Haunted toys are the worst, right? The Monkey presents an already jarring vintage toy monkey (notably using drums instead of cymbals because Disney has the rights to the latter), and there’s no real concern with whether we’re aware this thing is up to no good. That’s because director Osgood Perkins isn’t attempting to trick the audience with its intentions. As much as this movie is in its reliance on over-the-top, gory horror violence and a subversion of some expectations for shock value, The Monkey is still presented as matter-of-factly as possible. Whether or not this approach allows for stronger thematic value, as it stands, this twisted little piece of horror pulp fiction is very entertaining when you’re not on the receiving end of the fury fella’s little drumsticks.
Based on a short story by Stephen King, the film is about identical twins Hal and Bill Shelburn and their history with this evil toy monkey. As children (played by Christian Convery), having found their absent father’s toy, their attempts to play with it backfire severely once a bizarre string of deaths of people close to the twins occurs every time one of them attempts to use it. They eventually ditch the Monkey down a well, but we know that won’t stop it. Years later, the twins (played as adults by Theo James) are not living normal lives. Hal, who we follow throughout the film, has undoubtedly had a rough go of it in his attempts to keep a low profile and prevent further harm from happening. Nonetheless, he and his estranged son, Petey (Colin O’Brien), eventually find themselves tasked with stopping the monkey, which has mysteriously come back to cause even more destruction.
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To be clear, this is about as bleak as stories can get regarding the subject matter and the events that occur in the film. With that in mind, this almost feels like a victory lap for Perkins, who scored a huge hit with 2024’s Longlegs and is now back making another film exploring similar territory, albeit with a much bigger grin on his face. Or maybe Perkins was cracking up while putting together his serial killer thriller. Point being – here’s a filmmaker who will take chances in terms of tone based on what the central ideas of his stories are rooted in. While both movies may be connected to a fixation Perkins has on the impact his own parents’ lives and deaths had on him, The Monkey is indulging in amping up the hilarious absurdity that comes from the insane deaths witnessed throughout this film.
Helping Perkins fulfill this task, cinematographer Nico Aguilar and editors Greg Ng and Graham Fortin channel the kind of energy that went into films like George A. Romero’s Creepshow, Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, and Jackie Kong’s Blood Diner. Basically, there are 80s funhouse vibes in this film that I quite appreciated and, if anything, would have liked to have seen more of. As the film progresses, one could also look to the Final Destination series as a comparison point, as the deaths become increasingly rooted in Rube Goldberg-style setups and payoffs. Whatever the case, while mileage may vary on how much joy comes from variations on unfortunately grisly deaths, The Monkey’s wicked streak doesn’t hold back.
For his efforts, I quite liked Theo James in this. Sure, it requires some suspension of disbelief that this movie star handsome guy must be looked at as two different kinds of losers for different reasons. However, there’s a nervous energy James manages to bring out well in his dual performance, making him a compelling screen presence to keep track of. Some other fun choices also come into play, including Halloween Ends’ Rohan Campbell and a fun cameo for the twins’ father that I won’t reveal here.
A real winner in this film is Tatiana Maslany as Lois, the twins’ mother, who is clearly having so much fun and could have been a real benefit for the film if she had stuck around longer. Honestly, there’s a movie set entirely from the perspective of the twins as kids that could have played to The Monkey’s strengths and felt more consistent, but that’s not this movie. As it stands, having already mentioned Beetlejuice, Maslany’s performance honestly feels like a Burton creation game to indulge in a morbid sense of humor, with no worries about going broad or bloody for the sake of the narrative.
Much of the joy for this movie comes with being willing to embrace how off-the-wall it wants to be and whether or not one feels it sustains that energy effectively. There’s an urgency to a point, building toward an inevitable confrontation between the twins, but not a ton of nuance as far as what this toy monkey really has to say about either of them beyond some surface-level takes on chaos and the unpredictability of life. Does it stand to reason to present such a feature today, where chaos has seemingly been chosen to reign for at least some amount of time? Even if so, I can admire this film for laughing in the face of upsetting societal issues.
As it stands, this horror brain trust that is Perkins, King, and producer James Wan coming together to deliver a good time at the movies succeeds in its manner of diving into a seriocomic tale of terror conducted by the whims of an inanimate toy monkey. Stacking bodies, body parts, unexpected objects of doom, and a set of game performances all add wonderfully to the proceedings. It may not resonate as strongly as some of Perkins’ other heavily stylized features outside the film’s shock value. Still, it’s no matter as long as you find pleasure in the gruesome pandemonium and stay away from this sinister simian.
The Monkey opens in theaters on February 21, 2025.
