In this underrated horror film, college student Allan Mann (Jason Beghe), a disciplined athlete, becomes a quadriplegic after being hit by a truck while out running (with bricks in his rucksack).
He is outfitted with a motorised wheelchair which he steers with his mouth, and the lean, lively body that was once his pride becomes his prison. His life is shattered and he falls into a deep depression.
Allan receives a “service monkey” named Ella from his scientist friend Geoffrey Fisher (John Pankow) who is leading an experiment to supercharge simian intelligence by injecting monkeys with human brain cells.
Ella has been trained to assist the handicapped with everyday tasks, but the student soon finds out that the monkey has other talents – among them, acting out his darkest impulses.
Ella’s empathy grows out of control as she forms a complex – almost telepathic – psychological bond with Allan and begins acting out his homicidal fantasies in exacting detail.
A fascinating and frightening psychological thriller, confidently written and directed by Romero, and adapted from a novel by Michael Stewart. Known in some markets as An Experiment In Fear.
Allan Mann
Jason Beghe Geoffrey Fisher
John Pankow Melanie Parker
Kate McNeil Dorothy Mann
Joyce Van Patten Maryanne Hodges
Christine Forrest Dean Burbage
Stephen Root Dr John Wiseman
Stanley Tucci Linda Aikman
Janine Turner Doc Williams
William Newman Esther Fry
Tudi Wiggins Charlie Cunningham
Tom Quinn Ella
Boo
Director
George A Romero
Video
Related Posts
My Left Foot (1989) My Left Foot is the amazing true story of Irish painter-poet-novelist Christy Brown, born in 1932 to a poor Dublin bricklayer,…
Man Without a Body, The (1957) Karl Brussard (George Coulouris), a bullying and egocentric millionaire, is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour and told he will…
Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988) Although nominally a sequel to 1983's Sleepaway Camp, this film had a different director, a different actress playing the lead…
Misadventures of Merlin Jones, The (1964) This pleasant, undemanding Disney comedy from the reliable director of The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) was originally made with plans to broadcast…
Midnight Express (1978) The fat Turkish warden in Midnight Express doesn't speak much English . . . but he doesn't need to. He sweats a…
Mind Benders, The (1962) Dirk Bogarde plays research physiologist Dr Henry Longman, whose personality is changed by experiments on the effects of isolation in…
Accused, The (1988) Jodie Foster won her first Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for her performance as rape victim Sarah…
Fish Called Wanda, A (1988) From the Monty Python stable, an English caper-comedy with a complex plot involving a gang of hopeless misfits who pull…
Allan receives a “service monkey” named Ella from his scientist friend Geoffrey Fisher (John Pankow) who is leading an experiment to supercharge simian intelligence by injecting monkeys with human brain cells.
