Claim: George A. Romero directed the horror movie Monkey Shines.

Monkey Shines -LRB- also known as Monkey Shines : An Experiment in Fear -RRB- is a 1988 American horror film written and directed by George A. Romero , based on a novel of the same name authored by Michael Stewart . The film stars Jason Beghe as Allan Mann , an athlete who becomes a paralyzed quadriplegic and develops a bond with an intelligent service monkey named `` Ella '' . The film , which was produced by Peter Grunwald and Charles Evans , was Romero 's first studio film , and was distributed by Orion Pictures .