By Sophia Albertie
Have you ever heard of a movie that’s so bad it’s good? If you have, get ready for a movie that’s just bad.
“The Monkey,” released in 2025 and directed by Oz Perkins, is a horror/comedy that spans a short-but-sweet one hour and 38 minute runtime. Over this length, viewers are put into the story of estranged twin brothers, Hal and Bill (both played by Theo James), as they tackle a cursed toy monkey who seems to act as a hand of fate, killing whoever it pleases with one foul swoop of the paw. Will the wretched childs play prevail, or will the bond of these two brothers save their world?
Perkins is perhaps best known for his 2024 horror film “Longlegs,” which became the highest grossing independent film of that year, reaching 126 million worldwide on a budget of less than 10 million.
Now, Perkins has taken on the ambitious role of bringing one of Stephen King’s short stories to life in this tongue-in-cheek bloodbath about life and loss. Based on the concept alone, it should’ve worked.
Unfortunately, the trailer for the movie provided more shock value than any of the scenes. With a predictable, unimaginative script and backstory given to our main characters, it’s impossible to not be left with questions concerning major plot holes in the story.
For example, a sibling rivalry is established very early on in the film between the twins, and it seems to come out of nowhere and stay prominent for no reason.
When harboring a demonic toy monkey that is capable of killing anyone it wants, one must ask themselves: Is any other small inconvenience really that serious?
And yes, the kills are imaginative, but if it’s hard to care about the characters or even the central conflict A good slasher moment isn’t even enough to keep this flick afloat. The slashing itself was mediocre at best, considering the crazy marketing done for this film months before release. Even the most “sick and twisted” parts lacked confidence.
Perkins’ attempts at campy comedy also fall flat when sandwiched between his vapid backdrop of gore, setting up one-liners so cheesy that they don’t even belong in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This combination makes for an unsatisfying ending, which might be unintentionally on theme — since the whole movie is about swift and unexpected death.
The Monkey gets a 1.5/5, and all stars come from the potential it could’ve had if Perkins wrote and directed it more seriously like he did with “Longlegs” or “The Black Coat’s Daughter.” Don’t waste your time with this movie.
