Osgood Perkins’ newest movie The Monkey comes only a few months after his huge 2024 horror hit Longlegs. It’s surprising to see this film less than a year after his previous hit, but what’s more surprising is how starkly different this one feels from the Nicholas Cage film.

Oz Perkins has been writing and directing movies for fifteen years, but he became a household name after Longlegs became a phenomenon. In that film, Perkins made a movie that mirrored some of horror cinemas greatest hits. Longlegs drew inspiration from Silence of the Lambs, Rosemarys Baby, and even a bit of The Exorcist. With The Monkey, Perkins again draws inspiration from horror greats, but his new film feels much closer to an episode of Tales from the Crypt than an Oscar-winning thriller. The result is a film tighter than his breakout hit, and one that is much more fun.

The Monkey

Theo James stars in The Monkey as Hal Shelburn. A boy who has been tortured his entire adolescence by a wind-up toy monkey. Once the key is turned on The Monkey, someone dies. There is no rhyme or reason to the victim and each kill is done in a gruesome Final Destination style accident. From the minute the film begins with a cameo by Adam Scott and a Rube Golberg type harpooning, the film immediately shows its hand and lets the audience know what type of movie we are in for.

This tonal shift works in The Monkey’s favor. Those expecting a dark and broody horror tale akin to Perkins’ earlier work may be disappointed. This film is less concerned with creating a mystery and more worried about how much fun a movie can be.

Hal & Bill

Hal is the lead of the film, but he shares the spotlight with his twin brother Bill. Theo James pulls double duty, playing each role and doing a fantastic job portraying each of their characteristics. Hal is shy and easily embarrassed, while Bill is a little punk. The exact archetype of every early 90’s middle school bully. They each have horrific experiences with The Monkey in their youth. Experiences that shape who they are as adults.

After a long opening act showing the twins as young boys dealing The Monkey curse, the film transports us thirty years into the future. It’s here where The Monkey makes its return, desolating the small town the two boys grew up in. The tag line of the film reads everybody dies, and this film delivers on that promise.

Reinvention

While Perkins has been directing films since 2015, None of his earlier works have a distinct style. They each tend to borrow or pay homage to different great filmmakers that have come before. His directorial debut, The Blackcoats Daughter, reads like an M. Night Shyamalan film. Following a strange young girl with a dark past. Next, he did a Netflix film, I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House, that aimed to exude the gothic horror feel of films like The Others or even The Shining. Even his previous film Longlegs, shares more DNA with Fincher and Demme films than his own previous works. The Monkey is again another reinvention that feels both unique and eerily familiar.

The result of these wildly different aesthetics and vibes means that your mileage may vary with any Osgood Perkins film. The same can also be said for Stephen King adaptions. With a catalog of work that includes everything from heartfelt prison dramas to a story about grass-eating handymen. The Monkey is one of Kings easier to follow narratives, and Perkins does an excellent job turning this short into a feature-length film.

Featuring King

Turning a short into a feature is always a bit or miss. But this one hits more often than it misses mainly due to the fact that the film doesn’t take itself too seriously. Right from the opening sequence, we understand this is going to be a silly, violent, over-the-top movie. That promise is made early on and continues to deliver throughout.

The Monkey contains some of the gnarlier kill sequences I’ve seen in recent horror movies. But it never dips its toes into Saw or other shock film categories. The kills are almost always played for laughs, and some truly great editing work is done to make those jokes land even harder. Instead of feeling dread or terror every time The Monkey is wound, we get a bit of excitement. Wondering who the next victim will be and what crazy household accident will lead to their demise.

Monkey Business

Despite how much fun the film is having, there is a deeper theme throughout the film. The Monkey is ultimately a story about trauma and overcoming your worst moments. Early on Hal makes a decision that has dire unintended consequences. He spends the rest of his life, and the movie, hiding from this mistake. He lets his past traumas consume him until finally he’s forced to face them head-on.

It’s a message that is pretty common to see in horror movies and The Monkey doesn’t do it the best. It’s admirable that the film attempts to tackle some deeper issues, but the movie works much better as a fun 90-minute horror comedy. Still, I’d rather this movie attempt to say something than abandon all of King’s larger ideas. It doesn’t help the movie, but it doesn’t hinder it either. The Monkey is a fantastic time at the movies, and the type of film I’d like to see more of Osgood Perkins.