Well, call me a monkey‘s uncle, this movie was bananas. I won’t apologize for doing this at the top of every article.
The Monkey is the latest horror offering from acclaimed director Oz Perkins fresh off the lauded Long Legs. Where that film was taut and tensile, his latest is pure Maximalism.
It’s based on a short story by Stephen King about a windup toy monkey with the power to kill people in extravagant ways. Every time someone twists its pin, an outlandish murder follows in short order.
The movie kicks off with possibly the most unexpected cameo in the world and sets the stage for the biggest bloodbath I’ve seen on film.
We learn that twin brothers Hall and Bill are gifted the monkey by their absentee father. After an unfortunate incident at a Benihana reveals the monkey’s power to them, the brothers’ already terse relationship sours to the point of pure hatred.
25 years after these events, Hal and Bill, played by a pensive and explosive Theo James, find themselves once again at each other’s throats because of this cursed toy primate.
Hal and his mostly-estranged son Petey have the week from hell together, as the monkey disembowels everyone they meet. An urgent call from Bill sends them in search of whoever is behind these grizzly murders.
I was lucky enough to sit down with the film’s star and director to talk about the love, tenderness and friendship emanating from every frame of this film.
