The Monkey: Movie Review

Cast: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Christian Convery, Elijah Wood, Adam Scott
Director: Osgood Perkins

Following the occasional bleakness of Longlegs, director Osgood Perkins returns with something a touch more frivolous.

Based on the 1980 Stephen King short story, The Monkey follows Theo James' twins Hal and Billy, who have an unhealthy rivalry and who live in a world where their father just simply disappeared. Brought up by their mother Lois (Maslany), the pair discover a resin-covered toy monkey that their dad seemingly left behind. 

But after Hal winds up the monkey, and soon after death comes calling, setting in motion a chain of events that will haunt Hal forever.

The Monkey wears its comedic influences on its sleeve proudly from the very beginning. 

From Adam Scott's character being told "You know you've got a fair amount of blood on you" to the odd Final Destination-style deaths and carnage at the drumstick-filled hands of the rictus-grin marble-eyed toy, there's plenty to laugh out loud in among the gore.

Yet it's the innate lunacy of how death comes for us, and how life can end so quickly and so randomly that Perkins leans heavily into - and works into King's usual storylines of trauma and life.

How ever light The Monkey may seem in parts - even though it's blessed by a solid turn from James as the twins - it provides some starkly compelling imagery too enjoyable to spoil here (a final shot of one character is just beautifully executed). 

Once again, as he did with Longlegs, Perkins leans into the aesthetics of the 90s era but still manages to produce something visually different to predecessors. In many ways, it's a farcical fright, with some deaths feeling like they are The Darwin Awards writ large - but the film's desire to embrace that side of it is its strength.

There's plenty of dark humour in The Monkey, but Perkins isn't here to monkey around - it's a fascinating other-side-of-the-coin level of darkness that makes this an enjoyable diversion.