“The Monkey” Is Batshit Insane With A Fullhearted Endorsement
Jesse Welty | September 23, 2025
In sitting down to watch Osgood Perkins’ “The Monkey,” I went into it with two major worries: one being that I am far too skittish to be a big horror movie watcher, and the other being that my attention span is far too short to be a big movie watcher, period. Due to this lack of film-related connoisseurial experience, I am very easy to please. If something succeeds in maintaining my attention long enough to form any noteworthy opinion well-thought out enough to speak on, it was a good movie. There are not many bad movies in my book. Having said that, this was a bad movie. As Stephen King, the author of the short story this movie took its inspiration from, says, “It’s batshit insane…I say that with admiration.”
Set between 1999 and 2025, “The Monkey” follows two brothers, Bill and Hal, and their mental and physical battle with a killer toy monkey they found alongside the rest of their late father’s old possessions. Following them from childhood to adulthood, this circus monkey only sets its eye on a target for its horrific, randomly chosen murders once its key gets wound up. An act that, for some reason, people just can not seem to stop doing.
As to the earlier designation of this being a “bad movie,” in this case, that is not necessarily a bad label. However, it seems to awkwardly split itself down the middle with one half acknowledging this and knowingly poking fun at its own absurdity, and the other rapidly drowning in a sea of technical and budgetary issues while attempting to mask them with that same absurdity. For example, the slapstick entertainment they very heavily utilized throughout the film followed a ‘the gorier, the better’ mentality, which in the beginning produced a rather horrifying experience for anyone not well acquainted with just how realistic special-effects gore can be. However, as the movie progressed, it transitioned into a fairly ridiculous, over-the-top imitation of the graphic scares they gave their audience just 30 minutes prior. As the quality of these scenes declines, the tone shifts from taking itself more seriously (as seriously as it can) to something more reminiscent of the 2000 film, “Scary Movie.” An attempt to disguise this downturn as purposeful, I presume. While this movie is very funny, it becomes obvious when that humor is plagued with ulterior motives.
On my other note, as an avid horror movie avoider, I will hold my bladder until sunrise if it means I do not have to leave the safety of my bed in fear of Jennifer Kent’s “The Babadook” being tucked away somewhere dark and closeted. I felt maybe “The Monkey” would invoke a similar fear in me. As you can probably guess, it did not. The rather well-built suspense and tension throughout the movie were undercut by its slightly odd pacing, as well as the sudden switch from a reasonably sensible plotline to… a cunty killer fashion show? You’ll know the shift when you see it. The stillness introduced in the beginning called for a strong, eerie feeling, which was crafted well, save for some scenes that did not call for stillness, yet were made still regardless. A child getting harshly bullied, someone’s son breaking down at a funeral, these instances felt slightly awkward when dropped into what felt like the “calm before the storm.”
Something this film does do undoubtedly well, however, is creating an absolutely terrifying toy monkey. As the viewer, its bloodshot, crazed eyes will always be on you. You will feel like it is coming for you. The absolute horror this monkey invokes makes up for much of what this movie lacked. All in all, falling in line with my previous statement of being easy to please, this was an enjoyable movie. It did what it said it would. Expect nothing more, nothing less.