The Monkey
Directed by Osgood Perkins
Written by Osgood Perkins (written for the screen) and Stephen King (short story)
Starring Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Christian Convery and Colin O’Brien
Runtime 1 hour and 38 minutes
MPAA Rating R
In theaters February 21

by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport and Editor in Chief

“Turn the key and see what happens…”

Families keep ridiculous secrets.

As I have previously disclosed, I was raised by wolves. My pack has been known to have a few humdingers in the closet over the years. Has your family ever hid a baby before? Well, mine has. There was also that time my mother purchased an entire new home, put our old house for sale and didn’t mention one lick of the plans to my father until it was time for him to relocate. I can still picture the memorable night when he called our new home, asked what we were having for dinner and if mom was going to bring him a plate over. My mom took the phone and replied: “We eat dinner here now.” and proceeded to hang up. We may have kept babies and houses under wraps, but one thing is certain though, my family does not have (as far as I know) a cursed drum beating murder monkey toy heirloom. However, Osgood Perkins latest film endeavor does.

Loosely based on a Stephen King short story The Monkey, twin brothers Bill and Hal (Christian Convery plays a dual role) uncover a wind-up monkey toy while going through a a closet of their father’s belongings in 1999. Their mother, Lois (Tatiana Maslany) describes their dad’s exit as, “He made like an egg and scrambled…”. Beyond this, the boys do not know much about their other parental figure other than by digging through the artifacts he left behind from his travels as an airline pilot. When they discover the hat box inscribed with the words “Organ Grinder Monkey” that is “like life,” they have no idea what they are about to unleash, when they remove this relic from its elegant satin lined chamber and turn the key in the small of its back. With each new rotation, a friend or family member closest to them bites the dust in some of the most outlandish ways ever put to celluloid. The duo rid themselves of the curse when they throw it down a well. Twenty-five years later the monkey re-emerges and sets back out on a murder spree, forcing the estranged brothers (Theo James plays a dual role) to reconnect and vanquish it from existence.

I am not one to watch trailers, as they can create preconceived notions for me before I even sit down to watch the movie. If I am interested in a picture, I prefer to go in cold, knowing as little as possible. Prior to watching The Monkey, I happened to catch one trailer when I attended a screening of Presence. Even after seeing the trailer, I was not prepared to cackle as much as I did for a film that features so much dang blood. It is best to forget everything you know about Osgood when entering the cinema to witness The Monkey, as it is unlike anything he has helmed previously. From the unique (sometimes bizarre) characters, to the dialogue, to the kills, it is clear that Perkins and the gang had a lot of fun while making this flick. The dark, comedic tone makes The Monkey such a delightful theatrical experience. While watching, I could not help but anticipate the next slaughter, as it seemed each new kill attempted to best the previous one.

Even with differences in style and tone from his other work, I could see some similarity in regard to the subtle nods to Perkins’ childhood and experience of being kept in the dark. Much like in my Longlegs review, I touch on the story’s themes of showcasing how fabrications or the act of withholding information can be cause for a person’s misery or destruction. This is especially true within families and the secrets they choose to keep. Anthony Perkins (Osgood’s father), was forced to remain in the closet and silent about his sexuality due to pressures from the studio he was employed with. This type of required sham existence is not only demeaning to the individual, but takes a toll on those closest to them. With Longlegs and The Monkey, I suspect that Osgood is attempting to not only work through some of his trauma, but to share how much a tall tale can grow legs. In this example the withholding of the truth can lead to fatal consequences. With Longlegs, Perkins took a more serious approach whereas The Monkey is somewhat lighter fare, even with all of the gore.

As The Monkey’s film poster says, “everybody dies” and well, I have to say that this is indeed a fact. However it is highly unlikely that we will meet a blood-soaked, demise compliments of a wind-up monkey toy.

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