Writer-director Osgood Perkins has built a name for himself through his atmospheric horror. “Gretel & Hansel” and “Longlegs” were drenched in a creeping unease that set Perkins apart from his peers. That’s what makes “The Monkey” such a baffling misfire. Given the rich source material, originally Stephen King’s 1980 short story, one would expect a psychological horror film full of dread. Instead, Perkins delivers a poorly executed, needlessly gory mess that mistakes shock for scares and incoherence for depth.
Cymbals and Screams
The movie’s premise remains loosely tied to King’s original story: a cursed, cymbal-clapping toy monkey brings death to those around it. However, where King’s version built tension through its protagonist’s growing paranoia and the inevitability of fate, Perkins expands the story into an overstuffed family drama with characters that exist only to be brutalized. King lets the reader’s imagination run wild, but Perkins doesn’t give his audience that autonomy. Rather, he shoves it down their throat.
Theo James plays the film’s lead, one of the few saving graces of the film. During his childhood, the main character discovers the monkey among his late father’s possessions, only for it to resume its sinister cycle of death 25 years later. The horror should stem from the monkey’s eerie inevitability, its power feeling omnipresent yet invisible. Instead, Perkins takes a more-is-more approach, filling the film with excessive, cartoonish violence that quickly dulls any sense of fear.
Loud, Repetitive and Empty
In “The Monkey,” Perkins’ writing is stilted, clunky and often unintentionally laughable. Characters deliver dialogue that feels unnatural, and their motivations paper-thin. The film also drags far past its welcome. Despite it being only an hour and 38 minutes of runtime, the once short story is now an exhausting, meandering narrative with no thrill.
The Few Good Things
While there are many negative things to say about this movie, not everything is terrible. James gives a committed performance, somehow managing to bring emotion into a script that gives him little to work with.
The cinematography, too has moments of eerie beauty; Perkins and DP Nico Aguilar know how to frame a haunting image. The best scenes were when the cymbal monkey just sat there, eerily. But atmosphere alone isn’t enough to salvage a horror film that is this fundamentally broken.
One of the film’s biggest failures is its inability to decide whether it wants to be a horror film or a dark comedy. Horror-comedy, when done right, can be brilliant. The humor enhances the horror rather than undermining it. But here, there’s no balance at all. The film swings wildly between over-the-top violence and awkwardly absurd moments that feel like they’re supposed to be funny but never actually land.
Final Verdict
“The Monkey” is not a good horror movie. In trading suspense for shock and character for carnage, Perkins delivers what might be one of the most frustrating Stephen King adaptations in years. If you’re looking for horror that actually scares, maybe skip this one. If you like movies like “Final Destination,” maybe this is for you. But if you do decide to watch it, don’t be surprised if you find yourself walking out before the credits roll.
