Review: Monkey Shines (1988)

I remember always seeing the poster for this as a kid, but I never got a chance to see it until now. It's really quite a strange movie that could so easily be one of the most absurd things you've ever seen: a helper monkey forms a telepathic link with its new quadriplegic owner (due to some experimental drugs of course) and starts killing people because of its master's rage. But Monkey Shines is actually pretty good for what it is... no doubt I'm sure thanks to George A. Romero. I wouldn't exactly watch it again, and the wacky scenario might still yield a few unintentional laughs, but it was worth seeing once. Sadly, the creepy toy monkey on the poster is nowhere to be seen in the final product. The live animal in the movie really isn't that scary. I'm sure if you read the book this is based on, the story plays out a lot better since you can just imagine everything. Something is definitely lost in the translation to film, but the fact you can take any of this seriously is an achievement on the part of the filmmakers.