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      Monkey Shines

      R Released Jul 29, 1988 1 hr. 53 min. Horror Drama List
      53% 32 Reviews Tomatometer 41% 5,000+ Ratings Audience Score Athlete Allan (Jason Beghe) becomes quadriplegic after a horrific traffic accident. His friend Geoffrey (John Pankow), who is conducting experiments with monkeys, offers Allan a well-trained monkey named Ella to keep him company and raise his spirits. But the initially healthy bond, which even enables Allan to form a romantic relationship with Melanie (Kate McNeil), gradually disintegrates once Ella begins to channel Allan's underlying rage and takes it out on his loved ones. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Oct 17 Buy Now

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      Monkey Shines

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      Critics Consensus

      While not one of horror legend George Romero's more evolved efforts, Monkey Shines delivers enough primal fear to satisfy more forgiving genre enthusiasts.

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      Audience Reviews

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      sean s I saw this movie when it came out in 1988. I thought it was above average then. I recently watched it again, and it has held up pretty well for what it is. The forgotten paraplegic m. diving scene with the excited monkeys squeaking in the background was somewhat awkward though at my age. Ha. Still kind of a strange and funny movie. The actress who played the clinging mother was great also. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review robert p Monkey Shines is a pretty good horror/science fiction with alot thrown in and stirred until it gets fairly scary when the monkey starts killing off his friends because it is jealous of her master! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review júlio a Nossa, li a resenha desse filme, e lembrei que já tinha assistido a muito muito tempo atrás. Nem sabia que era do Romero na época, caramba! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Monkey see, monkey doo doo. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review steve d Really stupid, one of the directors worst. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member A more interesting premise than most horror films that fall short. Towards the end it started to drag a little as more horror cliches abounded and it started becoming more unrealistic (somehow not paralyzed anymore). Some loose ends never got tied up at the end either. This film wasn't very scary, I'm sorry but that monkey is just adorable. It was just meh. Also looked it up and sadly these monkeys cant be service animals anymore, which I disagree with. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Anton Bitel Little White Lies before its disappointing dénouement, Monkey Shines is a very tense thriller concerned precisely with one man's struggle to tame his older, wilder instincts. Oct 8, 2018 Full Review Variety Staff Variety A befuddled story about a man constrained from the neck down told by a director confused from the neck up. Nov 26, 2007 Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader One of George Romero's most effective and interesting horror thrillers. Rated: 3/4 Nov 26, 2007 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Fortunately, the actors tend to take the material seriously, despite its obvious design around improbable stretches for the sake of thrills. Rated: 4/10 Aug 9, 2023 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) The film most exhilarating film since Jaws. [Full review in Spanish] Jun 23, 2022 Full Review Michael Coldwell Starburst The absurdity is played up, the dark laughs are plentiful and some very-repeatable lines of dialogue suggest Romero may have been midway through a John Waters marathon at the time. Rated: 7/10 Oct 8, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Athlete Allan (Jason Beghe) becomes quadriplegic after a horrific traffic accident. His friend Geoffrey (John Pankow), who is conducting experiments with monkeys, offers Allan a well-trained monkey named Ella to keep him company and raise his spirits. But the initially healthy bond, which even enables Allan to form a romantic relationship with Melanie (Kate McNeil), gradually disintegrates once Ella begins to channel Allan's underlying rage and takes it out on his loved ones.
      Director
      George A. Romero
      Executive Producer
      Peter Grunwald, Gerald S. Paonessa
      Screenwriter
      George A. Romero
      Distributor
      Orion Pictures, Image Entertainment Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
      Production Co
      Orion Pictures
      Rating
      R
      Genre
      Horror, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Jul 29, 1988, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Oct 17, 2016
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $4.8M
      Sound Mix
      Surround
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