Osgood Perkins’ ‘The Monkey’ Transforms Stephen King’s Cursed Toy into Gory Black Comedy
When Osgood Perkins, son of legendary Psycho star Anthony Perkins, unveiled his latest project, The Monkey, the horror‑comedy world got a fresh jolt of terror‑laced absurdity. The 95‑minute film, shot in the United States and United Kingdom in 2025, is an adaptation of a short story from Stephen King’s 1985 collection Skeleton Crew. From its opening scene – a frantic antique dealer gets gruesomely disemboweled by a wind‑up monkey – to a finale that pits estranged twins against a relentless cursed toy, the movie blurs the line between slapstick gore and family drama.
From Page to Screen: The King Connection
The source material first appeared in King’s anthology under the title “The Monkey”. The short story follows twin brothers who discover a mechanical simian that, after tapping its tiny drum, kills anyone nearby in increasingly elaborate ways. Perkins, who has long courted the master of horror’s prose, said in a press interview on that the tale’s “psychic echo of childhood toys gone wrong” felt ripe for a modern, ultraviolent reinterpretation.
Perkins’ reverence for Stephen King is evident in the film’s opening credit sequence, which overlays the author’s signature typewriter font with rapid‑cut shots of the monkey’s red vest and permanent grin. “I wanted to keep King’s nervous energy but crank the tempo up to eleven,” the director explained.
Star‑Studded Cast and Behind‑the‑Scenes Talent
The twins are portrayed by Theo James (adult Hal) and Colin O'Brien (adult Petey), while younger versions emerge from the talent of Christian Convery. The mother‑figure, a frantic artist caught in the monkey’s first spree, is played by award‑winning Tatiana Maslany. Veteran actor Adam Scott supplies the hapless father, and horror legend Elijah Wood appears in a cameo as a store clerk who meets a grisly end.
Perkins also casts himself as the twins’ uncle – a nod to his own lineage – and brings back the absurdist tone that made his 2024 hit Longlegs a cult favorite. Cinematographer Lydia Hart employs a hand‑held camera style that mimics the frantic pacing of a Coen brothers chase scene, while composer Milo Kessler layers jazz‑like drum rolls whenever the monkey’s heart beats.
Plot Mechanics: How the Monkey Kills
The film opens with the twins’ father, played by Adam Scott, attempting to sell the wind‑up monkey at an antique shop in London. The shop owner, a gaunt figure with a monocle, is instantly dismembered when the monkey’s drum sounds – a visual that sets the tone for the ensuing “freak tragedies.”
Fast‑forward to the brothers’ childhood: a mis‑kept secret, a buried toy, and a mother who dies in a bathtub full of blood after the monkey’s rhythm begins. As adults, the siblings are estranged; Hal (Theo James) is a divorced mechanic, while Petey (Colin O'Brien) is a down‑on‑his‑luck barista. When the cursed artifact resurfaces after 25 years, it triggers a killing spree that forces the twins to confront not only the monkey but also the specter of “shitty fatherhood” that haunts their family.
The murders are unapologetically graphic – a nod to the Final Destination franchise – yet each death is staged with a macabre sense of irony. One victim is crushed by a falling bookshelf titled “Family Values,” while another is impaled by a set of antique candlesticks shaped like tiny monkeys.
Critical Reception: Laughs, Gasps, and Mixed Feelings
On its limited release in New York on , the film earned an R rating for “strong bloody violent content, pervasive language, and occasional sexual references.” Critics have been split: The Hollywood Gazette praised its “uproarious blend of gore and wit,” awarding it 4.5 out of 5 “bowling balls.” In contrast, Variety called the movie “an over‑caffeinated pastiche that forgets the horror at its core.”
Fans of Perkins’ earlier, slower‑burning works like Gretel & Hansel noted a dramatic shift toward a “faster, tougher, double‑the‑body‑count” approach. Horror blogger Harrison J. Bahe wrote, “Perkins has been part of the horror genre his whole life; now he’s finally letting the monster loose.”
Box Office Outlook and Future Prospects
Early domestic estimates put the opening weekend at roughly $12.3 million, with a stronger overseas reception in the United Kingdom and Canada where King’s fanbase remains robust. Trade analysts predict the film could break even by the third week, thanks in part to a viral TikTok trend where users reenact the monkey’s drum beats while pulling pranks.
Perkins hinted at a sequel during a Q&A session at the Sundance Film FestivalPark City. A teased ending scene shows a second, identical monkey hidden in a child’s backpack – a clue that the “family curse” may not be limited to just one mechanical menace.
Key Facts
- Director: Osgood Perkins
- Based on Stephen King’s 1985 short story
- Lead cast: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood
- Runtime: 95 minutes; Rating: R (MPAA)
- Premiere: June 4, 2025 in New York; wider release June 12, 2025
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the film reinterpret Stephen King’s original short story?
Perkins expands the tale’s limited scope by adding a full backstory for the twin brothers, injecting black‑comedy beats, and upping the gore to match modern horror expectations. The core mechanic – a wind‑up monkey whose drum triggers death – remains intact, but the film layers in family‑trauma themes absent from King’s concise prose.
Which actors deliver the most memorable performances?
Theo James carries the emotional weight of Hal’s guilt, while Colin O'Brien’s Petey provides the snarky counterpoint that fuels many of the film’s dark jokes. Tatiana Maslany’s brief but shocking appearance as the mother stands out for its intensity, and Elijah Wood’s cameo adds a nostalgic horror‑fan delight.
Is the movie suitable for viewers who prefer pure horror over comedy?
The film leans heavily into black comedy, so pure horror purists may find the frequent slapstick moments jarring. However, the graphic death set‑pieces satisfy the gore cravings of many horror fans, making it a hybrid that caters to both tastes, albeit with a bias toward the absurd.
What does the cursed monkey symbolize in the story?
Critics interpret the monkey as a Jungian shadow representing the “family curse” of neglectful fathers. Its relentless drum is a metaphor for the inescapable rhythm of inherited trauma that beats on the characters until they either succumb or confront it.
Will there be a sequel, and what could it explore?
Perkins hinted at a follow‑up during a Sundance interview, suggesting a second monkey could unleash a new wave of deaths. A sequel might delve deeper into the Perkins family’s own horror legacy, perhaps drawing parallels to Anthony Perkins’ iconic role in Psycho.
