- Release year: 2025
- Director: Osgood Perkins.
- Producers: Dave Caplan, Chris Ferguson, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, and James Wan.
- Screenplay by: Osgood Perkins.
- Cinematography by: Nico Aguilar.
- Music by: Edo Van Breemen.
Synopsis: a toy monkey causes random deaths every time he is activated.
Shotgun Commentary: fun gore for anyone who loves the Final Destination saga or 1000 Ways to Die (2008-2012).
Review
The Monkey is a horror comedy with a simple premise: twist the key of the monkey, and someone dies… Potentially gruesomely, definitely hilariously. The promos seemed to point at one specifically targeted family, Annabelle (2014) style. Yet, it is surprisingly more complex than that. The twists and turns of the narrative do just enough to separate it from all previous works you might have encountered about cursed objects. This creates a fresh experience for all horror lovers in the mood for a few laughs.
Guts and giggles
You will probably read a lot of reviews about how gory and bloody that film is. Some praising it, some denouncing it. Same as you will read about how it is hilarious, or not funny enough, or maybe not at all. The thing is, only you can decide that. Are you the type of person who laughs at gut explosions and people scarred for life? Chances are, you will love this film. To what degree? Only your love for gore can tell.
Personally, this critic will tell you that it is a fun film. Plus, it has an interesting enough story to elevate it from your average splatter show. However, yours truly would rather focus on other more relevant matters about The Monkey than the bloodshed or the amount of latex used.
Generational silence
Firstly, and this is a biggie: what is with horror and miscommunication? Why is there such a huge tradition of people getting in trouble just because others didn’t find it appropriate to mention a potential danger? –Oh, this place is haunted because all the families who lived here killed themselves, but let’s not tell the neighbours that are just moving in because they will think I’m weird– and other bullsh*t like this is exactly what makes completely avoidable deaths happen. If you messed up, don’t wait until your testament to tell your family how to save themselves!
Maybe this is too much to ask for of a curse-themed feature, but could the person who messes up tell their family about the imminent danger they are in JUST ONCE?! Why do they always think that the best course of action to protect their loved ones is keeping them completely ignorant and as helpless as possible against the threat? You might have guessed already, but full disclosure: the lack of generational communication is the real killer in this one.
Kids with guns
Right, now that we have taken that out of the way, it is also important to acknowledge a delightfully serious commentary this film makes. Whether the intention was to actually comment on this or not shall remain a mystery for now, but the conclusion of the film is actually: don’t give uneducated people a loaded weapon, only tragedy can ensue. Throughout the film, we see wildly unprepared people use the monkey, and in one case an actual gun, in the most reckless way possible, leading to pointless deaths and destruction.
Funny as it is to see stupid people get what they deserve, noticing all the innocent people who die on the way is unavoidable. This situation encourages you to think about how currently Americans have a way easier access to guns than they have to real education. Most of the brainless people in the film are actually what the system in the US is preparing their population to be, a bunch of empty heads with loaded weapons who feel oh so cool with them. This is a subject better explored in From My Cold Dead Hands (2024), but the message is quite similar in both works.
Final thoughts
Lastly, and following this deep-thought train, the way The Monkey explores life and death is gorgeous. Sure, there is fun and there is horror. There are even some surreal experiences thrown into the mix, but ultimately, it is all about what we already know: we are all going to die. It might be a killer toy monkey, or a stroke, or a bus, who knows, but that is a reality, so might as well celebrate life while we are at it.
All in all, The Monkey is a film that talks about serious topics in the most lighthearted way possible, with as much dark humour as you can fit in a film. The performances are wonderful (loving this era of twins done right), the effects are magnificent, and the humour is on point. Perkins delivers yet another fantastic feature, creating even more hype for his next work, to be released in October 2025: Keeper.
Thanks to Black Bear for big screen access! The Monkey will be released the 21st of February.
Advice to take from this movie:
- Not everyone outgrows their “being a d*ck” phase.
- Having transparent communication with your parents might be awkward at times, but it is definitely worth it.
- If you have a killing machine, especially one with no aiming mechanism, DO NOT ACTIVE THE KILLING MACHINE.
What’s your take? Have you watched The Monkey? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀