We ended up going to see The Monkey, the new film by Oz Perkins, at the Emagine Cinema in Willow Creek, as part of their $5 Tuesday promotion.

The film is based on a short Stephen King story, and produced by James Wan, so you would think The Monkey is a serious horror film… but it is more of a comedy with some disgusting deaths. I was just hoping it was a hardcore horror film… I know Perkins is capable, because he directed the interesting horror film Longlegs last year, which I said I liked.

I guess Perkins took a different direction, and I’m not sure if I like the comedy angle. The film also changed a lot from the short story. For example, the Monkey is a drummer in the movie, but in the book, it is just cymbals. The other big change is that it is about twin brothers.

Anyway, the movie starts out with a comical introduction of the Monkey. The owner of the Monkey is trying to return it to the store he bought it for. Once the hand of the monkey comes down, it ultimately kills the store owner in a most disgusting way. That sets the tone of the film, which is comical and brutal deaths. Then the movie cuts to the twin brothers. You’re told that their father just went out for cigarettes and never came back. The brothers find the toy Monkey and turn its key to activate it… and soon enough their babysitter gets beheaded by accident.
Then their mother died. The younger brother dismembered the Monkey and threw it in the trash… only to find the monkey back.

More deaths followed (their uncle got trampled by horses), so the brothers decides to contains the monkey and threw it down a well.

25 years later, the Monkey appears again after their Aunt’s death. Then a series of death… it seems someone was turning the Monkey’s key. I won’t give away the ending, but there some questionable motivations from the key turner.

So yeah, if you’re looking for a comedy/horror-ish film, The Monkey is entertaining… but for true horror fans, this film is just a little too silly for my taste.