Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Monkey!There is a lot of death in The Monkey, and the presence of cheerleaders celebrating various deaths may lead to some initial confusion. Osgood Perkins’ horror comedy based on Stephen King’s short story of the same name radically reinvents and expands the source material. This can be seen in major ways like the introduction of Hal’s twin brother Bill or the tonal difference compared to what many might expect. The Monkey‘s bloody deaths offer some more expected levels of entertainment for horror fans, even if there is a good amount of comedy mixed in throughout.

One of the most intriguing recurring elements of the film is the local school’s cheerleaders. They first appear after the realtor overseeing Hal’s aunt’s house dies. The cheerleaders are then shown cheering outside the house as her body is wheeled out. It’s an odd moment to have people in the movie celebrating a death that is treated as tragic by all others. It’s even stranger since none of the other characters acknowledge the cheerleaders cheering. They come back in The Monkey‘s ending, which helps reveal there is a deeper meaning to their role in the film.

The Monkey’s Cheerleaders Are A Commentary On Horror Movie Audiences

Death Is A Source Of Entertainment & Excitement

Osgood Perkins has not explicitly shared his reasoning for putting the cheerleaders in The Monkey, but the intention does seem clear. The cheerleaders appear to be his way of including a commentary on horror audiences. There are certainly several people who went to see The Monkey in part so they could see what types of inventive deaths would be included in the film. This is a common trend in horror movies, as Final Destination, Saw, Terrifier, and more have helped train audiences to embrace the blood and gore of the genre and celebrate creative death sequences.

In that way, viewers can often cheer, laugh, and applaud death in horror movies. Most films do not acknowledge this fact, but that must be what Perkins is going for with The Monkey‘s cheerleaders. These characters are literally cheering on the deaths that ravage their town. The rest of the characters react appropriately horrified by all the violence and death that occurs. However, the cheerleaders are meant to represent viewers who are celebrating The Moneky‘s on-screen deaths that provide them with some level of entertainment and joy.

The Cheerleaders’ Symbolism Gives Their Deaths In The Monkey’s Ending New Meaning

Even The Cheerleaders Die In The End

After making a point to emphasize the cheerleaders early on, Perkins brings them back for the final sH๏τ of the film. A bus full of cheerleaders dies as they are beheaded by a pᴀssing truck. This only comes after The Monkey‘s pale horse rider appears and they’ve seen the mᴀss death and destruction from across the town. Notably, this is the last thing The Monkey shows, leaving a lasting impression. It might seem at first that Perkins did this just to give his horror movie one more comedic death scene, but there is a deeper meaning involved.

This is Perkins’ way of communicating once more to audiences that death comes for us all. The cheerleaders may have been desensitized to the violence they saw and reveled in the death. But, that did not prevent them from also dying one day, and in a gruesome fashion in this instance. The Monkey ends with a final reminder that everyone will die one day. It is inescapable and unbiased. As the toy monkey’s box said, that’s “like life.”