The Monkey

Stephen King’s The Monkey was first given life when published as a short story in Gallery magazine in 1980, telling the tale of Hal Shelburn, a man haunted by a wind-up monkey toy that seems to bring death and misfortune to those around it. 35 years later, and director Osgood Perkins presents a cinematic rendition, starring Theo James and, of course, a drum-banging killer toy monkey.

This movie sings very much from the same hymn sheet. When two twin brothers stumble upon their father’s vintage toy monkey in the attic, Hal and Bill (both Theo James) begin to witness a string of horrifying deaths that tear their childhood apart. In a desperate attempt to leave the haunting behind, the brothers throw the monkey down a well and enjoy peace for 25 years. Now living estranged from his brother, Hall has a son who he only visits once a year in fear that he will pass the monkey’s curse on to him. However, when further inexplicable deaths begin in his hometown, Hal and Bill find their paths cross once again as they must find and destroy the monkey and end the bloodshed.

Brought to us by the same creative mind behind the chilling horror Longlegs, The Monkey takes a slightly different approach, injecting the tension with a sense of humour that is wildly dark, morbid and zestful. James does really well playing an incredibly straight shooting role alongside a darker, more sinister twin and through these performances gets the opportunity to flex his acting muscles and versatility. Tatiana Maslany is also fantastic in her smaller role as the twins’ mother, Lois, who also falls victim to the evil actions of the monkey and whose death sets the twins on their fateful course to the future.

But it is through the surprising amount of humour in this movie that the real joy is found. There is gore galore to make you gag, with kill scenes that are inventive, eccentric, horrifying and reminiscent of those in Final Destination. The movie doesn’t take itself too seriously, knowing its limits and veering away from any major complications in its plot, but this makes it an easy blast to watch from start to finish.

Graham Fortin and Greg Ng’s editing makes the films snappy and acts as the anchor for a number of humorous sequences, and as a collective with Osgood and the cast, they found the right beat to make this movie dance. Sure, you could ask for more depth and fat to the plot and the narrative as a whole is predictable, but The Monkey is absolutely what you wish a Stephen King adaptation to be.

Guy Lambert

The Monkey is released nationwide on 21^st February 2025.

Watch the trailer for The Monkey here: