Osgood Perkins’ new adaptation of Stephen King’s horror short story The Monkey will be hitting theaters later this month, and it already seems destined for success owing to its horror pedigree. The Monkey‘s cast is led by Theo James and also features Tatiana Maslany and Elijah Woods. The story centers on the discovery of a horrifying monkey toy from brothers Hal and Bill’s (both played by James) childhood which seemingly causes the gruesome deaths of those around them.
The Monkey is certainly one of the most exciting horror releases of 2025, since it perfectly combines horror and absurdist comedy. In fact, The Monkey‘s trailer has become one of the most viewed horror trailers of all time following its premiere online. Likewise, the movie has been awarded an impressive 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making The Monkey the highest-rated Stephen King adaptation in nearly a decade. Fittingly, audiences are excited to watch the movie in theaters, but until February 21, there are several great movies to watch in the meantime.
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Creepshow (1982)
The Horror Anthology Film Marked King’s First Venture Into Screenwriting
It feels very safe to say that Stephen King’s works have become a staple in the horror genre, but the 1982 film Creepshow was actually the first time that the author served as a screenwriter. Creepshow is an anthology film that is made of five shorter segments, two of which come from King’s own previously published stories, that are tied together with beginning and ending scenes of reading a Creepshow comic book.
Beyond serving as the screenwriter for the film, Stephen King also appears in the segment “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill,” which is adapted from his own story “Weeds”.
The Monkey itself was originally a short story, so this more condensed version of King’s stories makes the perfect precursor to the new movie. Likewise, while The Monkey clearly puts more focus on the gory aspects of the story than Creepshow does, both movies are darkly funny. In fact, one of the best aspects of Creepshow is that it does a great job of balancing the comedic abilities of its actors with the disturbing nature of the stories. For viewers that need even more convincing, Creepshow was directed by horror legend George Romero, making it part of one very impressive career.
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The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015)
Perkins’ 2015 Movie Hints At The Success In The Director’s Future
Oz Perkins has become a well-known horror director over the course of his career, but The Blackcoat’s Daughter was his directorial debut. The movie stars Emma Roberts, Kiernan Shipka, and Lucy Boynton and takes place across three timelines that allow the movie to save its biggest twist for last. The Blackcoat’s Daughter is a true psychological horror that reels audiences in while making them question everything they thought they knew.
Though The Blackcoat’s Daughter never received as much attention as it should have upon its release, the movie actually has pretty good reviews. The Blackcoat’s Daughter currently holds a 77% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviewers praising Perkins’ directorial style and the eerie tone that the film establishes throughout. The format of the movie, which switches between different plots, is one of the strongest aspects because of how well it complicates the deceptively simple story. Overall, The Blackcoat’s Daughter is a great introduction to Oz Perkins’ work before The Monkey.
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M3GAN (2022)
M3GAN’s Humorous Moments Tie Perfectly To The Monkey
James Wan is one of the most well-known horror directors and producers in Hollywood today, so it makes complete sense that he would be involved in both The Monkey and the 2022 movie M3GAN. Wan was responsible for writing the story for M3GAN as well as producing alongside Jason Blum. However, Wan’s involvement is not the only thing that The Monkey and M3GAN have in common. Both movies focus on toys that have murderous intentions, and both films choose to present the horror in a somewhat humorous manner.
While M3GAN‘s PG-13 rating means it is slightly less gory than The Monkey, their plot similarities give the two movies common ground.
M3GAN centers on a woman who suddenly finds herself the guardian of her niece, and attempts to use the prototype of a humanoid robot to help take care of the young girl. However, things take a sinister turn when the doll gains sentience and will stop at nothing to do what she believes is her job. While M3GAN‘s PG-13 rating means it is slightly less gory than The Monkey, their plot similarities give the two movies common ground. The film’s humor and commentary on the development of AI are an added bonus.
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Christine (1983)
Christine Remains Underrated Among King’s Great Movie Adaptations
There is no shortage of great Stephen King movie adaptations and Christine is certainly one of them, but it has remained underrated compared to its more popular counterparts such as Carrie or The Shining. However, this detail does not stop Christine from being one of the best movies to watch leading into the release of The Monkey. Like many of King’s adaptations which have been helmed by great horror directors, Christine was directed by John Carpenter, letting audiences know exactly what they are getting into.
What ties Christine and The Monkey together so well is that both stories have a nature of unreality that makes them almost comical, a feature that is drawn out by both Carpenter and Perkins. Where The Monkey centers on a killer toy, Christine centers on a killer car. However, audiences should not be fooled into thinking that Christine is all fun and games, as the movie actually features some moments of great cinematography and a very entertaining plot.
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Longlegs (2024)
Oz Perkins’ Previous Film Creates A Perfect Contrast To The Monkey
Early reviews of The Monkey have already noted how different Perkins’ new film is to Longlegs due to The Monkey‘s comedic aspects, but that makes the pairing even better. Longlegs follows an FBI agent who is attempting to track down a serial killer who leaves cryptic notes at the scene of each crime and only kills following a very specific pattern. As the movie progresses, agent Lee Harker’s connection to Longlegs becomes more and more complicated, leading to Longlegs‘ disturbing ending.
Longlegs is a great example of a serial killer horror film done well because it never plays its cards too early, keeping audiences hooked until the very end. The movie’s main performances by Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe are phenomenal, and Cage’s appearance is as disturbing as any horror movie villain in recent memory. Fittingly, Longlegs became one of Oz Perkins’ highest rated movies and has only just been surpᴀssed by the initial ratings of The Monkey, proving that Perkins’ new work is bound to be impressive.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
