By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriros and Zombie Blues
Being a dog lover is totally twisted when you become a zombie. Buy Zombie Blues on Amazon to read the whole story. Dog Lover Zombie is part of Zombie Blues book one.
Cover by Conaire McMullan
Dog Lover Zombie
On the morning after the zombie outbreak, I had been watching the news about the uprising. I could scarcely believe it. It was like watching a horror movie but the fact was, this was real. The dead were rising up and attacking us. How widespread it was remained a mystery for sure. Of course as you all know by now only a select few billion or so of us know the real reason for the outbreak.
Social media was in meltdown. Everything was clogged with conflicting reports and rumours. I worried about my sister’s whereabouts and their families. If nothing else, they were resourceful but against this….I wasn’t so sure.
Then I heard the dogs going mad in the compound, a defensive noise that I knew so well from my years with them. Every bark signifies a different mood or emotion. The trick is just listening to identify which one. This was trouble.
I ran outside and across the yard of the clinic and skidded to a halt. There were about seven zombies pulling at the wire fences trying to get at the dogs who were in a complete frenzy, snarling and barking at them. I could see they were from the town. They were people I knew, some of which had their animals treated by me. There was Jason Burr, the butcher, Sally Evans, the estate agent, Old Granny Wick, the town gossip and a couple of others whose names I couldn’t remember due to passing acquaintance. Damn, it’s on our doorstep, I realised.
Picking up a shovel, I leapt into the fray, swinging, knocking heads as I went. I had to let the dogs out so they could run or attack. I managed to get the gates open and there was a flurry of four legged tornados as some ran in fear while others attacked the zombies. It gave me a chance to reach the other compounds and free the dogs there. When I saw packs of them attack the undead, I grew complacent. I never saw the other one come up behind me until I felt it grip me in a steel like vice. I briefly thought how strong zombies were before I roared in pain as it sank its teeth into my shoulder. I turned for a moment and saw it was young Dave Turner, the son of the local grocery store owner. He came in for another bite when a collie, Lucy, smashed him aside. I fell, uselessly trying to stop the blood pouring from the wound before passing out.
Well by now you know the score. Woke up, Mother Nature, chicken, yadda, yadda. But this was different.
One of the dogs had stayed by my side, a Labrador named Sally. She had come from an abused background and I had a real hard time making her comfortable round humans again. She sat whining, paws out front as I came to, blood burning as the zombie curse flooded through me.
Suddenly this was not Sally in front of me. It was a giant chicken. I reached out to her and she thought she was going to get a cuddle. I couldn’t help it. I grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and took a bite from her neck.
Inwardly I screamed in horror. This was one of my babies, truly my best friend and here I was chewing down on her like a lunch time special. I felt sick as Sally screamed, our pain matching each other. I loved these animals, they were part of my psyche and here I was a victim of Mother Nature’s cruelty. I don’t know what is worse for me: the fact I now can’t control myself and just want to devour every dog left or seeing the horror in Sally’s eyes as I betrayed her trust before taking her life.
Somehow this kick started something in me. I know I’m programmed to eat humans and all other life-forms but for some reason, Mother Nature has made me crave dog flesh more. I’m like an undead torpedo seeking out dog life-forms more than humans. I can’t help myself and I curse the big MN for making me like this.
By Owen Quinn; author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
copyright bbc
On March 1st 1981 at roughly just after 5.30 pm, a true era ended heralding a new and exciting one for Doctor Who. Tom Baker left the role of Doctor Who after seven years, regenerating into Peter Davison as the fifth Doctor.
The reason it is a magic moment for me is because I remember it vividly 32 years later in every detail. But more importantly it was a real family moment.
I was plonked on the floor in front of the television watching the final episode of Logopolis, the fourth Doctor’s final adventure. In an unholy alliance with the newly resurrected Master (Anthony Ainley), the Dpctor races to stop the universe being destroyed under a massive entropy wave. His companion Nyssa’s home world of Traken has already been destroyed and time is short. But the Master has other plans. He and the Doctor fight miles above the ground before the Doctor stops him, falling to his death in the process.
As his new companions of Nyssa, Adric and Tegan gather round his broken body, the fourth Doctor smiles at them and tells them the end has been prepared for before merging with the mysterious Watcher and regenerating into the fifth Doctor.
I remember it so well because as I said, I was on the floor, my mother was sitting in her armchair behind me and my Dad and his friend were talking at the table. Some of my siblings were there playing. It was the chatter of a normal mad household but when the fourth Doctor fell, there was silence. All eyes turned to the television, it was as if we were witnessing a monumental moment on history.
As the faces of old companions called to the Doctor from the past, and he disappeared in a white chrysalis, everyone in the room was mesmerised. And therein lay the magic. My father was not a sci-fi fan and neither was his friend. None of my siblings were either.
And yet, here we were all sitting in silence watching the fourth Doctor fade away as a family; just as the producers always intended. That’s what burned that into my memory for the rest of time and that is true magic.
Presented By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
Available in paperback and kindle on Amazon
Synopsis:
Adhancing or body modifications are part of life on planet Shirama but are strictly forbidden for military use.
Diana thought she was fighting for the right side until she found something hidden beneath Terfieman castle. The discovery shattered all that she believed about right and wrong. Taking action led her to a new realization – righteous is not always the best way to go.
Can she survive the ugly truth, or will she have to redefine what right and wrong means in a world where hidden secrets become the biggest threats to existence?
About the Author
Matti Toivanen, is the author of two self-published science fiction/space opera books: “The Voyager Series: Land We Left Behind” and “The Voyager Series: Amid Darkness.”
Explore the depths of faraway galaxies and fly with him into unique stories in the process. He’s currently working on the third installment of the series. Soar with him through unforgettable stories on the journey through the stars, to bring space opera to life in The Voyager Series!
Practical nurse by the day, and a writer by night.
By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
Cover by Conaire McMullan
CROSS DRESSER ZOMBIE
The day the zombies rose will be remembered for just that; the rise of the zombies.
But for me, it was the day I could shed my skin and be the person I had always wanted to be for the entire world to see. Just like everything else in my life, the timing sucked.
Now my undead ass is walking the city without even the dignity of the heels I had chosen. My left shoe is missing while the right one seems stuck on with its broken heel. I think my ankle is twisted though or I have a cracked toe. Now when I walk, all 6 foot of my bulky frame is up and down like an Amsterdam tart. Add to that my wig is twisted on my head so the right side of my face has a permanent auburn covering, I look like Frankenstein’s frigging granny. Instead of becoming a butterfly, I became something that was slapped up the face with a frying pan.
But I digress. Let me start at the beginning which also became my end.
First up, my name is Frank Malone, resident of Belfast all my life. I have never married but shagged my way round the town. I came close a couple of times but never bothered. I play darts, love a pint and the craic with the lads. I’m a cage fighter and charity worker. I’ve a hard man rep, afraid of no-one and would knock the bollocks clean out of anyone that looked at me the wrong way. When people look at me they see the black leather jacket, baldy head and the gold chains. They see a hardman.
But when I look in the mirror I see someone else entirely. No-one knows, no-one has ever even suspected, not even my ma, and she’s sharp as a pin. At forty six, it’s not a big deal these days but it reduces me to jelly to think if anyone found out.
I like wearing women’s clothes. Simple as that.
Maybe I’ve always been this way. I’m not gay nor have any intentions of getting the three piece out and a gas oven put in. I like shagging but the feel of those clothes on my body just makes me so content. When I look at myself in the mirror in full get up, it’s my world. Problem is, that world has never left my bedroom or mouth. My ma stays out of my room because I bung her the money for bingo 4 times a week so I can become Majella. Those times when she isn’t there are heaven and I can try different outfits without fear of her walking in. Other people’s privacy is not a priority for my ma as most of you will probably identify with when it comes to mothers.
I’m not sure when it became part of me but it was always there. I never looked at my ma’s catalogue in the same way as she did. I flicked through the women’s section and wondered what it would feel like to be dressed as they were. It looked so elegant and comfortable that I yearned for it. But my body didn’t exactly shout model material. I was bald, hairy chest and back and caught between muscle and sagginess in the waist area.
The first time I remember putting on a pair of knickers was when I was shagging Fiona Fisher when I was seventeen. I was staying at her place and been dating for a few months. As I said, I’m not gay. I love sex with women and Fiona was a goer. She would lick my bald head when she got excited and all I could picture was her slipping a wig on my bonnet. Anyway, I got up for a piss and was standing there trying to hit the side of the bowl so she couldn’t hear the crash of urine on water. (It sounds louder somehow at three in the morning.)
As I washed my hands, I saw knickers and a bra drying on the radiator.
My heart raced. My breathing quickened. The compulsion was too much. I had to do it. Trembling, I slipped her knickers on first and stared at myself in the mirror barely containing my excitement. They were far too small but it felt right. It felt normal to me. I slipped on her bra next even though it didn’t fit and couldn’t believe the rush I felt. This was what I had been missing all my life.
By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
More Zombies, more trouble. Welcome to book 2 of Zombie Blues who give us their view on the world and life from behind undead eyes. This time round meet Diabetic Zombie, Racist Zombie, the Ice Queen and why is there a zombie with no teeth?
Now available on Amazon
What a bitch to be a zombie with no teeth! But is everything as it seems? Read No Denture’s Zombie in Zombie Blues 2
Cover by Conaire McMullan
No Dentures Zombie
Here, wait til I tell ya something. Up until this bloody people coming back from the dead bollocks, the closest thing I ever got to something undead was the plucked foreskin coloured chicken in the fridge for the Sunday dinner.
Now, I’m wandering the roads like something that fell out of a pub after fifteen pints. Normally I wouldn’t mind, it’s not the first road I’ve walked drunk or sober. I had to walk four miles every day to work, rain and shine to feed my kids. The difference is I’m frigging eighty one. Can someone with a brain please tell me what in Jesus’ name would thon green haired bitch Mother Nature, need with a pensioner zombie?
My bunions would be killing me if I could feel them plus I’m in my zebra patterned slippers I got for a fiver from the wee, cheap shoe shop in Castle Street. Add to that I’m wearing my pink and grey floral dress with my matching coal fluffy cardigan because at my age the once powerful veins are thinning and every day is bloody freezing. When it rains it clings to my ample frame like a Free Willy tribute show. My fashion sense is being ruined by this frigging weather. My perm and all’s ruined; twelve bloody quid with pensioner rates that cost me. Now I’m hanging like something that was twice dragged through the hedge backwards. These days I’m more badger’s arse than glamorous granny or my case great granny. I can’t even go to bingo any more; Jesus, the indignity of it all.
Mother Nature destroyed the Belfast bingo halls!
Life’s tough enough without having no bingo to go to even if it does smell of piss and death. It used to smell of smoke too but they stopped indoor smoking so you have to stand outside now; frigging health huggers spoiling my fun. Winter nights do nothing for my hip and other aches and pains despite smelling the ten grand jackpot in my grasp.
If only I had thon green haired bitch Mother Nature by her turkey neck throat right now, I’d slap the mouth clean off her.
My Jimmy would be scundered if he could see me now. I wish I had just died of natural causes like I was supposed to instead of ending up like this graveyard reject. At least then I’d be with my beloved Jimmy.
At the end of the day what was that scraggy bitch thinking? I understand she is angry at humanity for hurting her planet but in the name of God ,somebody tell me one thing.
What use is a zombie with no teeth?
My dentures fell out when I turned and it’s not as if I could put them back in with these undead arthritic fingers. They did fall out once at Christmas dinner when I sneezed. It was either buy the veg for the dinner or a tube of Fixodent. I’m as much use as tits on a bull. What does Mother Nature want me to do now?
Suck people to death? Death by gumming?
I need a tramodol to tell this story; even as a zombie I have a headache. I usually share tablets with Lizzy from bingo but she was eaten. She used to walk round with a handbag like a chemist’s shop. No matter what ailment took you, Lizzy had a tablet for every occasion at the ready. Her handbag is still sitting beside her favourite chair in her living room but sure, this bloody zombie body doesn’t even have the sense to let me grab a few. It’s not as if Lizzy will need them any time soon. She died with a fish supper on her lap, mug of tea like varnish and two rounds of buttered bread for butties. I may not feel my aches and pains as much as I used to but I need something to calm my nerves.
I suppose it’s a good job now my weak bladder isn’t an issue. I don’t have to run to the loo every ten minutes (when I actually made it to the loo that is) or buy them perfume scented knicker pads any more. I used to pretend they were for Lizzy to the girl at the checkout. I’ll tell you something few know but you look like honest folk so I know it won’t go any further. There is something else I don’t miss at all. When I got an itchy bum I couldn’t get round for a good scratch if you know what I mean. But living on the poverty line makes you quite resourceful so I had to use a secret toothbrush. But sure I dropped it one day and Jimmy thought it was his (his cataracts were playing up at the time) and well, I’m sure you can imagine the rest. Thank God for extra minty…
By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
All photos copyright BBC
Every Doctor’s regeneration story should be epic and exciting and ram home to the audience why this Doctor was so great and will be missed. None have failed so far but sadly the 13th Doctor’s final outing turned out to be epic I’ll admit but an epic mess.
I’ve been very critical of this era because it is such a horrible lesson in PC, story writing and non engaging stories. Some message stories literally slap you in the face with the issue like the one about the dangers of plastic (Praxeus) and the other one aabout not looking after the planet (Orphan 55). There is no subtlety at all with the story declaring the message without the need for the Doctor to preach. Click here to see what I thought of The Timeless Children https://timewarriors.co.uk/2020/12/07/how-the-timeless-children-completely-screws-doctor-who/
It actually pains me to say that as a lifelong Who fan, this has been a disaster. This Doctor has no personality of her own to make her distinctive against her former selves. She has been surrounded by dreary companions like Ryan who had no character development or reason to be. Graham was loveable only because he is Bradley Walsh but to be fair, his fear of cancer returning and dealing with the death of his wife the night he met the Doctor was a plot device used when necessary rather than being confronted head on. Those would have made for some powerful scenes. Indeed Graham and Ryan’s departure had all the emotion of a wet mop across the face. This showed just how much the chemistry simply wasn’t there in the writing. Yaz is simply stalkerish at times and Dan only emphasized that John Bishop is simply not an actor. But does the Doctor /Yaz love twist mean no matter what form the Doctor takes women will always be his/her preference?
But none of this is the actors’0 fault. It is all down to showrunner Chris Chibnall and his complete disregard of the past. Three companions in the Tardis has never worked; ask Susan, Nyssa and Adric. Making the Doctor an immortal being and the template for every Time Lord that has ever existed is ludicrous to say the least. It robs the drama as the Doctor can never die. All the other regenerations especially the Matt Smith one lose their heart as regeneration is inevitable no matter what. The 11th Doctor thought this was the end of his life but knowing the Timeless Children negates that completely. The introduction of Jo Martin’s Fugitive Doctor was a good thing and she made more of an impact that Jodie’s version. During the Flux, so many loose ends and confusion reigned after the final episode (Peggy disappears completely and never mentioned after Village of the Angels and Sontarans can now eat food which is impossible because of their clone makeup) plus every Dalek and Cyberman are destroyed by the Flux in the final Sontaran trap until they’re not wiped out after all. The Power of the Doctor felt like an animal in need of being put down out of mercy. Sacha Dhawan’s Master is so manic that he fails to walk the line between subtlety and evil charm that Roger Delgado and Anthony Ainley did so well. It is pure pantomime.
I think also so many defeated enemies are back for the finale despite death including the Master killed on Gallifrey along with the Cyber Lords (a stupid idea if ever I saw one) and the Lone Cyberman Ashad. It is all explained that the Master planned well ahead in case of defeat but this is limp and unconvincing. Besides Time in human form told the Doctor at the end of Flux he was coming back with the obvious Dalek and Cybermen. Dramatic foreshadowing beomes spoiler alert for both the audience and the Doctor. But like most of the Chibnall era, nothing makes sense. The Daleks and Cybermen were wiped out in the Flux and I mean totally until of course they were back for the following story Eve of the Daleks. Chibnall is famous for his teenage criticism of the show with Sylvester McCoy and Bonnie Langford on Points of View back in the classic era day and it has become a symbol for practice what you preach by some very clever editors on YouTube. Everything he bashed he has done only in a less etertaining way; give me Delta and the Bannermen any day.
With ratings dwindling it is clear from the start this is a clesr out story, a reset to bring back David Tennant. Dan is gone within five minutes. Yaz and the Doctor are called to UNIT where Kate Stewart has recruited Ace and Tegan, both former companions of the Doctor’s to work for her. Ace was the seventh Doctor’s mainstay while Tegan appeared in all but one of the fifth Doctor’s stories. They are indeed a welcome sight as this makes sense. Who else would be better to fight the darkness than those who have stood by the Doctor’s side?
While it is awesome to have them back and see what hs happend to them since they left the Tardis, it is damaging to the Jodie Doctor also. She should be the main focus of this episode and while Chibnall is trying to introduce elements for the 60th anniversary, this may be a misstep.
There is no sense to the Master’s plan and while Rasputin is visually great, it only adds to the confusion, What was the two time zones about? How is there any empire left Cyber or Dalek from the Flux? Why does he want them to destroy each other once he forces the Doctor to regenerate into him? How is that even possible and retain the Master persona? How is Yaz able to fly the Tardis so perfectly she saves a falling Ace from certain death? How did Graham suddenly pop up under a volcano? In reality, Tegan would have thrown away the toy Cyberman the Doctor has sent to her because it is a painful reminder of the death of Adric. She would know the Doctor would never send her something so horrible and painful.
All these Easter Eggs take away from Jodie Whittaker’s final performance. She should be the focus of the story yet I was touched more by Tegan and Ace interacting with their respective Doctors and finding peace at last. I was equally delighted by the appearance of Doctors five to eight as guardians stopping the 13th from entering where Time Lords go when they regenerate. This was a beautiful and special scene especially when the Doctors bitch at number 8 over robes.
Ashad’s Cyber invasion was brilliant as Russian Dolls but the fact the new UNIT building has only sealed them in rather than defeating them is lazy. When we finally get everyone into the Tardis for the climax, it is lovely but again I’m confused as to how the Cyber planet can help stop the volcanic eruptions when ten minutes ago the Daleks and Cybermen were all out trying to wipe each other out? Who the hell is keeping score here? If Vinder came to find the Qurunx why does he clear off without it? He is simply a handy plot device to help Yaz trap the Master.
The multi Doctor costume is silly at best and highlights how stupid the Master’s plan to be the Doctor really is. What is he hoping to achieve out of it given he has murdered his entire civilisation in the Timeless Children? He is now the last of the Time Lords. Why? What? What? What? What shit am I watching?
I have to say this is quite a touching moment and the actual regeneration speech is beautiful in its simplicity. Tag you’re it is wonderful.
Mortally wounded, the Doctor passes out surrounded by family both present and past. When she wakes Yaz is still piloting the Tardis effortlesly (how? Is she River Song?) Everyone has been dropped off home but there is no way any of them would just leave on Yaz’s say so especially Graham. Tegan has seen regeneration first hand and knows how fragile the Doctor will be after it (Castrovalva) so she would be going nowhere. So Yaz and the Doctor spend one last moment watching Earth while eating ice cream before Yaz is bundled off back to Earth. This is a clear out moment as many companions have been there to help the Doctor change from one body to another. This is shown when Graham has sought out other companions and invited them to tell stories about their time with the Doctor including the first Doctor’s companion Ian Chesterton. This is a bittersweet moment because while I welcome the companions appearing, it is the ones that are missing that bring a tear to the eye. Sarah Jane, Harry Sullivan, Victoria, The Sarah Jane gang and K9, Benton, Mike Yates, Martha, Mickey and Jack Harkness to name a few. Some have passed in real ;ife but their spirits in the Who universe are alive and well.
Overall this story is a wipe the slate clean exercise. Bringing old chaaracters and Doctor s back enforce only dilutes the Jodie era reminding us that such radical change only brought the show to its worst ratings knees in history. The 13th Doctor is almost a background character while all the rest get to fight the good fight. Ace and Tegan are awesome in their battles against their respective foes; not so much the current cast although Yaz holding the Master at gunpoint is well done.
As tje 13th Doctor regenerates in a truly beautiful shot, all I could think was what a wasted opportunity and that Chris Chibnall is not a showrunner. Hence the return of the tenth/fourteenth Doctor to save the series before Ncuti Gatwa takes over.
But ultimately like the rest of his era Chibnall left a confusing mess that did not serve the Doctor well when she should have bloomed.
By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
Monkey Shines is a 1983 horror movie based on the novel of the same name by Michael Stewart and is just as near perfect as you can get. Directed by George A. Romero, it explores themes of disability and its consequences, friendship and animal experimentation. It failed to recuperate its full $7 million budget but has now gained cult status.
When Allan Mann (Jason Beghe), an aspiring athlete, is hit by a truck while out jogging, his life changes as he is now a quadriplegic. His mother employs a live in nurse but his ‘off the wall’ scientific friend Geoffrey gives him a trained monkey to service all his needs by lying to Melanie Parker, who runs a programme with monkeys for people like Allan. What Geoffrey doesn’t tell either of them is that the monkey, named Ella, has been injected with human brains by him in order to increase its intelligence. He has told his boss the monkey died but Geoffrey has given Ella to his friend so he can continue his experiments on her. What Geoffrey doesn’t count on is that Ella develops feelings for Allan and they become mentally linked due to the injections of human brain matter. Everyone that Allan has feelings for is now a threat to Ella and she has no problem killing them so she can have him all for herself. And dangerously, Allan’s inner rage is acted on by Ella in a bizarre Fatal Attraction scenario.
The movie explores the themes of animal experimentation, exploitation and how life as a quadriplegic can impact someone mentally. Geoffrey has good intentions for the betterment of mankind and Allan but his morality leaves a lot to be desired. He injects himself with a serum that stops him sleeping. That way he reasons if he died at 50 he would have actually have lived for 65 years. He does the right thing for the wrong reasons when he fakes Ella’s death and donates her to Melanie. However Melanie and Allan’s growing attraction to each other is something Ella has to get rid of.
Monkey Shines could easily have teetered over into the absurd and become a cringe worthy movie but it is anything but. The initial ‘cuteness’ reaction by the audience towards little Ella remains despite her actions. She is also a sympathetic character because she has been the victim of Geoffrey’s experiments before finding love and happiness with Allan. She needs him as much as he needs her. She is only protecting what she loves after a life of being in a cage and pricked by needles. There is a real and emotional relationship between the two of them that is as solid and real as the eventual one between Allan and Melanie. Ella and Allan even have their favourite song to dance to.
What is explored well is the consequences of someone going from being able-bodied to being reduced to completely relying both mentally and physically on others for the most basic needs. Indeed this is seen further in his girlfriend’s reaction, She is there for his homecoming but has not visited Allan in the hospital since the accident. We see behind closed doors she is not holding it together and we sympathise with her as it’s a test of love whether you love someone enough to be their carer for the rest of your lives because of their condition. Life is much easier and simple when you don’t have to push a wheelchair wherever you go. Even going to the supermarket is an undertaking when you are in that position. Fair play to Romero for not shying away from these very real issues.
Allan is surrounded by an overpowering mother, a resentful live-in nurse with an annoying budgie as a pet and his messed up friend Geoffrey. His former girlfriend cannot cope with a life looking after Allan and ends up starting a relationship with the doctor that told Allan he would be crippled for life. However as we find out, the doctor lied in order to bed Allan’s girlfriend. Everyone is living a lie, keeping up appearances and not facing life as it is now. With Ella, everything is pure and real. She doesn’t know any other way which helps Allan immensely. There are no complications or bullshit when they are together. In fact Ella even helps Allan in the classroom when he goes back to college to study law. Their mental link allows Allan to travel outside through Ella’s eyes. Their relationship is real. It can be seen that Ella dispatches the threats towards her and Allen in a poetic way. Allan’s girlfriend and the doctor are burned alive; their end being reflective of the flames of passion that sparked their relationship. Allan’s mother is killed by electrocution, an overbearing woman taken down by a primal force of nature she cannot control. Ella finds poetic justice when she injects Geoffrey with poison he intended for her echoing the numerous infections she has endured for the sake of his research. Ella is the apex predator when she takes out the nurse’s budgie, as nature commands, causing her to quit; another obstacle out of Ella’s way.
Such is Allan and Ella’s connection that Allan believes that Ella is carrying out his desires when he hears of the blaze that killed the doctor and his former girlfriend. But it is very much a symbiotic relationship. Allan’s rage at his being a quadriplegic is amplified into vengeful hate when he discovers that he can walk again as the doctor lied. There is a forced scene to try and show the audience how deep Ella loves Allan when she feeds from his mouth implying they are kissing but it’s a dumb scene that doesn’t work. I know what it is trying to convey but it falls flat.
But the movie also has no issues of showing that Allan can have physical intimacy with another human despite his condition when he and Melanie have sex at her home. It’s an affirmation that paralysis is not the end people think it is and that humans are adaptable, finding a way to cope with whatever life throws at them. Ella sadly is collateral damage in human stupidity here and when Allan finally kills her, it is as tragic as it is horrific. The reaction shots of the monkey are cute right to the end making her eventual murder by Allan actually heartbreaking.
None of the performances here are sub par and Jason Beghe (who has also guested in The X-Files and Alien Nation) delivers a layered character in Allan adjusting to his new life and the frustrations of it. John Pankow is flawless as the troubled Geoffrey under pressure from his boss to deliver results from his research forcing him to make some bad decisions but with good reason to help his best friend while furthering his own needs.
Monkey Shines is a great movie that tackles social issues head on without slapping the audience in the face with the message. Well worth the watch.
The Time Warriors and Beyond 