The Monkey

This weekend, The Monkey, a new horror film based on a Stephen King short story, was released in theaters. The Monkey follows two brothers who find a mysterious toy monkey that causes someone to die whenever it is wound up. This movie was from the director of Longlegs which I heard good things about so I was interested to see how this one would go.

I thought that this was a pretty effective little horror film. I liked how this movie was very short and focused. It wastes no time getting the story going and doesn’t get bogged down by any sort of subplot. I also liked how this movie has a bit of a scary story you tell at a sleepover kind of vibe. It’s there to create tension, tell a compelling tale, and then end before it overstays its welcome and that’s what The Monkey does. The Monkey does also have a bit of a dark comedy feel to it. It reminds me a bit of the Scream movies or Happy Death Day. This movie is incredibly simple. It doesn’t spend time creating lore about what the monkey toy is. It just says that it is evil and causes people to die. Nothing about why or how it works and for a movie like this, that is ok. Finally, I liked the hook that The Moneky has. It’s set with an evil monkey toy that causes people to die and is a very effective plot device to build a story around. This movie has grown on me the more I have thought about it. I was originally more mixed on the film, considering it to be a bit too simple and goofy but it began to grow on me the more I thought about it. I appreciate its charm and that it has that nice Stephen King polish to it. 

There are a few issues with this film. I felt that the son character was a bit one note. He is just distrusting and irritated with his dad and doesn’t move on from that. I also felt that the movie was a little bit campy at times and maybe could have toned the comedy aspect back a bit. Finally, I could feel that the movie was based on a short story and not a full novel. The characters and plotting are just not as developed and thought out. This story may have worked a bit better as an anthology episode of a TV show. 

Overall, I thought that The Monkey was very effective at what it was going for. It’s not trying to be this high-concept horror film. It just wants to be a small-scale scary story and that is what it achieves.

Score: 7/10 Grade:B Recommendation: Check it out if you are are a horror or Stephen Kimg fan.