The Monkey - New Release Review
Director: Osgood Perkins
Starring: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Sarah Levy, Rohan Campbell, Elijah Wood
Written by: Osgood Perkins
Produced by: Dave Caplan, Chris Ferguson, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, James Wan
Cinematography by: Nico Aguilar
Original Score by: Edo Van Breemen
Synopsis:
When twin brothers Bill and Hal find their father's old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths start. The siblings decide to throw the toy away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years.
Thoughts:
Last year 'Longlegs' was one of the most talked about horror films, garnering both critical and commercial success. A dark piece of satanic horror in the vein of 'The Silence of the Lambs' and 'Seven', it introduced Osgood Perkins to mainstream audiences. Now he returns with 'The Monkey', an adaptation of a Stephen King short story and produced by James Wan. Usually his films have been fairly sombre in tone so when promotional materials showed that it was going to be more of a jet black comedy it piqued the interest of many wondering how Perkins can impart his stylings on a different genre.
The film follows a set of twin brothers Hal and Bill (both played by Christian Convery as children and Theo James as an adult) who discover an old drummer monkey toy in their father's closet. After messing around with it they begin to witness a series of sporadically gruesome deaths. Believing the titular toy to be the reason for these tragedies they decide to get rid of it and go their separate ways in life. Now, 25 years later the object resurfaces, setting in motion another string of bizarre deaths that brings the brothers back together again to put a stop to the monkey once and for all.
From the get go it is abundantly clear that the film is acting as some form of therapy for Osgood Perkins. It is all about parental relationships and the trauma that is passed down from the failings within them as Bill and Hal's father is absent and their mother doesn't fully know how to cope with this. As their mother Lois, Tatiana Maslany displays this brilliantly throughout but there is one scene in particular where she talks about death with her sons after a funeral that stands out. She is distant and awkwardly talks about how we all die in a manner that is blunt, comedic and with a touch of tragedy that is a testament to her performance and in a way it is a summation of what the film is going for.
Throughout the film the titular cursed object not only sets in motion the chaotic deaths on display but symbolises the generational trauma inherited from fractured parental relationships and how inescapable they are. In the film Hal distances himself not just from the object but his son Petey (Colin O'Brien) in a similar manner as his father and in doing so you can see the parallels between Petey and Hal when he was a child. Amidst the blood and guts that surround the film, these elements could get lost but the script and Perkins touch do enough to make them tie well to the absurdist scope of the film.
What stands out most in the film is the sardonic tone that pervades throughout. Death comes decided by the turn of a key with the monkey and when it arrives it is far from straightforward. Bodies explode, heads roll and even animals attack in a blunt yet darkly comic way that will have you howling with laughter as the cavalcade of violence goes beyond what you would see in any 'Final Destination' film. Although these moments at times detract from the central theme of parenthood and any real sense of story, they never really become tired, in fact they are nothing short of crowd pleasing for those who are fans of slapstick splatter. On top of this the hairstyles, costumes and supporting performances are all heightened elements that Perkins navigates quite well in his exploration of comedy, horror and drama (even if the latter feels like an afterthought in these moments) in the film.
For fans of his more formal styling from his previous films, they won't feel let down with 'The Monkey' as that distinct, tableau style is woven into the design of a lot of the film's shots. The only difference here is that Perkins twists and distorts it in a manner that evokes a devilish glee from what would be an otherwise nasty film. With the likes of 'Longlegs' there was a cloak of dread draped around the film and whilst that sense of dread is still here through the sense of the inescapability of the monkey's curse it is done in a wry manner. The great example of this is how he incorporates King's voice through Hal's narration and some of the supporting characters (particularly Ricky who is played by Rohan Campbell).
'The Monkey' is a brilliantly absurd piece of work that shows off the disturbing comedic chops of Osgood Perkins to full bloody effect. Across the board both in front of and behind the camera, everyone is aligned with his absurdist vision helping to deliver not only a terrific adaptation of a Stephen King story but one of the best horror/comedies in recent years.
Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
-Joseph McElroy
'The Monkey' arrives is Irish/UK cinemas on February 21st