Osgood Perkins made waves on the horror scene last year with the wildly inventive and disturbing horror thriller Longlegs with Nicholas Cage. Perkins crafted an air of mystery alongside a sense of uneasiness that came together to deliver a truly unforgettable experience at the cinema. He’s back again behind the camera for another horror-fuelled experience with The Monkey, which is adapted from the short story of the same name from horror author Stephen King. The marriage of material from both King and Perkins feels like a recipe for success. The question is, does it work? The answer is sort off.
The story behind the film is interesting. As kids two twin brothers find their father’s old possessions and trinkets, with one of them being a toy monkey which has a miniature drum kit. They soon discover that by turning the key and letting the monkey bang the drums causes someone close to them to randomly die by some kind of freak accident. As adults, after some resentment towards each other, they are forced back together when their childhood Monkey toy resurfaces to cause more death around them. The set-up is definitely different and the film has a surprising unpredictable-ness to itself which works in its favour. Theo James plays both twins Hal and Bill, and he does go a little overboard with the performance but his acting does match the tone of the film.
The Monkey has a very specific tone, something that other horror films don’t necessarily have and this works in its favour. The deaths and accidents in the film remind me of the Final Destination film series, where it is the surroundings and environment that causes the deaths instead of other people doing it. The strained relationship between the brothers is a common trope found in Stephen King adaptions too, as King enjoys exploring family relationships inside the horror setting. The film feels a little conflicting in this regards, as you have King’s voice and Perkins’s voice trying to come together to craft a Frankenstein’s monster version of the film. The horror is there, in all of its gruesome glory, and the film has the same look and style as Longlegs but the story falls a little flat half-way through.
The first half of the film is dedicated to Bill and Hal’s childhood as their mother, played by Tatiana Maslany, attempts to raise them herself. Being twins though means lots of arguments and it is thanks to one of these arguments that causes a serious death to someone they love and this spirals the film into it’s latter half where they’re both adults. Hal has a son, Petey, who Bill attempts to manipulate against him but the script doesn’t let this narrative play out to its full extent. There are surprises, twists and turns but it all adds up to something mediocre. It is fun and satisfying but nothing that leaves a lasting impact on you.
★★★☆☆
3/5
Final Verdict:
The Monkey is a unique experience. The story has elements from the Final Destination series mixed with some quirkiness alongside some fun and gruesome horror elements. The film is not scary per se, but it does have that same sense of uneasiness that filmmaker Osgood Perkins displayed with his earlier film Longlegs. Theo James does an admirable job at playing twin brothers but the story and the divide between the brothers feels a little too performative. You can’t take the film too seriously, but it is this unusual tone that kind of works in its favour. The Monkey won’t stand out from other adaptions from Stephen King but it is a decent effort.
Thanks for reading today’s blog!
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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