Last year, while Neon was relentlessly promoting Osgood Perkins’ “Longlegs,” the filmmaker quietly finished shooting “The Monkey” which is based on a short story by Stephen King.
King is now praising “The Monkey” and his words mirror my own: it’s bloody insane. No, really, it’s over the top, batsh*t crazy debauchery. It has none of the slow-burn nature of Perkins’ previous films.
“You’ve never seen anything like “The Monkey,” King wrote on social media. “It’s batshit insane. As someone who has indulged in batshittery from time to time, I say that with admiration.”
I concur, and although still under embargo, “The Monkey” makes it quite clear that, whether he’s playing it serious or farcical, Perkins has a deranged mind. Don’t expect “Longlegs,” this is in the total opposite horror register — bloody, darkly funny and disturbing. Oh, and watch it with as large an audience as possible. It benefits greatly from crowd reaction
“The Monkey” tackles twin brothers, Hal and Bill, who discover their father's old monkey toy in the attic. Three decades later, a series of gruesome deaths starts occurring all around them. The monkey must be destroyed.
The film stars Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Christian Convery, Colin O’Brien, Rohan Campell, and Sarah Levy.
“The Monkey” has now been dated for a February 21, 2025 release date via Neon.