Twin brothers must contend with a killer toy (but don’t call it a toy) monkey in Osgood Perkin’s hilariously dark and violent adaptation of the Stephen King short The Monkey.
Whatever you do don’t call it a toy. It’s not a toy.
Damn, right.
The Monkey cements writer/director Osgood Perkin’s reputation as one of the unique voices in horror. One of the most violent and darkly hilarious films of recent memory Perkin’s film will not be for everyone. For those that are on The Monkey’s wavelength will find a horror film to obsessively obsess over. Perkin’s tale of estranged twin brothers (played by Theo James) and the killer wind-up monkey that comes between them is the kind of off-kilter vision of the world the director specializes in.
Perkins’ adaptation has changed much of King’s short only keeping key items and taking the finale out entirely. By doing so, The Monkey is both Perkins and King’s, a melding of the best parts of their strengths. Changing Hal’s friend to his twin brother and the trauma that the Monkey incurs adds the thematic length needed to stretch out what could have been a one-trick story. Hal and Bill drive the story now – one moving as far away from the harbinger of death and the other chasing it down attempting to find it. That drive gives the film its focus and genuine stakes when Hal – who is trying to connect to his estranged son Petey – finds the Monkey is out the in wild.
The Monkey perfectly juggles the highwire act of tonal shifts from sincere meditation on grief and wildly violent deadpan humor. One may question this out of context with King’s work but one must remember that King’s books shift tones as haphazardly as well and are a part of their strengths. To discuss more of the film’s inner workings would ruin the Rube Goldbert-style bear trap that Perkins has created.
Though if anyone has ever wanted to see Adam Scott in a Pilot’s Suit wield a flamethrower at a toy monkey, this one is definitely for you.
But remember… don’t call it a toy. It’s not a toy.