Monkey Shines

Friday, August 17 - Saturday, August 18, 2018

35mm Print!

“Moving away from the apocalyptic horror of his ‘Living Dead’ trilogy, Romero reaffirms his equal aptitude for controlled chills, previously evident in Martin. Paralysed in a road accident, Allan Mann (Beghe) is provided with a trained Capuchin monkey, Ella, as home help. A research specimen before training, Ella had been injected with human brain tissue by Allan’s mad scientist pal (Pankow) in the hope of increasing her learning ability. Now, as a result of a mysterious mind-meld, Ella responds to Allan’s moods, violently enacting his frustrated rage against his bossy nurse (Forrest), fussing mother (Van Patten) and ex-fiancée (Turner), in nocturnal rampages which he experiences as hallucinatory nightmares seen through the monkey’s eyes. Things build to a nasty climax when Allan falls in love with Ella’s trainer Melanie (McNeil), triggering a violently jealous reaction from Ella. What sets this apart from most modern horror movies, besides a sparing use of special effects, is Romero’s careful development of a credible emotional context for the pyromaniac madness and razor-wielding terror. Romero’s is a formidable talent which others can only hope to ape.” – Time Out (London)

Screening as part of our summer Waverly Midnights series, The Summer of ’88.

• Country USA
• Rating R
• Year 1988
• Running Time 113 minutes
• Director George A. Romero
• Writer Michael Stewart (novel), George A. Romero (screenplay)
• Editor Pasquale Buba
• Cinematographer James A. Contner
• Cast Jason Beghe, John Pankow, Kate McNeil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.