Last summer, Oz Perkins’ “Longlegs” (2024) starring Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe was the talk of the town. It was praised by many viewers for being an effective, dreadful horror film that was beautifully shot, well-acted and stuck with many after seeing it in theaters.
This year, Perkins gave fans his adaptation of Stephen King’s short story “The Monkey” starring Theo James in the lead role. It is much less like “Longlegs” in pretty much every aspect, but it is still worth buying a ticket for.
“The Monkey” (2025) tells the story of two identical twin brothers, Hal and Bill, and their discovery of a toy monkey with a drum and drumsticks in their father’s belongings. They turn the key on the back of the monkey and soon figure out it causes someone they know personally to suffer a grueling and even ridiculous death.
The two brothers throw the monkey into a well and hope that it never returns for the rest of their lives. However, the monkey returns when they are adults to cause more harm to innocent people. Hal, played by James and his estranged son Petey, portrayed by Colin O’Brien, must find it before others such as Bill, also played by James, can get their hands on it.
Perkins has been known to make slower-paced horror films that are never reliant on blood and gore to get people interested. Fans can now experience him taking both the tame route and the maximum route with “The Monkey.” Someone will die in the most extreme way possible and it happens so fast the audience will not be able to catch a breath.
“The Monkey” also separates itself from Perkins’ other work by being the first horror comedy in his filmography. Many moments in the film that would be disturbing are funny due to the film’s editing.
The characters have a nice abundance of humorous scenes and dialogue. Christian Convery portrays Hal and Bill when they are young boys, and he has plenty of moments to shine despite not having much screen time compared to James.
The roles of the adult brothers for James are some of the best in his recent career as he has a lot to do. At first glance, it seemed his casting decision was inappropriate. However, James proved otherwise. He plays adult Hal, who is nervous about everything and chooses to see his son Petey once a year on his birthday.
Their distant father-son relationship is given time to dwell on and experienced by the audience. However, there could have been more scenes dedicated to showing their relationship – especially Petey as his characters feel a little underwritten.
The film also includes some awesome minor performances from the likes of Tatiana Maslany as Lois Shelburn, Hal and Bill’s mother; Adam Scott as Capt. Petey Shelburn, Hal and Bill’s absent father; and Perkins as Hal and Bill’s delinquent hippie Uncle Chip.
Although it is an inanimate object, the monkey feels as though it’s a character in and of itself like the actual living humans in the film. The design of it will also stay with whoever watches the film.
Funny enough, in the original King short story, the monkey has cymbals instead of having a drum and drumsticks. The reason why Perkins could not use a monkey with cymbals is because Disney owns the copyright to monkeys with cymbals after having used it in “Toy Story 3” (2010).
Cymbals or a drum set, the monkey itself is an iconic toy and is incorporated in every aspect of the film. Any other toy or thing just would not work or fit the tone of the film.
“The Monkey” is not for everyone, especially those who are not big fans of the blending of horror and comedy. But for those who do enjoy a solid film with creative kills and a dash of good performances, “The Monkey” is right up your alley.
Rating: 3.5/5
