The cymbal-banging monkey is a permanent fixture in the hall of fame of creepy children’s toys, alongside the likes of porcelain dolls and ventriloquist’s dummies. As such, the idea of such a toy being a genuine malevolent force hardly sounds like an original premise in the world of modern horror films, yet 2025’s “The Monkey” goes forward with exactly that concept, no strings attached.
Directed by Osgood Perkins, “The Monkey” is a loose adaptation of Stephen King’s 1980 short story of the same name. The movie follows Hal Shelburn (Theo James) and his son Petey (Colin O’Brien) in their attempt to destroy the supernatural killer monkey toy, all while innocents meet graphic demises left and right at the hand of said monkey toy.
While the short story took itself entirely seriously, the film takes an absurd and darkly comedic angle, relishing in the carnage inflicted throughout. In addition, for copyright reasons, the eponymous monkey toy plays a drum instead of cymbals.
Marketing leading up to “The Monkey” set the expectation that the film would be a “Final Destination”-esque chain of absurd, creative and grisly deaths, promising over-the-top spectacles of gore for fans of the splatter genre. The opening scene of the film delivered on this expectation, teasing increasingly ridiculous deaths to come. Sadly, the rest of the film proved to be content with quick, clean and comparatively simple deaths. For fans of gore, there are a few moments that prove satisfactory, but many of the death scenes cut corners via shoddy CGI or offscreen carnage.
As a comedy, the film almost passes. “The Monkey” relies on the characters’ comically inappropriate levity regarding the horrific events surrounding them, or slapstick violence that quickly becomes predictable, the former of which was funnier. However, a great deal of the film plays itself straight. Unfortunately, the serious elements of “The Monkey” employ tired tropes with little in the way of innovation. James’ character’s attempt to reconnect with his estranged son is riddled with cliche conflicts brought about by poor communication that, more often than not, ends up being frustrating rather than investing. The rivalry between the protagonist and his brother is similarly built on cliches and poor communication.
The dual performances of Theo James, who plays both of the Shelburn twins as adults (playing the adult and Christian Convrey who plays the twins as children) are admittedly a redeeming factor of the film. Both actors display impressive range, each playing both twins as complete opposites to the point that they are barely recognizable as the same actor. James delivers both the troubled but mild-mannered Hal Shelburn and the disheveled and manic Bill Shelburn. Meanwhile, Convrey displays similarly contrasting personas through the awkward, sensitive Hal and the brash, arrogant Bill. Other performances of note include Rohan Campbell as the thick-skulled Ricky, and a memorable cameo from Elijah Wood.
Overall, “The Monkey” attempts to be both a comedy and tell a serious story at the same time, but fails to fully commit to either. The absurdity of the film’s premise is diminished by lackluster execution, failing to fully embrace the conventions of the genre. Likewise, the film’s attempt to create a serious, character-focused narrative falls short due to reliance on contrived conflicts and bland characters. For having high-profile names such as James Wan and Stephen King attached to the film, “The Monkey” is a comparatively underwhelming experience, and hopefully is not the best the horror genre has to offer in 2025.
