Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey brings Stephen King’s eerie short story to life as a wildly gory and hilariously absurd comedy-horror movie.
With Theo James and Elijah Wood leading the charge, this film is packed with twisted laughs, chaotic thrills, and plenty of blood-soaked moments to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Mark your calendar for February 2025—this is one you won’t want to miss!
Let’s break down everything you need to know.
Key Takeaways
Osgood Perkins pushes the limits of comedy horror with The Monkey, delivering a blood-soaked spectacle of carnage.
Based on Stephen King’s 1980 story, the cursed toy monkey causes terrifying deaths wherever it goes.
The film, which stars Theo James, Elijah Wood, and Tatiana Maslany, blends horror, humor, and surreal storytelling.
A Twisted Tale of a Deadly Toy Monkey
Osgood Perkins, the creative mind behind the chilling Longlegs, has returned with a bold and unexpected new project, The Monkey.
This film takes inspiration from Stephen King’s 1980 short story and transforms it into a dark comedy-horror.
At its core, The Monkey tells the bizarre story of a cursed toy monkey that brings death and destruction wherever it goes.
The plot begins when twin brothers Hal and Bill discover their late father’s mechanical monkey in the attic.
At first, the brothers are intrigued by the toy, but soon, they realize its sinister nature as people around them begin to die in strange and horrifying ways.
Despite their efforts to destroy the monkey—even throwing it down a well—it keeps returning.
Years later, when the deaths start happening again, Hal and Bill must confront their fears and work together to rid themselves of the curse once and for all.
Blood, Comedy, and Absurdity in Every Scene
From the beginning, Osgood Perkins made it clear that The Monkey would be nothing like his previous work.
He explained that this film fully embraces dark comedy and absurdity.
“If you’re going for comedy, then you’re going for extremes. Not subtlety. We are guilty of putting far more blood in our human bodies than is really in a human body. When someone explodes in this movie—and a couple of people do—there’s a lot of mess,” Perkins told Empire.
Every death scene in The Monkey acts like a chain reaction, with one event triggering another, much like a Rube Goldberg machine.
It’s this exaggerated style that makes the violence more shocking but also darkly funny.
In one unforgettable scene shown in the trailer, a priest stands frozen in front of his congregation after witnessing the monkey’s deadly chaos.
He mutters a single expletive, and it captures the horror-comedy genre perfectly in that line.
Another highlight from the trailer involves Hal mocking Bill’s dramatic declaration that they must “vanquish” the monkey, as it adds a lighthearted sibling rivalry to the otherwise grim story.
A Cast That Brings Chaos to Life
Only certain types of actors excel in horror comedies, so the flick needed a cast that could handle both extremes.
Theo James (Divergent) stars as Hal, one of the twin brothers who must face the cursed toy.
Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings) plays his estranged brother Bill, whose call for help reunites the siblings years after their traumatic childhood.
Christian Convery (Sweet Tooth) and Rohan Campbell portray the younger versions of Hal and Bill in flashbacks that explore the monkey’s origins.
Tatiana Maslany (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law) takes on the role of their ill-fated mother and delivers one of the movie’s most haunting moments—a scene where blood pours from her eyes.
Other talented actors like Sarah Levy and Colin O’Brien add depth to the story, rounding out the film’s impressive ensemble cast.
A Stephen King Adaptation Like No Other
Because Stephen King’s original story was a straightforward horror tale, Perkins took the liberty of expanding it into something more complex.
By infusing the narrative with humor and absurdity, he created a film that stands apart from other King adaptations.
Perkins himself described the movie as “A morbidly surreal horror comedy that’s also heartwarming and redemptive. Why would anyone want to be fed the same meal every day?”
The director’s willingness to experiment is evident in every frame of The Monkey.
While the story remains rooted in King’s original concept, the film’s tone, pacing, and visual style bring something entirely new to the table.
Behind the Scenes
Due to the project’s ambitious nature, The Monkey required a top-notch production team.
Filming began in Vancouver on February 5, 2024, and wrapped just over a month later on March 22.
The movie was produced by horror heavyweights James Wan (Saw, The Conjuring) and Michael Clear under their Atomic Monster banner.
Additional producers include Dave Caplan (C2 Motion Picture Group), Brian Kavanaugh-Jones (Range Select), and Chris Ferguson (Odd Fellows).
The executive production team featured Fred Berger, Peter Luo, Nancy Xu, and John Friedberg.
The Trailer
If the trailer is anything to go by, The Monkey will be a blood-soaked blast.
It starts with the monkey’s first kill and shows flashbacks of Hal and Bill as kids, desperately trying (and failing) to destroy it.
We also get glimpses of the carnage it causes later, including some seriously over-the-top death scenes.
As you can see, the trailer hits the nail on its head in showcasing the film’s tone—scary, absurd, and just plain fun.
Save the Date: February 21, 2025
Osgood Perkins, fresh off his Longlegs success, brings King’s eerie tale to the screen with a cast that’s hard to ignore: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, and Elijah Wood.
And it’s not every day we see this bold approach to storytelling, so it’s shaping up to be a film that gets people talking—maybe nervously glancing at old toys while they’re at it.
So, don’t miss it when it hits theaters on February 21, 2025.
Luke David
Luke is a writer of many mediums with over 7 years of experience, specializing in copywriting, content writing, and screenwriting. Based in Malaysia, his passion for storytelling began at a young age, fueled by fantastical tales and his love for the horror genre. What began as a hobby then blossomed into a diverse writing career, encompassing poetry, songs, screenplays, and now engaging articles.
Luke's work has appeared in notable outlets like MovieWeb, Certified Forgotten, High On Films, and Signal Horizon. His talent for crafting compelling narratives has been recognized by being a Semifinalist at The Script Lab's 2019 TSL Free Screenplay Contest, placing his work among the top 3% of over 5,500 entries.
