Hey everyone and welcome to a brand new review! This time around, we will be looking at the latest film from director, Osgood Perkins, whose last film, Longlegs, was quite the sensation last summer. While he has been working for a while, directing films such as The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, it was that Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage starring serial killer flick that really catapulted him to a whole new stratosphere in regards to popularity. Having checked it out for the first time recently, I can see why as it is an atmospheric, beautifully shot, and consistently unnerving feature with terrific performances that has his unique voice all over it. It also had a terrific marketing campaign that did the job in selling the feature. Thus, there was a great deal of anticipation for whatever his follow up to that film would be, which in this case is The Monkey. Based off of a short story by Stephen King and produced by James Wan (director of Saw, Insidious, etc.), it felt like this was a horror collaboration for the ages and it looked to be something very different from what Perkins did with Longlegs. So, did it live up to that pedigree? Let’s jump right in and see just how well this monkey beat its drum!
After a prologue that sets up the kind of film this is going to be, we follow twin boys, Hal and Bill, in the year, 1999, as they are raised by their single mother, Lois. To say that they don’t get along is an understatement with Bill constantly bullying Hal. One night, they are digging through their dad’s closet, finding various belongings of his until they stumble upon a wind up toy monkey. They wind up its key and through an unfortunate incident, find out that every time the Monkey plays its drum, someone will die a horrible death. After various incidents, they decide to bury the thing for good so it can’t harm anyone. Years later when Bill is grown up, he finds out that the Monkey has somehow returned and now must try and stop it before it causes anymore harm, with his young son, Petey, in tow.
I really do admire Perkins going from the incredibly dark and dreary Longlegs… to the incredibly dark, yet extremely comedic The Monkey. This is very much a dark comedy through and through and I felt Perkins nailed the tone. It is consistently demented, yet over the top throughout the runtime, but it honestly never got old for me as I found it to be very entertaining. This a film that is clearly set in an absurdist world where all of these wacky things happen, quirky dialogue is uttered and some truly horrendous stuff can occur, yet there is still a playfulness present that weirdly works and honestly does a really good job in capturing Stephen King’s writing as this is the sort of vibe I would get from some of the works I’ve read of his. This playfulness also applies to the various death scenes that occur which are a lot of fun to watch unfold as we see the different messed up, yet creative and over the top ways people meet their demises in this film.
However as silly as the movie is and it does acknowledge the inherent ridiculousness present in the premise, it also manages to work as an exploration of death and the scars that it leaves behind, scars that can last for a long time. It is very much honest and upfront about the cruelty of the world and how random death can be in a way I found compelling and gave the proceedings an extra bite that made things work beyond just seeing a bunch of wacky deaths unfold, Final Destination style. It also similarly to this year’s Wolf Man redo, tackles themes of generational trauma and how that guilt and curse can be passed down from one generation to the next in a way that can feel inevitable despite one’s best efforts to ignore it. I also found this aspect to be interesting and just added to the cynisim of the picture. I do think the film is a bit too chaotic for its own good tough with an uneven pace. There are some parts that felt a tad rushed and I do think the film could’ve benefitted from a couple minutes more. Still, the whole thing is never less than entertaining.
It helps that this is an insanely well crafted film that manages to impress on various craftsmanship levels. I for one love Nico Aguilar’s cinematography that is very much eye catching and gives off the vibe of an a wild old school horror film that one would’ve stumbled upon on VHS back in the day (mean that as a compliment). The colors stand out and there is some geuninely creepy imagery here and there. Also, like with Longlegs, I think the team behind here did a nice job of capturing that 90s feel in the earlier scenes set in that time while the later scenes have a feel of being more modern, but having some old school elements to them that I thought were interesting (some of the location designs, costumes, etc.).
The editing is also superb, as Greg Ng and Graham Fortin do a great job in transitioning from scene to scene in inventive ways that can often be eye catching, add to the comedy in a given scene and help in conveying what is going on. They especially excel in the death scenes where we get a solid build up (things being involved in the death being shown), a showcase of the Monkey’s drumming skills which is a bad omen, and then bang!, a demise occurs in a wacky fashion that is unexpected but well done in execution. Aiding these moments are the effects (whether practical or digital) which do a good job in bringing these often gory and brutal kills to life in a way that can make one squirm easily. Also thought Edo Van Breemer’s score did the job in adding to these sequences and the use of sound in general, most notably, the Monkey’s drum beat is quite unnerving, knowing something bad will happen.
One interesting coincidence that I’m noticing for films releasing this year such as Mickey 17, The Alto Knights, and Sinners is that they are starring vehicles where the lead actor is doing a dual performance. The Monkey falls into that same category with Theo James playing both Bill and Hal in the present tense storyline. He is more than up to the task here, giving a terrific dual performance that contains many nuances. He is able to play both of these very different personalities perfectly, capturing Bill’s awkwardness around others and Hal’s big a**whole energy as someone who uses that persona to hide a pretty weak and pathetic man who doesn’t really learn from his actions. Their dynamic is an interesting one and commentates on the complexity of sibling relationships and the many emotions that can be associated with them. Christian Convery does an equally impressive job conveying all of this as the younger versions of the two, perfectly setting up this dysfunctional, yet oddly compelling dynamic.
The supporting cast also does strong work, all understanding the kind of world they are in and making sure the characters fit right in on this wave length. The stand out for me was definitely Tatiana Maslany as Lois, who definitely loves her kids in her own strange way and is perhaps a bit too upfront about the realities of death. She is hilarious in her scenes and plays into the film’s vibe perfectly. Colin O’Brien is also quite good as Petey Jr., who is having trouble understanding his father and why he has left him for so long. Their relationship is nicely developed and taps into the themes of the fears of parents passing down their demons to their children, but letting that get in the way of being involved in their lives. I also really enjoyed Rohan Campbell’s (who fans of Halloween Ends would know as Corey Cunningham) appearance as local thrasher named Ricky, whose insertion into the plot is a little awkward, but is still welcome as he plays someone who isn’t exactly the brightest, yet wants the monkey for his own… unusual reasons. I even enjoyed some of the minor roles here and there that appear for only a scene or two, but they manage to leave an impact such as Tess Degenstein as an eccentric real estate agent named Barbara, Nicco Del Rio as the brutally honest rookie priest, and even Elijah Wood makes a brief, yet fun appearance as Hal’s ex wife’s new husband, Ted.
In the end, I ended up having a bloody good time with The Monkey and found it to be another winner from Osgood Perkins as a director. It is a bit uneven in places and could’ve benefitted from a slightly longer runtime, but it still manages to succeed thanks to its well written black comedy, some entertainingly gruesome deaths, an interesting way of handling its themes, a cool visual look, and some wonderful performances. It is definitely not going to be everyone’s cup of tea and for those expecting something like Longlegs, you will be very disappointed. But for those who are likely to be on its wavelength, this is a great time and a bonkers ride from beginning to end. Just from seeing two movies of his, Perkins is already one of those directors whom I look forward in seeing more of as I quite enjoy his sensibilities and like how he’s trying different things. Can’t wait to see what twisted tale he has cooking in his mind for next time as I am all for it!
Rating: A-
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