction psychological horror film written and directed by George A. Romero and starring Jason Beghe, Kate McNeil, John Pankow, and Joyce Van Patten. Its plot follows a young athlete who becomes a paralyzed quadriplegic, and develops a bond with an intelligent service monkey named "Ella" who becomes homicidal after she is injected with an experimental serum of human brain tissue. It is based on the 1983 British novel of the same title by Michael Stewart. Producers Peter Grunwald and Charles Evans of Orion Pictures acquired the rights to Stewart's novel in 1985, and began production two years later, with Romero assigned to direct. The film marked Romero's first major studio feature, and was his second-most expensive film at that time, with a budget of $7 million. The setting was changed from Oxford, England, where the novel was set, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a city in which Romero had long resided and often set his films. Principal photography of Monkey Shines took place in Pittsburgh in the late summer and early fall of 1987. It had a protracted post-production and editing process, as Romero shot more film than he had on any of his previous projects, particularly due to the use of live monkeys. Monkey Shines was released theatrically by Orion Pictures in July 1988, receiving mixed reviews and a lackluster box-office reception, grossing $5.3 million against its $7 million budget. In the intervening years, the film has been noted by critics as an offbeat entry in Romero's filmography, and has earned status as a minor cult film. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
More like this
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Fatal Pulse (1988)
Dead Ringers (1988)
The Mysterious Death of Nina Chereau (1988)
Child's Play (1988)
The Rejuvenator (1988)
Beetlejuice (1988)- More like this film, on a shelf you can walk up to.It's the lit case on the top shelf.