Though he has had some works outside the genre, Stephen King is best known as a horror author. As such, many of his books and their respective film or TV adaptations are understandably gory and intense. Some of the most iconic sequences for King adaptations are the most bloodsoaked moments, including the bucket of blood in Carrie‘s prom, or the blood elevator in The Shining. It is not just gore that creates King’s most fearsome moments, but the brutality of storylines is nonetheless notable.

King’s works have been adapted for the screen for just about as long as he has been writing novels. Most recently, his story The Life of Chuck was adapted for the screen by Mike Flanagan that premiered at TIFF. There is an onslaught of upcoming King-based movies and shows over the coming few years, including movies for The Running Man and The Long Walk. A TV series called IT: Welcome to Derry is also in development from HBO, seeing Bill Skarsgård return to his Pennywise role. Now, another upcoming King adaptation is intense enough that TV networks are refusing to promote the film.

Multiple Networks Have Refused To Show The Monkey Teasers

The Monkey’s Violence Was Too Much For Them

Multiple TV networks have refused to show promos for The Monkey. The Osgood Perkins-directed movie follows the story of twin brothers named Bill and Hal, who find their father’s old toy monkey in the attic only to witness a series of gruesome deaths, and decide to dispose of the monkey. The Monkey features a talented leading cast including Adam Scott, Theo James, Elijah Wood, Tatiana Maslany, and Perkins himself. The film is set for theatrical release on February 21.

Now, NEON has revealed that several TV networks have refused to show promos for The Monkey. NEON provides pictures of email exchanges with four different, unnamed networks. The networks cited “excessive violence” as a reason why The Monkey spots could not be shown on TV. One network said that the movie would be “not suitable for our audiences, even with restrictions.” Another network said that “the film/creative is too violent to air.” Check out these responses below:

Our Take On The Monkey’s Network TV Rejection

This Press May Help The Monkey

Publicizing these network rejections is a great marketing strategy for The Monkey. While its graphic and bloody content may put off some TV networks, die-hard horror fans will likely be more excited to hear just how violent and intense the film is. A similar promotional strategy worked for Terrifier 3, which prided itself on its excessive blood and gore, and then ended up doing well at the box office. As The Monkey releases towards the end of next month, it will be interesting to see how audiences respond to the King adaptation’s violence.

Source: NEON