Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey is the latest in a long line of Stephen King adaptations, this time tackling one of the master’s lesser-known short stories. While King has always been hit-or-miss on the big screen, The Monkey lands in an interesting middle ground — not quite a horror film in the traditional sense, but something stranger, darker, and funnier. Horror fans will get their share of gory deaths and jump scares, but this is much more of a pitch-black comedy wrapped in a supernatural premise. The film walks a fine line between the absurd and the terrifying, often to great effect.
The premise is classic King: a pair of brothers discover an old, wind-up monkey toy that seems to have the unsettling habit of killing people whenever it beats its drum. As they grow older, they put the monkey behind them — until it resurfaces, forcing them to reckon with its deadly legacy.
The film plays with themes of the inevitability of death. I mean, the monkey itself is an obvious symbol — but does it represent death, or life itself? Either way, like a hurricane or a terminator, it can’t be reasoned with, bargained with, or even stopped. It is inescapable. The Monkey also explores themes of family and fatherhood, both of which are inextricably linked to life — and death, because we experience it with those closest to us.
The acting brings a lot to the table. Theo James impresses in a dual role, bringing depth to both iterations of his character. Tatiana Maslany delivers a standout performance, adding intensity and nuance to her scenes. Perkins himself makes a solid cameo, fitting seamlessly into the film’s unsettling atmosphere (it’s worth noting that his father was Anthony Perkins). The young actors also deserve praise, as they handle the material with remarkable skill, making the film’s emotional beats resonate even more.
I haven’t always loved Osgood Perkins’ work. He’s a gifted director, no question—his sound design, his ability to create a tone, his eye for editing, all of it keeps improving with each film. But he’s often let down in the script department. I had similar complaints about Longlegs, where his direction outshone some sloppy writing. The Monkey is arguably one of his best films to date, but it still has some story issues. The movie establishes its rules well and follows them, but there’s a sense that it could have gone deeper. There’s so much potential in this concept — so many existential and psychological layers that could have been peeled back, or even more ways the monkey could have been used to kill. We get a glimpse of that at the end.
That said, what really makes The Monkey work is its comic timing. Horror and comedy have always been two sides of the same coin, and Perkins understands this. The best horror movies have a rhythm, a setup-and-payoff structure not unlike a great joke. The Monkey leans into that, delivering its kills with a macabre sense of humor that keeps things engaging.
Overall, The Monkey is a solid entry in both the King adaptation canon and Perkins’ growing filmography. It’s creepy, weird, and darkly funny, even if it doesn’t fully explore all of its thematic possibilities. Horror fans will appreciate the gore and carnage, and those with a taste for gallows humor will get a few good belly laughs. It may not be a straightforward horror movie, but that’s what makes it fun.
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