“The Monkey” arrives with Osgood Perkins (son of the legendary actor Anthony Perkins) on the script and direction, Theo James as the lead, and based on an original Stephen King story.
“The Monkey” is not a typical horror film: it’s a dark comedy that has had to have two versions for its release – one horror version where the most gruesome scenes are cut, and an extended version where we can see a full festival of head explosions, entire body explosions, and violent deaths that are impossible to take too seriously.
Everything in “The Monkey” feels like retro cinema: sequences full of 90s references, the setting itself, and some effects that make it seem like a film shot in those years, despite being a current release.
The Plot: A Cursed Toy that Unleashes Chaos
The story follows twin brothers, Bill and Hal, who find a disturbing monkey toy in the family attic. What seems to be an innocuous object quickly becomes the catalyst for a series of grotesque deaths that will tear apart family bonds.
About the Film: A Mix of Exaggerated Bloody Horror that Leads to Dark Comedy
“The Monkey” may or may not be to your liking. It won’t be the most terrifying film of your life, nor is it the most hilarious comedy in modern cinema, but Osgood Perkins takes risks and makes a stylish film, a return to 90s cinema and its most mocking and daring spirit.
“The Monkey” can be criticized for certain narrative inconsistency, a lack of originality (cursed toys have been done many times), and that the film ultimately isn’t one of those movies that leaves an indelible mark on your memory. However, this mix of retro cinema, dark comedy, and bloody body explosions turns out to be original and even stylish.
It’s a well-shot film, with excellent photography, that also knows not to take itself too seriously: it’s a horror film that pays homage to the genre at all times and, in a certain sense, laughs at the genre itself.
Does Osgood Perkins get it right in his approach? For purists, it might be a failed exercise, a kind of anecdotal film that revisits 80s and 90s cinema, but “The Monkey” has the virtue of, with all its retro style, offering something refreshing, fun, and entertaining.
You know the drill – if you’re fans of old movies and grew up with Stephen King’s stories, “The Monkey” is an ideal film to remember those times.
Enjoy it, and be careful not to get splashed by blood in one of its multiple human explosion scenes.
