Shakma
Sam (Atkins) is a medical student performing an experiment on Shakma, a baboon, at a med school run by Professor Sorenson (McDowall). His experimental drug is supposed to make the creature less aggressive, but it ends up having the opposite effect and Sam must euthanize the animal. Sorenson wants to perform an autopsy, so orders Sam not to cremate the animal. Sam, fond of the beast, merely sedates it for the moment. Thus Shakma remains alive, and highly aggressive, unbeknownst to all.
That night, Soreson organizes a live-action role playing game for Sam and his friends—Gary, Bradley and Richard—and love interest Tracy (Wyss). The objective of the game is to reach Richard's baby sister Kim (Meyers) on the top floor. The players are issued walkie-talkies to communicate with each other, but the communications must go through Sorenson. As the game begins, Shakma wakes up, escapes and kills Sorenson.
With the game master dead, the players can no longer communicate. The doors to the offices are all locked, so the telephones are inaccessible.
Shakma is ultimately burned to death by the final surviving teenager.
cult, violence