The Monkey brings high quality bloody entertainment back to the big screens.
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Based on a short story of the same name by Stephen King, The Monkey is directed by Osgood Perkins of Longlegs (2024).
The film follows twins Hal and Bill – Sweet Tooth star Christian Convery doing double duty portraying both brothers – who discover their father’s vintage toy monkey. It doesn’t take long – 3 inexplicable deaths to be exact – before they realise the monkey’s connection to the incidents. The pair get rid of the monkey and pursue separate paths over time.
Cut to 25 years later, the now adult Hal (Theo James) spends time reconnecting with his teen son Petey (Colin O’Brien). The sudden death of his Aunt Ida (Sarah Levy) brings him back to his childhood home. When he learns of more inexplicable deaths happening around him, Hal deduces the return of the monkey and vows to hunt it down to avoid it potentially hurting Petey.
What sets The Monkey apart from other horror films featuring possessed dolls is Perkins’ comedic approach to it. It is outright hilarious in a way you never see coming, which somewhat softens the blow of very graphic and gory deaths.
The monkey itself looks absolutely terrifying with a haunting carnival-style tune but it’s the sound of its beating drums that will have your eyes fixated on the big screen for the next impending death. The kills in this singular film easily challenges those in the entire Final Destination and Saw franchises.
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