What Is Shakma About?
The premise of Shakma in 282 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In a sprawling research complex on the edge of town, a cutting‑edge hormone experiment is being tested on a hamadryas baboon. When the animal awakens with an unexpected reaction, the lab’s routine is shattered, and the corridors become an uncanny maze where science and instinct collide. Sam, a medical student caught between duty and curiosity, finds himself pulled into the unfolding chaos, while his mentor, the enigmatic professor Sorensen, watches the experiment’s fallout with a mix of fascination and unease. Above them, the building houses a world of ordinary college life, now teetering on the brink of something far more primal.
Meanwhile, a group of friends has gathered for a night‑long, Dungeons‑and‑Dragons‑style live‑action role‑playing game that turns the research facility into their arena. Armed with walkie‑talkies and a cryptic set of objectives, they must navigate locked doors, disabled alarms, and a ceiling of fluorescent lights that flicker like distant torches. Kim, the younger sister of one of the players, is the coveted prize at the top floor, while Tracy and Gary bring their own brand of humor and rivalry to the adventure. The game’s rules blend with the building’s sterile architecture, creating a layered playground where imagination meets the very real constraints of the locked‑down environment.
The tone of the film balances cold, clinical suspense with the nervous energy of a teenage game night gone off‑script. Shadows stretch along the hallways, and the hum of the laboratory equipment becomes an unsettling soundtrack for a lurking threat that feels both animalistic and eerily intelligent. As the players’ camaraderie is tested against an unseen danger, the story weaves a tension‑filled tapestry of confinement, curiosity, and the thin line between controlled experiment and chaotic survival.
What Happens in Shakma?
The complete story of Shakma, from the first scene to the last, in 542 words (about 2 minutes). Spoilers throughout.
Spoilers ahead
Shakma, a hamadryas baboon belonging to medical student Sam [Christopher Atkins], is injected by Sam’s professor Sorensen [Roddy McDowall] with an experimental variant of corticotropin intended to inhibit aggression. When Shakma awakens and goes berserk, Sorensen instructs Sam to euthanize him, but Sam cannot bring himself to carry out the order and leaves Shakma unconscious. Before fellow student Richard [Greg Flowers] can cremate Shakma, Sorensen insists on performing a necropsy the following day, and Shakma is left alive.
That night, Sorensen organizes a live-action role-playing game for Sam and his colleagues Gary [Robb Edward Morris], Bradley [Tre Laughlin], Richard [Greg Flowers] and Tracy [Amanda Wyss]. The objective of the game is to reach Richard’s younger sister Kim [Ari Meyers] on the top floor. The players are issued walkie-talkies, which allow communication with only Sorensen, the gamemaster. As part of the game’s preparation, Sorensen disables the fire alarm system and locks the offices and building to disallow any player from leaving until the end of the game. Shakma, who has since regained consciousness, kills Bradley when he ventures into the specimen room on the fifth floor. Richard is also killed while investigating Bradley’s whereabouts on Sorensen’s instruction.
Sorensen investigates the players’ disappearances personally and finds Richard’s mutilated body before falling prey to Shakma himself. The sounds of Shakma’s carnage alerts Sam and Tracy to his presence, but they are unable to use the elevator as Sorensen’s body is jamming the door. Sam takes the stairs to the fifth floor and unsuccessfully attempts to tame Shakma before fleeing the floor along with Tracy. Tracy goes to the electricity lab to collect a strobe light that she uses to temporarily blind Shakma, and she holds the specimen room door shut while Sam goes to locate and remove Sorensen’s body from the elevator. When Tracy confirms Richard’s presence in the specimen room, she distracts Shakma while Sam goes to recover Richard, but Shakma returns before he is able to recover from the shock of discovering his body, and Sam and Tracy narrowly escape Shakma’s pursuit once more.
As Sam and Tracy begin a search for Gary and Bradley, Gary is killed while using the elevator, which allows Shakma onto the sixth floor. Tracy is killed in the floor’s restroom shortly after.
Sam goes to the top floor to warn Kim (without letting her know of Richard’s death), arms himself with a kitchen knife and continues his search for the others while Kim stays to attract the attention of Richard’s girlfriend Laura [Ann Kymberlie], whose car is parked below. As Sam finds Gary’s and Tracy’s bodies as well as Sorensen’s keys, Laura drives away, and Kim decides to go find Richard herself after leaving a hand-written note for Sam; she is killed by Shakma after finding Richard’s body. Sam, after finding Bradley’s and Kim’s bodies, prepares to alert the police from Sorensen’s office, but his grief over Tracy’s death, in particular, drives him to kill Shakma himself. He sets up a trap to electrocute Shakma, who avoids the trap and mortally injures Sam. Shakma is ultimately burned to death when Sam manages to lure him into the incinerator. Sam collapses in a hallway and declares “I win,” to a nearby monkey doll, before “peacefully” dying.
I win.
Shakma Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
15 key events in the order they happen, from “Shakma injected and goes berserk” to “Final confrontation: Shakma's death and Sam's fate”. 15 events name a place, across 14 locations.
- 1
Shakma injected and goes berserk
Sorensen injects Shakma with an experimental variation of corticotropin intended to inhibit aggression. The baboon awakens and lashes out, going berserk. Sorensen orders Sam to euthanize him, but Sam cannot bring himself to do it, leaving Shakma unconscious.
When:Night before the game Where:Specimen room, animal facility
- 2
Necropsy planned for the next day
Sorensen insists on performing a necropsy on Shakma the following day, keeping the animal alive for study. He overrides any disposal plans, ensuring the animal will remain alive until the necropsy. Sam and others are kept in the dark about the plan.
When:Following day Where:University animal facility / necropsy lab
- 3
Live-action game announced
Sorensen organizes a live-action role-playing game for Sam, Gary, Bradley, Richard, and Tracy. The objective is to reach Richard's younger sister Kim on the top floor, and players are issued walkie-talkies that connect only to Sorensen as gamemaster.
When:That night Where:Campus building
- 4
Fire alarms disabled and building locked
Sorensen disables the fire alarm system and locks the offices and the building to prevent anyone from leaving until the game ends. This creates a controlled, claustrophobic environment that heightens the tension.
When:That night Where:Building interiors
- 5
Bradley killed in the specimen room
Shakma regains consciousness and kills Bradley when he ventures into the fifth-floor specimen room. The group realizes something is seriously wrong as disappearances begin to mount.
When:During the game Where:Fifth-floor specimen room
- 6
Richard killed on Sorensen's instruction
While investigating Bradley's disappearance, Richard is killed under Sorensen's orders. The gamemaster's control over the events shows how far the game has spiraled out of control.
When:During the game Where:Fifth-floor corridors
- 7
Sorensen discovers Richard's body; is killed by Shakma
Sorensen investigates the disappearances and finds Richard's mutilated body. He is then attacked and killed by Shakma, signaling the shift from manipulation to direct danger.
When:During the game Where:Near the specimen room / lab
- 8
Sam and Tracy realize Shakma is loose
The sounds of carnage alert Sam and Tracy to Shakma's presence, but they cannot use the elevator because Sorensen's body jams the door. They decide to move upward via the stairs to continue the search.
When:During the game Where:Building interiors; stairs
- 9
Tracy blinds Shakma with a strobe light
Tracy goes to the electricity lab to fetch a strobe light and uses it to temporarily blind Shakma. She also holds the specimen room door shut while Sam goes to locate and remove Sorensen's body from the elevator.
When:During the game Where:Electricity lab
- 10
Richard's presence confirmed; escape attempt continues
Tracy confirms Richard's presence in the specimen room and distracts Shakma while Sam attempts to recover Richard's body. Shakma returns before Sam can recover, forcing another narrow escape for the pair.
When:During the game Where:Specimen room
Show the other 5 events of Shakma Hide the last 5 events
- 11
Elevator deaths and sixth floor tragedy
Gary is killed while using the elevator, allowing Shakma access to the upper floors. Tracy is killed soon after in the sixth-floor restroom, further heightening the danger.
When:During the game Where:Elevator and sixth-floor restroom
- 12
Sam goes to the top floor to warn Kim
Sam climbs toward the top floor to warn Kim, keeping Richard's fate from her for the moment. He arms himself with a kitchen knife in case Shakma confronts him, while Kim writes a note to Sam and prepares to act.
When:Late night, during game Where:Top floor
- 13
Kim discovers Richard and is killed by Shakma
Kim finds Richard's body on the top floor but is killed by Shakma in the process. The loss compounds the survivors' desperation as they face a now all-out threat.
When:Shortly after Sam's warning Where:Top floor
- 14
Sam finds more bodies and resolves to act
Sam discovers Bradley's and Kim's bodies and contemplates alerting the police from Sorensen's office. His grief over Tracy's death fuels a resolve to kill Shakma himself.
When:After Kim's death Where:Sorensen's office
- 15
Final confrontation: Shakma's death and Sam's fate
Sam sets a trap to electrocute Shakma, but the creature evades it and mortally injures Sam. He lures Shakma into the incinerator and Shakma is burned to death as Sam collapses, saluting a nearby monkey doll and uttering 'I win' before dying.
When:Final moments Where:Incinerator area / hallway
Who Are the Main Characters in Shakma?
9 characters, among them Sorenson (Roddy McDowall), Sam (Christopher Atkins) and Tracy (Amanda Wyss): who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
-
Sorenson (Roddy McDowall)
Played by Roddy McDowall
A university professor who injects Shakma with an experimental drug and then orchestrates a deadly live-action game to test his control. He locks down the building, disables alarms, and presides as gamemaster, prioritizing data and dominance over anyone’s life. His cold calculation and scientific arrogance spur the horror that follows.
- 🎭 Manipulative
- 🧪 Scientist
- ⚠️ Dangerous
- S(
Sam (Christopher Atkins)
Played by Christopher Atkins
A medical student who cannot bring himself to euthanize Shakma and becomes entangled in the professor’s game. He fights to protect his friends while grappling with guilt and moral conflict. Driven by grief and resolve, he seeks to stop the monster, ultimately paying a final, tragic price.
- 🎓 Medical Student
- 🧭 Moral conflict
- 🗡️ Determined
- T(
Tracy (Amanda Wyss)
Played by Amanda Wyss
A fellow student who takes decisive action to slow Shakma, using a strobe to blind the creature and delaying its rampage. She stays engaged in the dangerous tense moments, risking her safety to protect others. Her bravery ends as she is overtaken by the predator.
- 🎗️ Brave
- 🧭 Loyal
- 💡 Resourceful
- K(
Kim (Ari Meyers)
Played by Ari Meyers
Richard's younger sister who stays on the top floor and becomes a focal point and lure within the game. She is a casualty of Shakma after locating her brother’s body, highlighting the human cost of the deadly spectacle.
- 👧 Young
- 🕊️ Courage
- 🔍 Investigative
- R(
Richard (Greg Flowers)
Played by Greg Flowers
Sam’s friend who ventures to uncover what happened to the others and is killed after discovering the severed truth on the premises. His curiosity accelerates the danger and catalyzes the group’s unraveling.
- 🧭 Curious
- ⚔️ Brave
- 🕵️ Investigator
- G(
Gary (Robb Edward Morris)
Played by Robb Edward Morris
A participant in the game whose curiosity and loyalty lead him into danger. He dies while attempting to navigate the building’s locked spaces, removing another barrier to Shakma’s spread.
- 🗺️ Adventurous
- ⚠️ Daring
- 🎯 Committed
- L(
Laura (Ann Kymberlie)
Played by Ann Kymberlie
Richard’s girlfriend who escapes by driving away from the peril, serving as a counterpoint to the trapped protagonists. Her actions provide a thread of survival outside the immediate danger.
- 🚗 Escapee
- 🧭 Quick-thinking
- 🗺️ Survivalist
- B(
Bradley (Tre Laughlin)
Played by Tre Laughlin
A student who ventures into dangerous areas and is killed by Shakma during the creature’s assault on the specimen room. His fate marks another turning point in the group’s collapse.
- 🗺️ Adventurous
- ⚠️ Victim
- 💥 Tragic
- S(
Shakma (Typhoon)
Played by Typhoon
A hamadryas baboon whose consciousness shifts from sleeping subject to deadly predator after the experimental intervention. Shakma’s rampage drives the film’s tension and ultimately becomes the catalyst for the survivors’ downfall.
- 🐵 Animal Threat
- 🔥 Predator
- 🌀 Rampant
Where and When Is Shakma Set?
Shakma is set in Medical school building and University campus (Night). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
Night
The events unfold over a single night within the campus building as a live-action game spirals from study exercise into a deadly hunt. The clock is a constant pressure, with hallways and elevators turning into hazards. It is a contained, nocturnal thriller rather than a multi-night epic.
Where
Medical school building, University campus
Set inside a university medical building, the story unfolds across lab spaces, a specimen room, and locked-off offices on multiple floors. The environment doubles as a trap where a deadly game is staged during a late-night exercise in control. The building's clinical rooms and technical labs contribute to a claustrophobic, high-stakes atmosphere as danger crawls from floor to floor.
- 🏫 University setting
- 🧬 Medical research facility
What Are the Themes of Shakma?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Science Ethics, Survival and Power.
-
01
Science Ethics
The film centers on an experimental drug trial on a primate and the moral boundaries of scientific inquiry. It questions whether pursuit of data justifies extreme risk and suffering. The professor’s manipulation of subjects and colleagues exposes the dangers of unchecked scientific hubris. The consequences force characters to confront what they owe to life beyond academia.
-
02
Survival
Characters are culled one by one as the environment becomes a lethal obstacle course. Locked doors, broken alarms, and a rampaging ape turn the campus into a trap. Each decision is a balance between flight and fight, pushing individuals to their physical and emotional limits. The fire of desperation drives the action as hope fades.
-
03
Power
Sorensen's control over the game mirrors a performative tyranny, treating people as pieces in a spectacle. The characters navigate real danger while negotiating trust, loyalty, and moral boundaries. The line between gamemaster and guardian blurs, revealing how manipulation can masquerade as order. The climax exposes the cost of wielding power without accountability.
What Kind of Film Is Shakma?
Tense in tone, with fast pacing and a straightforward story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Tense
- Pacing
- Fast
- Story
- Straightforward
- Intensity
- High
- Ending
- Bleak
A relentlessly tense and brutal horror experience where a group of students are systematically hunted through a locked medical facility by a berserk baboon, creating a claustrophobic and high-stakes fight for survival.
- claustrophobic
- anxious
- gory
- tense
- brutal
- trapped
- animal attack
- survival horror
- science runs amok
- medical ethics
Content notes: animal death, gore, mutilation, trapped in a building, gruesome deaths.
Quiz
How well do you remember Shakma? Test yourself on the story.
