‘The dark side of nature.’
Blood Monkey is a 2007 American monster movie about a mad professor who leads a group of anthropology students into the jungle; they are investigating a remote tribe of killer chimpanzees rumoured to be the missing link. Also known as Bloodmonkey
Directed by Robert Young (Curse of the Phoenix aka Ghost Ship; Hammer House of Horror: ‘Charlie Boy’; Vampire Circus) from a screenplay co-written by George LaVoo and Gary Dauberman (director of Salem’s Lot 2022; Annabelle Comes Home; writer of Annabelle and Annabelle: Creation; The Nun; Swamp Devil; In the Spider’s Web) based on a story by George LaVoo. Produced by Charles Salmon (The Hive; Croc; In the Spider’s Web).
The Thai Occidental Productions movie stars F. Murray Abraham (Things Heard & Seen; Shark Swarm aka Great White; Thir13en Ghosts; Mimic), Matt Ryan, Amy Manson (Estranged; Pumpkinhead 4: Blood Feud), Matt Reeves, Laura Aikman, Sebastian Armesto, Freishia Bomanbehram and Prapim Kanjunda.
“The structure of the film is quite old fashioned compared to the typically rushed nature of most Sci-Fi Channel flicks; in this case, that’s not necessarily a good thing given that when the creatures do attack most of the action takes place off-camera or cuts away really quick. That’s because we never even get to see the beasts in all their glory until, literally, the very last scene of the movie.” Dread Central
“Perhaps if they had used that time to develop our one-dimensional characters, but nope, it’s dragged along for no particular reason other than what I’m guessing were failed attempts at suspense. Another issue, since I’m guessing the bulk of the budget went to pay for Mr Abraham’s trailer, is that we don’t get to see the killer monkey’s until the last scene, and then they weren’t even monkey’s but some kind of mutated CGI Silverbacks.” Film Critics United
“Alright, the film’s final ten minutes are actually pretty entertaining […] At least F. Murray Abraham seems to have his fun, emphasizing curious words in his monologues, rolling his eyes and gazing madly in the direction of the camera like a champ. It’s the sort of performance that makes a movie well worth watching if you have the time and inclination…” The Horror!?
“Unfortunately, they decided/realized that they couldn’t show the apes and improvised. As such, we are left to be scared by the idea of the apes. That’s interesting, I guess, but the whole movie is designed to make you want to see the apes! They build them up, even showing a skull at one point to demonstrate how they are differently evolved. Of course, the final result contradicts that, as the ape appears to be pretty average.” Mondo Bizarro
” …the young people all fit stereotypes (hot blonde, geek, jock, shy person, practical joker etc). Throw in a few instances of shaky cam, which seems to be all the rage, and you’ve got yourself a very, very cliched movie. Still, if you know what to expect going in, you might actually find Bloodmonkey a somewhat-enjoyable time waster. The CGI is pretty bad, but at least they keep the “monkeys” off-screen for the most part.” Schlock to the System
” …suffers from the usual Sci-Fi trappings of middling CGI effects and minimal plot. Young does actually manage to get a smidgen of suspense off in the last third and the final moments actually work pretty well. Abraham’s almost too good an actor to be here and I think he knows it as he shows no restraint in making Hamilton a tiny bit nutty as he tends to yell more often than not.” The Video Graveyard
“Note to self: Stop taping crappy killer animal movies off of the Sci-Fi Channel. Further note to self: Put a moratorium on any movie featuring a killer animal’s red-tinted POV. Yet another note to self: Quit watching movies where all the characters are annoying teens who incessantly videotape everything.” The Video Vacuum
Release:
Most DVD releases seem to be sold out but Blood Monkey is currently available on Amazon Prime Video.
Filming locations:
Krabi, Thailand, in 2006.
Release:
Blood Monkey was officially premiered in the USA on the Syfy Channel on January 27th 2008.
Trailer:
