‘The Monkey’ (review)

With Longlegs, Osgood Perkins wrote and directed one of the eeriest films of 2024, which drew crowds thanks to a highly successful marketing campaign.

Audiences were unsettled by its unnerving narrative, mounting sense of dread, and arresting visuals.

An acquired taste as such artful horrors can be, some found Longlegs too vague and slow-paced for their liking, but Perkins was overwhelmingly praised for the impeccable craftsmanship and indisputable talent he had once again showcased with his 2024 feature, this time receiving more mainstream acclaim than with his previous efforts.

With The Monkey, those who struggled to connect with Longlegs may find something to enjoy this time around, as Perkins shift gears entirely with his entertainingly blood-soaked adaptation of the Stephen King short story of the same name.

Theo James does double duty as twins Hal and Bill, the sullen Hal being our main protagonist, who woefully reminisces about the horrors brought upon his family and those around them thanks to a creepy, wind-up monkey with an evil will of its own, the beats of its drum signifying an unsuspecting soul’s imminent demise.

After decades without any incidents, Hal suddenly begins to receive odd, taunting phone calls from his estranged brother Bill, who suggests the mechanized monkey is up to its evil tricks once more, and Hal reluctantly goes to investigate with his teenage son in tow.

What ensues is a darkly humorous cascade of gory set pieces verging on being cartoonish in the most delightfully gross way imaginable, the likes of which are usually synonymous with the Final Destination franchise.

This is not to say that The Monkey copies the Final Destination formula, as Perkins’ latest effort is not only much better executed, it is also saturated with his filmmaking trademarks, bringing his deeply atmospheric visual style to the table along with his taste for an off-kilter perspective, which gives the film a dreamlike quality.

Where Longlegs was a slowly escalating nightmare, The Monkey is a demented fever dream that swiftly moves through a wacky yet straightforward narrative arc.

As such, there is not as much to unpack here in terms of character development or narrative symbolism, making The Monkey little more than a fun, competent palate cleanser before Perkins’ next opus, Keeper.

In terms of King adaptations, the offerings of recent years have mostly been executed with heightened competence and production value, making them far-removed from the guilty pleasures the adaptations of the 80s and 90s are largely remembered as.

As a result, The Monkey is another solid entry in the never-ending flood of King adaptations, however, Perkins manages to achieve something rather unique here, namely blending competent craftsmanship with the cocaine-fuelled absurdity associated with (the writing of) 1980s King, which is a commendable balancing act.

For many, the main draw will be the gore, and while The Monkey cannot contend with the tsunami of blood the likes of Sam Raimi has been responsible for in the past, Perkins’ latest endeavor nonetheless has many gleefully gruesome set pieces, all of which are presented with sly wit that makes the film as disgusting as it is funny, which should delight gorehounds.

As we wait for Keeper – which will presumably be in a more serious vein – it is a ton of fun to see Perkins go bananas with reckless abandon for any expectations audiences may have after Longlegs, and The Monkey is a delightful bit of bloodspattered monkey business to add to your horror viewing schedule, preferably with a large crowd to cringe and cackle along with.

Verdict: 7 out of 10.

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