Review of Monkey Shines (1988) by Kevin R — 29 Nov 2014

Monkey Shines (with the subtitle An Experiment in Fear added on by the studio) is another novel-to-film adaptation by George A. Romero. It tells the story of a quadriplegic man named Allan who is given a small pet monkey to help with everyday things.

Things ultimately go horribly wrong when it's revealed that secret experiments have been performed on the monkey, making her intelligent enough to form a psychic bond with Allan, lashing out at those who would come between the two of them.

Interestingly enough, the movie was George's first studio movie. And for all intents and purposes, it's his most well-crafted movie, which is a strange thing to say given his previous body of work.

Being associated with a major studio, it afforded the benefit of having a lot more savvy production value that he hadn't previously had access to. It certainly shows, particularly with the editing of the movie.

I wouldn't call it one of his best, but it's certainly not one of his worst. The performances are quite good, which helps hold up the movie a lot more than it would without them. The saccharine ending aside, the film is pretty tightly put together, and there are some genuinely suspenseful moments to be had.

And the special effects by Tom Savini are pretty impressive, as well. It's not perfect on all sides, but it's an effective thriller.