Monkey Shines1988

🏆 7 wins & 2 nominations

Horror Vault's take

When a young athlete is left quadriplegic after a devastating accident, a well-meaning scientific experiment assigns him a helper monkey — and what begins as a lifeline slowly curdles into something deeply sinister. Directed by George Romero, this adaptation of Michael Stewart's novel traps its protagonist in a nightmare where his only source of independence becomes his greatest threat. The film mines genuine dread from the horror of helplessness, as the boundaries between caretaker and captor blur in increasingly disturbing ways. Romero brings his signature social edge to a story that is as much about human fragility as it is about a very dangerous small primate.

Content: Animal Harm, Violence, Disturbing Imagery, Scenes Involving Physical Helplessness