In a new-age adaptation of a Stephen King short story, director Oz Perkins brings to life the horror-comedy, “The Monkey.” This film never loses pace and takes the audience on a chaotic journey of laughs, cringes and questions. Adaptations of King’s other stories are better understood if the viewer is in the know of his work, however, this one didn’t sit quite right with us here at Takes Two to Review– and that’s not just because of the gruesome gore that the film definitely didn’t hold back on.
Hayley here – and I tend to be the horror fanatic but something about this one left me feeling let down and out of the loop. Perkins is known most recently for directing “Longlegs” last year which also met the box office with some mixed reviews. This film, however, loosely followed King’s 30-page short story, with a few obvious differences.
Hal in the original story is married with two sons, but in the movie only has one and isn’t married. The twin brothers Hal and Bill’s entire childhood storyline, which took up a large portion of the film, was a major rewrite to work as a driving point for the plot. Lastly, the details around the origin of the monkey and his instrument of destruction were different. In the film, it was a little drum that he played to an unsettling circus tune, whereas in the short story, he brandishes a set of metal cymbals.
Despite the differences between the film and the original work, it became clear that this movie was Perkins’ attempt to pay homage to many of King’s stories, not just this short story. This is something that I wish I had been made aware of in the trailer before going to see the film.
Francine jumping in – I completely agree with Hayley! The movie is filled with Easter eggs and nods to King’s broader horror universe. For die-hard fans, this might be a fun film to dissect and connect back to his older work. However, for anyone not fluent in King’s multiverse, these references feel more like random plot points than meaningful connections.
This approach alienates general audiences – myself included – who are left to navigate a story that feels disjointed and confusing. If the trailer hinted at this film being more of a homage to King as well as leaning toward the campy, comedy aspect of horror, my experience might have been more enjoyable. Instead, the film feels like a narrative puzzle that I have no idea what picture I’m trying to piece together.
The only redeeming factor for me (Hayley) in this film was the acting. Theo James plays the adult versions of both twin brothers Hal and Bill, while Christian Convery plays the twins as children. James does a great job of this task, really leaning into the traits of each brother’s personality. Despite his incredible acting, I feel it was young Convery who really stole the show with his abilities to play the brothers so convincingly different that there would be no way to know he played them both until the credits roll, showing an incredible range of talent in such a young actor.
As for me, Francine, I can appreciate Perkins’ passion for King’s horror universe – it’s clear he put a lot of thought into his references and greatly admires his work, but the execution felt uneven. It’s a movie that tries to be everything at once: a tribute, a comedy and a horror. In the end, it becomes none of those things completely.
Watch this film if you’re a die-hard Stephen King fan, otherwise, prepare to watch armed with a deep understanding of King’s universe to fully enjoy it. As for our rating… (drumroll please from “The Monkey”)…2 out of 5 stars.
