Like 90% of the horror/sci-fi/exploitation flicks that came out on video in the late 1980s, BLUE MONKEY played New York for a week, got so-so reviews, did little business and went straight to video. Unlike most of those films, BLUE MONKEY is actually a recommendable little flick that plays like a 1950s B-movie...the kind that would've been produced by Sam Arkoff and directed by Roger Corman. (The film also owes more than a passing nod to George Romero's underrated THE CRAZIES and Ridley Scott's ALIEN.)

The burning question in my mind while watching this was, "Did William Fruet know he was making an interesting homage to 50s B-films, or was it simply a 'happy accident'?"

The story starts off fast, with ol' Fred the repairman (or was it George?) getting all kinds of hot with this old woman named Marvella (or something to that effect). He fixes her windows gratis so she'll have dinner with him. Whoops, don't touch that new plant from the island with the active volcano! Ohhh, too late. Once again, the exploitation film SEX=DEATH equation is established. Once they rush the ol' guy to the hospital, his neck starts bulging and something resembling a killer sausage from either Hell or Cleveland is plucked from his mouth. Luckily, Steve "Wasn't I supposed to be a star after THE STUNT MAN?" Railsback is there to help keep things under control.

A group of "too cute" little kids accidentally give Mr. Buggy a growth hormone and suddenly the screen is coated with this blue/green glop. (SEX = DEATH is furthered when a nurse and her datemate are taken away by the creature while working up to the nasty on a lab table...what eventually happens to them is particularly nasty).

The creature, which resembles a huge fly, escapes and begins wreaking havoc all over the hospital while Railsback, a female doctor and her entimologist friend walk around in the dark shafts stalking, and being stalked by, the creature. The ending can be seen coming about 10 minutes into the flick, but that's to be expected. Like the 50s films it seeks to emulate, a good deal of the violence takes place off-screen, but there are a sufficient number of nasty bits for you gorehounds.

For fans of the ol' big bug films, BLUE MONKEY is a well-intentioned homage that hits more than it misses. Give credit to Fruet (who directed many an episode of the 'Friday the 13th' tv series) and Railsback, who gives a fairly intense performance, but succeeds in restraining himself at the proper moments (unlike his out-of-control job in LIFEFORCE). Also featured in the film are former SCTV regulars Joe Flaherty and Robin Duke as a couple having their first baby. In the bidness they are commonly known as "comic relief." John "Will I EVER Live Down ANIMAL HOUSE?" Vernon is also on hand as a sleazy hospital administrator. Definitely give BLUE MONKEY a shot.