Blue Monkey 4K 1987

A rather interesting film from Canadian director William Fruitt, the creator of *The Killing Party* and *The Funeral Home*. But while those two were slasher films, this time viewers are in for an encounter with monstrous insects. The bugs are created using mechanical puppets, which is a delight, and they’re done brilliantly. The insectoids are extremely bloodthirsty and, moreover, exhibit all the traits of the ‘Aliens.’ For example, they use humans to breed, and their queen bears a slight resemblance to the queen from Cameron’s famous film.

The film’s setting—a hospital—is a very apt choice, and it’s great fun to watch the patients running in panic and the heroic efforts of the main characters. There are a number of bloody and brutal moments, one of which made a very strong impression on me. I’m talking about the scene where the bugs’ cocoons are burned, with people still alive inside them.

The film does have its downsides. First, the fact that the hospital was also a research complex and had a laser installation in one of its rooms feels a bit far-fetched. The second downside is the transformation of insects into giant monsters. Perhaps there was a way to handle this differently. And the third downside is the number of monsters. Sure, there were plenty of them, but only one caused all the chaos. If there had been more of them, it would have been much more fun. Oh, and one more thing—I still don’t understand why the movie was given that title.