When twin brothers find a mysterious wind-up monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tear their family apart. Twenty-five years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree, forcing the estranged siblings to confront the cursed toy. Written and directed by Osgood Perkins, The Monkey is an adaptation of the 1980 Stephen King short story included in his 1985 anthology, Skeleton Crew.
Highly reminiscent of some of the Final Destination entries, The Monkey utilises extreme violence to exemplify the inevitability of death. With a highly stylized approach to filmmaking, the Stephen King adaptation expertly tips between the interchangeable nature of horror and comedy. Bound to delight viewers with a bloody appetite, The Monkey’s creative execution of gruesome deaths are as hilarious as they are gory.
Thematically, impresses by presenting a well-crafted tale of fate, fatherhood, and survival. Underneath the gruesome deaths and pitch-black comedy, The Monkey invites you to examine the horrors that could stem from human relationships. The bleakness of the story work presents a pessimistic (or perhaps realistic?) look at adulthood and family, while effectively emphasizing on the necessity of overcoming familial trauma.
Conversely, some of The Monkey’s excessive humour is utilized at the expense of its characters. On an emotional level, it’s challenging for the audience to connect or relate to when they are either emotionally disconnected or narcissistic in their characterisation. That being said, the cast is mostly effective in their roles, with Tatiana Masalany being the standout despite her limited screen time.
All in all, The Monkey impresses with an amusingly twisted sense of humour, all while serving up a series of gruesome death scenes that are entertaining to watch. Instead of eyeing for prestige horror, Perkin’s full embrace of total mayhem works tremedously for the movie. Thematically deeper than it needed to be, The Monkey is a bloody feast with a black heart.
