“Cursed is the man who dies, but the evil done by him survives.” - Abu Bakr
In the midst of the horror renaissance, the dominant voices are beginning to shape the landscape of scary, disturbing and all around thrilling, feature length content. Ari Aster, Robert Eggers, Mike Flanagan, Jordan Peele and Osgood Perkins to name a few. Osgood Perkins landed on my radar with his 2015 directorial debut, The Blackcoat’s Daughter. My first impression of it was a bit mixed. But as an A24 release I bought it on Blu-ray before I ever saw it. So having access to it whenever I wanted I was able to return to it after researching and gaining a better understanding of it. After my return visits it began to grow on me, its purpose starting to unfold revealing its genuine disturbing nature. It is a slow burn setting the groundwork for an incredibly horrifying finale. It made the notion of actual demonic influence truly unthinkable. It instills a constant presence of impending danger. In 2024, Longlegs premiered and provided a similar environment; always threatening, always unsettling.
Cut to now, February of 2025. His next release, on the heels of the biggest success of his career so far, is the unexpected Stephen King adaptation, The Monkey. My initial hang-up with this latest release was an unfair expectation on my part that it would be of a similar style of story, told slowly and with hidden, frightening innuendo like Longlegs and The Blackcoat’s Daughter. That was my mistake but thankfully one I have realized was short-lived. First I was amused but unsure only to relinquish my preconceived notions and accept that this was completely unlike anything Perkins had ever created before. Once I did that the movie took proper shape as an absurdly ludicrous, epically comic gore coaster that is one hundred percent in on the incredibly sick joke. It’s made knowing full well how ridiculous this whole thing truly is and relishes in every moment, as if it’s always trying to top itself.
Imagine if the Final Destination films were more humorous with a more physically obvious villain rather than a strictly invisible omnipresence and what you have is The Monkey. Death is imminent but in this bedtime story it comes in the form of a percussion-happy toy monkey (don’t call it a toy!) who seemingly chooses its victims out of pure spite of the one that maliciously turns its key. In this case, the ever-surviving victims of its shenanigans are twin brothers, Hal and Bill. Estranged, resentful and vengeful, Hal and Bill do not like one another. And when the monkey’s influence begins to shape their reality when they are young, their feelings only grow in intensity and severity when they become alienated adults. One brother tries to avoid what was while the other lives in the past, stuck in a single, hopelessly defining moment of tragedy that determines who he is now, murderous and motivated.
And the best part? It’s absolutely fucking hilarious every step of the way. Maybe not for Bill and Hal but for us, this vicarious murder journey is campy horror at its best and possibly most unhinged. Violent death is rarely ever this consistently funny. It may bring into question your morals but I stress that if you leave all that at the door, The Monkey, as stupid as it knowingly is, will leave a stitch in your side and an insidious grin on your face.
I think what works best about The Monkey is the set up of each death sequence. Rather than any kind of subtlety it practically screams what is about to happen and then almost waits for you to dare it and of course it always does. “Do you dare me to set this woman’s head on fire and then impale her head on a For Sale sign? ‘Cause I will.” And then you’re left in awe, laughing at how impractical, improbable and downright impossible this whole thing is.
The kinds of death are always violent but range from bloody brain aneurysms to decapitations, murder hornets and even explosive electrocution. It’s as varied and unpredictable as the characters suffering these gruesome ends but is darkly comedic every sadistic step of the way. And as funny as The Monkey is, it still manages to create a powerfully intimidating villain, as stoic and still as the drummer primate may be, its wide-eyed, unblinking stare is a sphincter clenching kind of discomfort.
The Monkey is Osgood Perkins (Anthony Perkins’ son!) at his most absurdly bonkers and the final result is all at once alarmingly funny, unceasingly violent, effortlessly gory, and endlessly ridiculous. The safest assumption is that everyone you see on screen will likely die and in horrifying fashion. The only thing you can do is anticipate and hold in your giddy giggles until each moment arrives. I hope Perkins eventually returns to his darker toned stories, already in post production on his next project, but The Monkey is a pleasant, unexpected break from such darkness. His stories all deal with death, The Monkey is just the only one that contemplates what death would be like if it were hilarious. See The Monkey and wonder no more.
Rated R For: strong bloody violent content, gore, language throughout and some sexual references
Runtime: 98 minutes
After Credits Scene: No
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Starring: Theo James, Colin O’Brien, Tatiana Maslany, Rohan Campbell
Directed By: Osgood Perkins
Out of 10
Story: 8/ Acting: 8/ Directing: 8/ Visuals: 9
OVERALL: 8/10
Buy to Own: Yes.
Check out the trailer below: