The Monkey: Stephen King’s Toy Primate Goes on a Murderous Rampage

THE MONKEY
Director: Osgood Perkins
Writer: Stephen King (screenwriter, Osgood Perkins)
Producer: James Wan, Dave Kaplan, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Chris Ferguson
Starring: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Christian Convery, Colin O’Brien
Genre: Horror
Running Time: 1h 38m
Age restriction: R (Language Throughout | Gore | Some Sexual References | Strong Violent Content)

Fans of the horror genre are in for a spoil with the nationwide release of The Monkey, a new film based on Stephen King’s short story. When twin brothers find a mysterious wind-up toy monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tear their family apart. Twenty-five years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree forcing the estranged brothers to confront the cursed toy. 

Here’s what you need to know about The Monkey

An eery take on childhood trauma

The Monkey revolves around a creepy old cymbal-clapping monkey toy that seems to bring death and misfortune wherever it goes.

The story follows twin brothers, Hal and Bill, who stumble upon their dad’s old, rusted wind-up monkey toy in the attic. The thing is seriously unsettling—it claps its cymbals together, and every time it does, someone dies in a mysterious and often gruesome way. Hal realises this isn’t just childhood imagination; the monkey is actually killing people. He gets rid of it, but years later, as an adult, he finds it again… and the cycle starts all over.

Stephen King wrote the horror story in the early 80s

Stephen King’s short story was first published in Gallery magazine in 1980 and later included in King’s 1985 short story collection Skeleton Crew. Like many of King’s best short stories, The Monkey is all about childhood trauma, fate, and the fear of things we can’t control. It taps into that eerie, primal terror of cursed objects, kind of like Christine (but with a toy instead of a killer car). While it’s not one of King’s most famous stories, it has a cult following among horror fans.

Director Osgood Perkins is setting a new standard in the horror film genre

This new horror release is being directed by Osgood Perkins (I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, Longlegs), so expect a slow-burn, eerie atmosphere. Plus, James Wan is producing, which means it’ll probably have some solid scares. If you’re into cursed objects, psychological horror, and Stephen King’s signature creepiness, this one might be worth checking out.

The film also got Stephen King’s stamp of approval. “You’ve never seen anything like THE MONKEY,” wrote the author on his Threads profile. “It’s batsh-t insane. As someone who has indulged in batsh-ttery from time to time, I say that with admiration.”

The film has opened strong in cinemas across the globe

While major mainstream films have underperformed at the box office over the last year, the more artsy horror offerings continue to perform surprisingly well.

The Monkey falls under the art-house category and earned a solid $14 million in the first three days of its release, and an additional $418,000 million from overseas markets. The estimated budget for the production was $10 million.

The film already raked in a steady 76% “fresh” Rotten Tomatoes score and great reviews from leading critics.