As if cymbal and drum monkeys weren’t already terrifying, The Monkey is here to double down on the terror… with a hint of comedy. Based on a Stephen King short story and adapted by Osgood Perkins, it follows brothers Bill and Hal who find their father’s monkey toy in storage which kicks off a series of gruesome deaths around them.
The Monkey is a supernatural horror that managed to surprise not only in terms of the narrative, but in terms of the tone. Typically this subgenre plays things pretty straight, but Perkins injects a dark comedy edge that makes this experience unexpectedly fun, funny and unique. It has shades of psychological horror in how it explores Bill’s (Theo James) journey, and a morbidly satirical approach to the death sequences. These two tones work together better than it may sound – it creates intrigue in the lead and their wellbeing, while allowing the viewer to have fun with crazy deaths that are full of gore and body horror. The satirical nature of the horror gives the film a point of difference that turns it into more than your average supernatural horror. The deaths are reminiscent of something you’d see in Chucky if he had supernatural abilities, and they’re a blast. They’re outrageous, bloody and creative – a joy for anyone who has a bit of a sick sense of humour.
The narrative itself does something I didn’t expect in dedicating the entire first act to setting up the story through younger versions of the characters. A third of the film is set in the past before skipping forward to the present day, and both sections are equally as interesting. Whether it’s Christian Convery as young Bill and Hal or Theo James as the adult counterparts, both lead the film with performances that leverage not only the quirky tone but the light emotional beats. In not rushing the opening act, it allows us to get acquainted with the character on a level that enhances the impact of everything to come later. It does fall into a couple of horror cliches, but it regularly flips the script and pulls out enough fun surprises to offset the more familiar beats. In the middle of the film it gets a little convoluted with its timeline and had me confused, but it’s not a huge blight on the enjoyment factor.
While Osgood Perkins is the one bringing the frights, gore and laughs to the film from the director’s chair, it’s Theo James who does the heavy lifting on screen. He lifts nearly every scene with his gripping dual performance, playing polar opposite characters convincingly. You can tell he’s having fun in the roles because he fully embraces the film’s tone, allowing the quirky side of the film to really shine. While elevating the dark comedy side, he also has some brilliant scenes that strengthen that psychological horror elements. He’s just an all-round star and the shining light of the film.
In the end, there’s not too much to say about The Monkey besides it’s a fun, grotesque supernatural horror film that successfully weaves in a very morbid sense of humour. It moves fast as it tells the story of both kid and adult versions of our characters, but never feels like it’s leaving things out. The charm of this movie is that it feels like a high and low budget horror film at the same time, bringing the best of both worlds together. Revolutionary? Not so much. A bloody good time? You betcha.
7.7/10
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