Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Monkey Shines Blu-ray Movie Review

Monkey see, monkey kill.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 17, 2014

Poor George A. Romero may be the cinematic auteur equivalent to Rodney Dangerfield, unable to get any respect. Despite having almost singlehandedly creating a cultural phenomenon with Night of the Living Dead in 1968, Romero has had a rather tortured history in the often precarious highways and byways of Hollywood. Romero, who virtually defined the idea of an independent filmmaker years before it became part of common parlance, entered into what ultimately became a fool’s bargain with Orion to release his first traditionally studio funded film, Monkey Shines, at a time when Orion’s future was anything but secure. As might be expected, the innate sensibilities of Romero and those of the studio bean counters did not exactly correspond, and the result was a film that was tinkered with in defiance of Romero’s wishes. Whether due to that or other issues, Monkey Shines failed to really take off either critically or at the box office, just the first of several disappointments Romero would experience in his efforts to work within the confines of La-La Land (even if he actually tended to film mostly in his native Pittsburgh). While Monkey Shines may not be the film Romero initially intended, there’s still a moody tone suffusing the film. Anyone who has ever dealt with a handicapped friend or relative who might have a “helper” animal around will understand the apparently telepathic connection between the pet and its owner, something that’s exploited in Monkey Shines in a more traditional horror setting. When a former athlete is tragically injured, becoming a quadriplegic, he’s gifted with a helper monkey who has been the subject of some scientific experiments. The results are increasingly murderous, as the injured man’s roiling psyche links the the monkey’s artificially enhanced intelligence, leading to a string of deaths.

There are a couple of levels in Monkey Shines that play like a post-modern reboot of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. If Hyde is the unbridled Id to Jekyll’s ultra-rational ego, that same bifurcation is on display in two different ways in Romero’s film. First of all, erstwhile promising athlete Alan Mann (Jason Beghe) is reduced to a mere shadow of his former self after a debilitating accident. Mann’s previously sunny disposition is thrown into disarray, roiled by an agonizing realization that Mann is now stuck, both psychologically and physically. But later, once a researcher friend of Mann’s named Geoffrey Fisher (John Pankow) provides Mann with a specially trained (and specially “enhanced”) monkey named Ella, Ella herself becomes the conduit for Mann’s troubled psyche.

Monkey Shines plays somewhat like a traditional revenge film, although one of the things hobbling the film, at least slightly, is why Mann wants revenge—at least on some of the characters. He has a somewhat flightly quasi-girlfriend named Linda (Janine Turner), who leaves him after his accident, as well as an uncaring and incompetent physician (Stanley Tucci), who have not so coincidentally become a couple. That pair’s potential for raising Mann’s ire (and thus Ella’s) is fairly understandable, but his animus toward his mother (Joyce Van Patten) may not rise to quite the same level of motivation, at least when murder seems to be the only solution.

The film is also perhaps littered with a few too many side plots, including one involving Geoffrey’s questionable activities, as well as a helper named Melanie (Kate McNeil), a woman who soon becomes an object of jealousy for Ella. Still, the film delivers at least a few good jolts, although this tends to be one of the more psychological, and therefore interior, of Romero’s horror opuses.

As the excellent featurette included on this Blu-ray detailing the film’s rather troubled production and post-production gets into, while there may have been some inherent issues with Monkey Shines to begin with, Orion’s ham handed decisions to change elements, including the film’s ending, probably only made things worse, not better. Romero’s kind of piquant sense of humor and well documented ability to present anxiety rather palpably on screen still shines through in dribs and drabs, but Monkey Shines is a prime example of the dangers of monkeying around with something without understanding what the ramifications might be.

Monkey Shines Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Monkey Shines is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory, an imprint of Shout! Factory, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Elements are in very good to excellent condition, though there are the customary issues with flecks, specks, dust and other minor damage that occasionally pop up. Colors are generally accurate looking, but don't quite pop with the vividness one might hope for. Flesh tones can occasionally look just slightly on the pink side. The overall look of this transfer is very natural and organic, but just slightly on the soft side quite a bit of the time, without a lot of depth. Contrast and black levels are well established and consistent, and the film has a natural though at time quite heavy layer of grain. There are no problems with filtering or sharpening.

Monkey Shines Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Monkey Shines offers DTS-HD Master Audio mixes in both 2.0 and 5.1. The 5.1 mix nicely splays the film's at times astounding sound effects while also offering more low end support for David Shire's appealing score. Fidelity remains excellent and dynamic range is very wide. Dialogue is very cleanly and clearly presented in both iterations, and there are no problems of any kind to report.

Monkey Shines Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• An Experiment in Fear - The Making of Monkey Shines (1080p; 49:32) is another in what is becoming a long line of very well done "making of" documentaries accompanying Scream Factory releases. This has a number of interesting interviews as well as scenes from the film and other background material.


• Alternate Ending (1080i; 5:12)


• Deleted Scenes (1080i; 4:07)


• Behind the Scenes Footage (1080i; 00:58)


• Still Gallery (1080p; 2:31) contains some frankly creepy looks at the various monkey models.


• Trailers and TV Spot (1080p; 1:55, 1:29) (1080i; 00:33)


• Vintage "Making of" (1080i; 5:21)


• Vintage Interviews and News Feature (1080i; 3:43)


• Audio Commentary with Writer/Director George A. Romero. Romero seems more or less resigned to what the film ended up being, as well as its place in his overall oeuvre, though there's still a tinge of bitterness in some of his comments here.

Monkey Shines Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Monkey Shines never quite gets to the level it needs to deliver the kind of visceral experience it's obviously aiming for, but the interplay between Beghe and the monkey is initially charming and then increasingly disturbing. There's no denying that the film has pacing issues and that (for a Romero film, anyway) it's ultimately not that frightening, but it explores some dark territory of the psyche that is rather interesting in its own way. Despite its flaws, Monkey Shines has a rather vocal coterie of fans, and they will be pleased to know that for the most part technical merits here are very good to excellent, and that the supplementary package is well done as well. Recommended.