The old saying goes that nothing in this world is certain except for death and taxes. With his latest film, The Monkey, filmmaker Osgood Perkins zeroes in on the former and takes a comedic approach to it. This might surprise some viewers, especially those who are only familiar with Perkins via his previous film, Longlegs. But those who have seen the rest of his filmography know that Perkins likes to try different things in the world of horror. Based on the Stephen King short story of the same name, The Monkey views the certainty that one day we will all die through a cheeky, hyperviolent lens, and allows Perkins to let loose a little. However, it seems that comedy is not his strongest suit, as the tone is a bit inconsistent. The specific balance of over-the-top goofiness and bloody horror manages to come through at times, but these two halves are at odds with each other quite often. The result is a mixed bag filled with gore, scattered laughter, and some of the most ridiculous kills in recent memory. It has some moments that come awfully close to the specific tone Perkins is going for, but it ends up feeling confused as to what kind of film it wants to be, causing it to fall just a tad short in the process.
While going through their estranged father’s things, twin brothers Hal and Bill Shelburn (Christian Convery) discover a drum-playing toy monkey in a closet. They soon find out that it is cursed, and that turning the key on its back causes someone to die in a horrific manner. The two brothers decide to get rid of the monkey by sealing it in a box and throwing it down a well. 25 years later, Hal (now played by Theo James) sets out on a road trip with his estranged son Petey (Colin O’Brien). While on this trip, he is informed that his Aunt Ida (Sarah Levy) has died in a freak accident, leading him to realize that the monkey has somehow escaped. As more people begin to die in extremely violent ways, Hal must confront the toy and put an end to its reign of terror once and for all.
I can’t help but appreciate Osgood Perkins for not resting on his laurels and for working with different styles under the horror umbrella. However, I’m not sure if he’s cut out for horror comedies. He definitely has the right ideas, and there are a handful of moments that got some laughs out of me, but the problem is that the film never seems to commit to the sillier tone it seems to be going for, and is undercut by its attempts to mine deeper meaning from its premise. The statement that Perkins ultimately makes with the film is that we should accept the fact that death is random and that we all will die one day. He attempts to highlight this with the film’s more serious moments, but this ends up just laying everything on thick. It also leads to the film having a bit of an identity crisis, as it can’t seem to fully decide whether it should be more campy or more grounded. If it leaned much more in one direction or the other, this may have helped the film out, but as it stands, it comes across pretty unevenly. Both sides of the film are fine when viewed individually, but they just don’t come together as well as they should.
It’s even more frustrating because the first section of the film actually strikes a good balance between comedy and horror. The opening scene sets a good tone, but it isn’t able to maintain it throughout the rest of the film. The first act is able to keep it going, but once Hal and Petey head out on their trip, it delves into themes of generational trauma that sink the film like a stone. I can see what Perkins is going for, but the moments that verge into more serious territory stick out like a sore thumb, and feel underdeveloped. The film wants us to feel for its characters, but I was never able to reach the emotional places that it wants its audience to reach. These moments could have used more nuance to fully work, but the film doesn’t seem well-suited for this. I can understand why Perkins might want to ground the film since most of it is so ridiculous, but the way he goes about it feels like too sharp of a contrast with the more extreme half of it, and causes the second and third acts to lose quite a bit of steam.
The comedic half of the film actually is pretty good for the most part. The kills alone are so over-the-top that I couldn’t help but laugh from the sheer absurdity of them. Beyond that, the first section of the film introduces a strange sense of humor that works rather well, but isn’t utilized to its fullest. It’s as if the film doesn’t commit to the bit as much as it should. I am all for a good, raucous horror comedy, and the first section of the film seems like that’s what we are going to get. But as the film goes on, it feels so conflicted in what kind of film it wants to be that it undercuts the wilder parts of it. It’s as if the film is at odds with itself, and lessens the impact the film could have had significantly. I will say that the moments where it fully embraces its goofier side are its strongest, and I wish there was a little more of that energy throughout the rest of the film.
The film at least has a decent cast, mostly made up of actors popping in for a scene or two before either disappearing or being killed off. Adam Scott, Tatiana Maslany, Sarah Levy, and Osgood Perkins himself are all pretty good, although their screen time is limited in the grand scope of the film. Perhaps the best of these one-scene performances comes from Elijah Wood, who plays Ted Hammerman, a successful author of parenting books and the new husband of Hal’s ex-wife. Wood gives the film a good shot in the arm and is hilarious all throughout his scene. He nails the smarmy, self-importance of his character so well, and I was surprised that the film doesn’t do more with him. The film’s main focus is Theo James as Hal, but he also portrays his twin brother, Bill. These dual roles give him the opportunity to stretch himself a little as an actor, but James takes a more internalized approach to them. Hal is more detached and quiet, while Bill is cocky and erratic. James does a good job of differentiating the two, mainly through small details. That said, he’s not giving an overly impressive performance with either character, but he’s still doing some good work here.
The Monkey has glimpses of the film it could have been, but it gets weighed down by its attempts at sincerity and deeper commentary. The fact of the matter is that this is a film about a cursed toy monkey that kills people in the most violent, cartoonish ways. When it remembers that, the film is pretty fun. When it tries to ground itself and focus on passing down trauma or bring up attitudes on death, it becomes rather dull. It would be one thing if the ideas that it touches on had any weight or nuance to them, but they just feel weak and don’t add all that much to the film. For a film that has been marketed as a bonkers horror film with tons of blood and gore, it doesn’t feel as outrageous as it claims to be. The kills are admittedly wild and gruesome, and there are some funny moments, but the film’s tone can’t seem to strike the right balance, and the film as a whole suffers as a result. I can’t see this one winning over people who aren’t fans of Perkins’s other films, and those who do enjoy his work might be a little let down. There may be some good moments scattered throughout, but the film as a whole feels inconsistent, and is a tad underwhelming overall.
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