The Monkey

Osgood Perkins leans hard into absurdity here and gives us something sharp, stylish, and light on its feet. What starts as a slim Stephen King adaptation becomes a gleefully gory black comedy about death’s randomness, inherited trauma, and the desperate illusion of control. But this isn’t trying to be elevated horror. It’s confidently weird and unapologetically fun. The Monkey is a simple premise done right: a cursed object that kills with rhythm and flair. Every cymbal clash brings a creative, often brutal death, and somehow it never gets old.

The delightful Theo James tackles a twin role with surprising nuance, but it’s the kids that ground the story with a strange, honest energy. Christian Convery plays the young twins with real feeling. Tatiana Maslany is heartbreak in motion and doesn’t waste a second of screen time.

Perkins doesn’t pad the runtime. This is 98 minutes of relentless unpredictability, dark humor, and inventive kills. There’s a visual language here that feels slick without being hollow, and a masterclass in pacing and tension. Stylish, absurd, and surprisingly emotional without overreaching. One of the most fun horror watches I’ve had in a while. I left the theater grinning… and wondering what kind of cosmic horror was inhabiting that damn toy monkey.