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'{{Infobox film | name = Blood Monkey | image = Blood Monkey.jpg | caption = DVD cover | director = [[Robert Young (director)|Robert Young]] | producer = [[Charles Salmon]] | writer = George LaVoo<br>Gary Dauberman | starring = [[F. Murray Abraham]]<br />Matt Ryan<br />[[Amy Manson]]<br />Freishia Bomanbehram<br />[[Matt Reeves]]<br />Sebastian Armesto<br />[[Laura Aikman]] | music = Charles Olins<br />Mark Ryder | cinematography = Choochart Nantitanyatada | editing = Anuradha Singh | studio = Thai Occidental Production<br />[[RHI Entertainment]] | distributor = [[Genius Entertainment]] | released = January 27, 2008 | runtime = 90 minutes | country = [[United States]] | language = English | budget = | gross = }} '''''Blood Monkey''''' is a [[2007 in film|2007]] American [[made-for-television]] natural [[horror film]] produced by [[RHI Entertainment]] and directed by [[Robert Young (director)|Robert Young]]. It aired on various [[video on demand]] channels, before officially premiering in the United States on the [[Sci Fi Channel (United States)|Sci Fi Channel]] on January 27, 2008. Filmed in [[Thailand]], the film is the first title in the "[[Maneater (series)|Maneater]]" film series produced under an agreement with Sci Fi. The film followed a group of six students studying [[primate]]s in Africa under the demented Professor Hamilton who find themselves under attack from bloodthirsty [[primates]] in the [[jungle]]. Reviewers panned the film, criticizing the acting, dialogue, plot, low quality special effects, and the lack of appearances by the titular monster, the monkeys. They also questioned the appearance of [[F. Murray Abraham]] in the film, though note that his performance was its only positive aspect. ==Plot== {{Expand section|date=December 2009}} NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO == Cast == * F. Murray Abraham as Professor Hamilton * Matt Ryan as Seth * [[Amy Manson]] as Amy Armstrong * [[Matt Reeves]] as Greg Satch * [[Laura Aikman]] as Sydney Maas * Sebastian Armesto as Josh Dawson * Freishia Bomanbehram as Dani Sudeva ==Production== In October 2006, [[RHI Entertainment]] made a deal with the [[Sci Fi Channel (United States)|Sci Fi Channel]] to produce a series of ten made-for-television natural horror films to air on the network the following year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.c21media.net/news/detail.asp?area=1&article=32872 |title=RHI strikes Sci Fi deal |publisher=C21Media |date=October 24, 2006 |accessdate=October 14, 2008 }}</ref> Dubbed the "Maneater" series by RHI Entertainment, ''Blood Monkey'' was the first film of the series to be released. Although the agreement called for the films to premiere on SciFi, the first six films in the series actually premiered in Canada on [[video on demand]] due to an existing pre-licensing agreement.<ref name="Trailers">{{cite web |url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/story/six-trailers-chew-on |title=Six Trailers to Chew On |first=Jon |last=Condit |publisher=Dread Central |date=May 23, 2007 |accessdate=October 14, 2008 }}</ref><ref name="Prelicense">{{cite press release |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_pwwi/is_/ai_n16715964 |title=Peace Arch Entertainment Signs Broad Multi-Picture Deal With Corus Entertainment's Movie Central |publisher=[[CNET Networks]] |work=[[Market Wire]] |month=September |year=2006 |accessdate=October 21, 2008 }}</ref> F. Murray Abraham felt his character was "so interesting because he is so monomaniacal". For one scene, in which the characters had to scale a high cliff, the actors learned [[abseiling]]—the controlled descent down a rope along an extremely steep cliff or slope—and performed the stunt themselves. Abraham said it was a "thrilling" challenge. Matt Ryan felt the most challenging part of filming the movie was all of the running through the jungle that was required for many scenes.<ref name="BoS Video">{{cite web |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKzXu4HFzr4&feature=channel_page |title= Extra - Blood Monkey (Behind the Scenes) |publisher= |work=[[YouTube]] |date=June 5, 2007 |accessdate=March 1, 2009 |format=Flash video }}</ref> ==Distribution== ''Blood Monkey'' premiered in Canada on the subscription-based [[video on demand]] channel [[Movie Central|Movie Central on Demand]] earlier in 2007 as well as other VOD channels before it aired on [[Syfy]], then the Sci Fi Channel, on January 27, 2008.<ref name="Trailers" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6470375.html |title=RHI Entertainment Distributes Movies on Time Warner, Bright House, Cablevision, Cox Systems |first=Kent |last=Gibbons |publisher=[[Multichannel News]] |date=August 20, 2007 |accessdate=October 31, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rhifilms.com/property.php?propertyId=Bloodmonkey |title=Blood Monkey |publisher=[[RHI Entertainment]] |accessdate=September 14, 2009 }}</ref> It was released on [[DVD]] on November 6, 2007 by [[Genius Entertainment]], with no extras.<ref name="DVD Talk" /> The film was re-released to DVD on July 22, 2008 as one of three films included on the first volume of the "Maneater Series Collection" film sets. The other two films were ''[[In the Spider's Web]]'' and ''[[Maneater (film)|Maneater]]'', the second and third films in the series, respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7667050&style=movie |title=Maneater Series Collection Vol 1 - Blood Monkey, In The Spiders Web, Maneater DVD |publisher=CD Universe |accessdate=October 21, 2008 }}</ref> ==Reception== ''Blood Monkey'' was heavily panned by critics. Horror.com's Staci Layne Wilson felt ''Blood Monkey'' was "abysmal" with forgettable, expendable actors following F. Murray Abraham.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.horror.com/php/article-1798-1.html |title=In The Spider's Web (DVD) |first=Staci Layne |last=Wilson |publisher=Horror.com |date=November 6, 2007 |accessdate=March 1, 2009 }}</ref> In reviewing the film for [[DVD Talk]], author Nick Lyons thought the six students were "sterotypical" and expressed sorrow that "respected award winning actor F. Murray Abraham...lowered himself to star in this." Noting that other films in the genre are often "so bad it's good", he felt ''Blood Monkey'' failed at achieving this, with most of the film deemed "unwatchable" for mostly having scenes of the characters walking and a seeming lack of production values.<ref name="DVD Talk">{{cite web |url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/31130/blood-monkey/?___rd=1 |title=Blood Monkey |first=Nick |last=Lyons |publisher=[[DVD Talk]] |date=November 6, 2007 |accessdate=March 1, 2009 }}</ref> [[Monsters and Critics.com]]'s Jeff Swindoll also questioned Abraham's apparently not knowing "better than to star in this dreck" as a "cheapjack version of [[Ahab (Moby-Dick)|Captain Ahab]]". He panned the film's laughable special effects, though he offered it minor praise for its "rather bleak ending" similar to the series' titular title ''[[Maneater (film)|Maneater]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/dvd/reviews/article_1371895.php/DVD_Review_Blood_Monkey_ |title=Blood Monkey |first=Jeff |last=Swindoll |publisher=[[Monsters and Critics.com]] |date=November 7, 2007 |accessdate=March 1, 2009 }}</ref> David Johnson of DVD Verdict criticized the film's low budget and "trite" acting, with no fright value when the actual creature doesn't appear until even the end of the film...<ref name="DVD Verdict">{{cite web |url=http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/bloodmonkey.php |title=Blood Monkey |first=David |last=Johnson |date=November 6, 2007 |publisher=DVD Verdict |accessdate=March 1, 2009 }}</ref> Scott Weinberg, reviewing the film for [[FEARnet]], considers the film "extra-stupid" and also notes the film's lack of appearances by the titular creature. Stating "the dialog is rotten, the actors are bad, and the FX are hilarious", he felt Abraham delivered "a patently perfect performance" and notes that he "gets progressively more outlandish as the movie goes on."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fearnet.com/news/reviews/b9776_blood_monkey_2006.html |title=Blood Monkey (2006) |publisher=Horror Entertainment |work=[[FEARnet]] |first=Scott |last=Weinberg |date=November 14, 2007 |accessdate=September 14, 2009 }}</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.rhifilms.com/property.php?propertyId=Bloodmonkey Official RHI Entertainment ''Blood Monkey'' website] * [http://www.geniusproducts.com/maneaterseries/blood_monkey_tp.html Official Genius Entertainment ''Blood Monkey'' website] * {{Imdb title|1054564}} {{Maneater}} [[Category:2006 films]] [[Category:2000s horror films]] [[Category:B movies]] [[Category:Canadian films]] [[Category:English-language films]] [[Category:Maneater film series]] [[Category:Natural horror films]] [[Category:Sci Fi Channel original films]]'