The Monkey shouldn’t be taken seriously — at all. That’s because it rarely takes itself seriously. The film, written and directed by Osgood Perkins and adapted from Stephen King’s short story, is a horror comedy that takes a lot of creative liberties with the source material. Perkins has admitted as much. It’s practically gleeful in what it gets away with and adds. And while the comedic elements don’t always land, The Monkey is the kind of film that’s random enough in its humor and creative in its horror kills that it’s at least an engaging viewing experience.
The Monkey is gratuitously violent, but it has fun with how characters die throughout. The тιтle character is a gift from twins Hal and Bill Shelburn’s (Christian Convery) father (Adam Scott, who is sadly only in the first scene) that was kept hidden by their mother (Tatiana Maslany) until they unearth it among his belongings. Turning the key kills someone at random and, after the monkey kills their mother (and a plethora of other people), Hal and Bill throw the vintage toy into a well.
Naturally, it comes back to haunt Hal (Theo James in a dual role), now estranged from his brother after 25 years, and he’s forced to reckon with his past while trying to keep his son Petey (Colin O’Brien) safe. The premise is simple enough, but it’s the execution that keeps the horror film from petering out. Not everything works in its favor, though, and, if anything, it could have balanced its humor with more of its dramatic beats. But what the film has going for it is its absurdity, and there’s plenty of that.
The Monkey’s Random & Off-The-Wall Humor Keeps It Interesting
I didn’t expect to chuckle as much as I did watching The Monkey. From random dialogue and characters — like a group of cheerleaders arriving at Hal and Bill’s old house to cheer on the removal of a ᴅᴇᴀᴅ body by coroners — to the wild deaths, Perkins doesn’t hold back. Death itself is treated as a fact of life (and it is), but it’s also approached with a sense of comical callousness that underscores its level of unbridled nonsense.
At its core is a message that death cannot be controlled and is something that happens to us all at some point. At the same time, this message is juxtaposed with the film’s mockery of death. It’s all played for laughs and even its final horror kill is ironic, and one I couldn’t help but react to. Don’t expect The Monkey to be scary because it’s not. Its terror is practically non-existent. Beyond the gruesome deaths, the horror film is the complete opposite of Perkins’ Longlegs, which was unsettling.
It’s not good at balancing the gravity of Hal and Bill’s journeys with its levity.
The humor, as enjoyable as it is, is also a detriment. There are instances when the characters’ arcs are undercut by the neverending comedy. It’s not good at balancing the gravity of Hal and Bill’s journeys with its levity. They have a very contentious relationship — a major deviation from King’s short story — but it could’ve genuinely worked had Perkins explored it further. Their relationship is basic at best and superficial at worst. We never fully understand Bill’s cruelty toward Hal, but the ending could’ve been more effective had the story engaged with their dynamic a bit more than it did.
The Monkey Is Playful So Long As You Don’t Expect Too Much From It
For all its silliness, The Monkey is occasionally self-serious enough that I wondered why it didn’t loosen up and lean all the way into its outrageous elements. There are plenty of those, but there’s a sense the film is holding back. Where it doesn’t hold back, however, is in its character deaths, which are horrific in every sense of the word. People are blown up, their heads sliced off, electrocuted, and trampled to death. And those are some of the more tame horror kills throughout the film.
Editors Graham Fortin and Greg Ng certainly know how to time the kills for the greatest comedic effect. Most of the time, it works, especially during a midway montage. We come to expect the deaths and it’s only a matter of when, not if, though the film occasionally had me guessing the idenтιтy of the monkey’s next unfortunate victim. There’s no rhyme or reason for the deaths when they do happen, but that’s why it’s “like life”, as the monkey’s box claims.
And yet, for all The Monkey’s fun and playful moments, it still feels like there isn’t enough there to get it to the level of true potential. I spent some of my time pondering what happened to Adam Scott’s character when I should have been plugged into what was happening onscreen. It’s still a serviceable film, and you’re in for a wild and weird ride. Even its message, while nihilistic, has merit. I only wish The Monkey had a more balanced story to counteract its weaker elements.
