Movie Review: Monkey Farm is a Found Footage Creature Feature With Something New to Offer!

A group of intrepid documentary film makers toil away making a film about the ethics of animal testing…a journey which leads them to a former testing site now supposedly utilized as a primate sanctuary. Upon arriving, they find the facility long abandoned, in complete disrepair, and full of an ungodly stench. As their investigation continues they cross paths with scientists, crazed Skunk Ape hunters, and a mutant monster they are ill-equipped to handle!
For being an entry in a genre that has definitely had it’s highs and lows (many, many lows) Monkey Farm does quite a few things right. First of all, the animal testing angle is a nice (and welcome) change from the normal paranormal/ghost subject matter usually found in pictures such as these. Adding to that, this is a creature feature as well (which is ambitious for a film like this, plus you boils and ghouls now how a monster always warms my black little heart), and the beast presented, a mutated ape that mimics human behavior is pretty damn cool. Another real benefit to the film is the location used; the dilapidated facility and it’s grounds is suitably creepy and authentic and adds immeasurably to the film’s aesthetic. Also the cast is likable and corny around each other as friends often are, and I never was annoyed spending time with them (unlike some folks in these F.F. flicks), which leads us to…
On the negative side some of the acting is a tad unnatural (notice I said “unnatural” and not bad), which throws off the vibe of what we are witnessing being a series of actual events unfolding before our eerie eyeballs. Also, there are some stretches where scenes run a tad long, and it takes a while to get to what we came for, but mostly everything presented actually served the narrative and didn’t seem like vamping or padding (lemons into lemonade bitch!).
All things considered, I really enjoyed Monkey Farm; it has a few flaws, but it’s heart is definitely in the right place, and what is presented is unique and fun enough for me to urge you creeps to give it a chance, especially if you dig on found footage flicks, creature features, or indie horror with something new to offer…plus c’mon, mutant monkeys, that’s fuckin’ solid gold right there and you damn well know it!