Osgood Perkins is staying busy, just 7 months after he released Longlegs, he comes along with his new film The Monkey, which couldn't be more different, and he is releasing ANOTHER film in October 2025 titled 'Keeper', which is good news if you're a fan of his.
I heard someone describe the film as if Looney Tunes made a horror film, and it's quite accurate, and The Monkey is a film you won't want to take too seriously at all, as it's quite insane, and I think Stephen King summed it up fairly well.
After the success of Longlegs, which is a film I liked but not as much as some as that second half lost me a bit, Perkins brings us a comedy horror film about a toy monkey that kills people, and I found it a lot of fun indeed in a very stupid way.
The film is about twin brothers, Hal and Bill, who come across a creepy old toy monkey that used to belong to their dad.
Every time it starts banging its drum, someone nearby dies in a brutal, over-the-top accident, and Perkins fully embraces the crazy and some of the deaths are brilliant.
It has some Final Destination vibes, if Final Destination just went full on absurd, and if you’re the type who gets squeamish about blood, then buddy, you’re in the wrong theater, but if you love watching unreasonably gory, over-the-top deaths while giggling like an idiot, this movie is for you.
Theo James goes all in with his performances, and he plays two very different roles really well, and his performance is so insane it’s just hilarious.
But the real MVP here is Tatiana Maslany, playing the twins’ mother, and she's the heart of the movie, with a dry, straight faced humor, and even though she’s not in it much, she’s both funny and emotional, and every time she’s on screen, she makes everything feel real.
The Monkey is a film that I hope people go in with the right expectations, and as I said above, it should not be taken seriously at all, you need to embrace the craziness and absurdity of it all, and if the humor lands for you, it's a crazy fun fueled ride.
But that's the key aspect too, if the humor lands, because if it doesn't, you will not enjoy this film much at all I think, but if it does, the film is just pure, ridiculous entertainment.
Overall, I had a blast watching The Monkey, I laughed a lot and loved some of the deaths, and I admire the fact Osgood Perkins did something so different, and I think he probably had a lot of fun making it too, and wants the audience to have a lot of fun as well.
And that, I did. [The Monkey on IMDB]