There aren’t many stories easier for a horror director to adapt than a Stephen King horror tale. However, Osgood Perkins, director of “The Monkey,” managed to fumble what had the makings of a very entertaining film.
The story follows twin brothers Hal and Bill, both played by Theo James, as they inherit and navigate the horrors of a sadistic wind-up toy monkey. This concept is inherently outlandish, and it’s easy to imagine a nice blend of horror and comedy. Yet, that balance is not achieved in the slightest.
This toy monkey has the ability to kill people at random in wacky but brutal ways. Because of this, there is a large amount of gruesome deaths in the movie that are clearly meant to be played for laughs.
The deaths are so over–the-top that they come off as almost slapstick, thus losing any sort of weight. Having the darkest moments of the movie come off this way completely eliminates the horror aspect of King’s horror short story.
Such a clear misunderstanding of tone is surprising coming from Perkins, since he directed “Longlegs,” dubbed by critics as the scariest movie of 2024. With a phenomenally dark atmosphere, the film managed to make up for an array of story shortcomings by relying on its overwhelmingly disturbing nature. “The Monkey” has plenty of those same story problems, but it can’t fall back onto anything except weird jokes and out-of-place comedy.
The story is certainly the worst part of the movie, as there is absolutely no coherent narrative. It starts with a nice flashback and cameo, setting up the events and establishing the powers of the monkey. This is actually one of the most enjoyable scenes of the film, but it doesn’t last long. After that scene, it’s a structureless mess until the credits roll. Certain characters feel completely useless, making the storylines centered around them a bore to watch.
If there is a positive to be found, it’s James’ performance as Hal and Bill. He does a great job at giving contrasting performances, setting the characters apart in an effective way.
Hal is a reclusive loner, while Bill is a smug eccentric, making for an interesting dynamic between them. Splitting the character of Hal into two brothers is one of many differences made from story to film, although it’s the only one that really works.
Tatiana Maslany also shines as the boys’ mother, Lois. Her character essentially embodies the nature of the film overall, as she is a normal mother but also randomly morbid, and she makes jokes at odd times. Lois is basically the only case where it works, however, as one quirky character is much easier to digest as a viewer than an entire movie of the same nature.
Overall, “The Monkey” fails to create any sort of engaging or coherent story. It not only fails to live up to its source material, but Perkins feels completely out of his element. It’s another drop in the ocean of forgettable horror movies and a major disappointment from a clearly talented director.
