The Monkey (2025) Movie Review: Stephen King’s Creepy Toy Comes to Life (Again) — With Blood, Bananas, and Bizarre Laughs

In 2025, horror has gone bananas—literally. The Monkey, based on a chilling short story by Stephen King, lands on the big screen with a cymbal-clapping curse, buckets of gore, and surprisingly, a few laugh-out-loud moments. It’s absurd. It’s unsettling. And it’s one of the weirdest horror comedies you’ll see this year.

Directed by Osgood Perkins, the son of Psycho legend Anthony Perkins, this adaptation of King’s 1980 short story isn’t your average haunted doll movie. It’s more like Final Destination meets Annabelle, filtered through a dark indie lens and served with a side of trauma. Oh, and did we mention the monkey literally drums people to death?

Let’s dive into the twisted circus of cymbals and screams.

What’s The Monkey About?

At the center of this unhinged story is—yes—a cursed wind-up toy monkey. You know the one: glassy eyes, metallic grin, tiny cymbals that clap together like it’s calling for someone’s doom. Whenever the monkey plays, someone close to its owner dies. And not gently, either.

We start with a flashback: two twin brothers, Hal and Bill Shelburne, discover the toy in their attic. Their babysitter promptly dies in a grotesque accident, and the weird events keep piling up. Fast forward to adulthood—Hal (played by Theo James) is now a struggling single father when the toy re-emerges. His kids start finding dead animals, bizarre accidents follow, and it becomes painfully clear: the monkey wants more victims.

To stop the bloodshed, Hal and his estranged brother Bill reunite and attempt to put an end to the monkey’s murderous streak once and for all.

Spoiler alert: things do not go smoothly.

Cast & Performances: Twinning Trauma

Theo James (yes, from The White Lotus and Divergent) gives a solid performance as Hal, a man caught between fatherhood, grief, and utter monkey-induced madness. He also plays Bill in some scenes, using a mix of subtle body language and distinct tones.

Christian Convery, who plays the younger version of the twins, is surprisingly compelling. His innocence adds a heartbreaking contrast to the violence.

Tatiana Maslany (from Orphan Black) is magnetic as their mother Lois. She gives the role grit and vulnerability, even if she disappears a bit too soon from the plot.

Oh, and the monkey itself? It might be the best performance in the film. Equal parts creepy, campy, and somehow hilarious, it steals every scene with a lifeless stare and those damn cymbals.

Death By Cymbals: The Horror Element

Let’s be real: the plot may sound goofy, but The Monkey doesn’t hold back on the horror. From freak accidents involving arrows, fire, or blunt-force trauma, the deaths are creative, intense, and very R-rated. If you’re into Final Destination-style chain-reaction carnage, this will be your jam.

But unlike typical slasher films, there’s an underlying sense of sadness. The deaths feel personal, tied into the characters’ trauma, making the film surprisingly emotional. It’s not just violence for shock value—it’s violence with history, metaphor, and some deeply buried psychological wounds.

That said, if you're squeamish or hate monkeys (especially the toy kind), brace yourself.

Comedy in Carnage?

Here’s where the movie gets weird—in a good way.

Despite the grim premise, The Monkey leans into dark comedy. The absurdity of a deadly toy monkey is not played 100% straight, and thank goodness for that. Perkins wisely injects humor through character banter, visual gags, and sheer over-the-top moments.

A toy monkey summoning death with a drum solo? It’s terrifying and hilarious at the same time.

That’s the brilliance here: the film balances campy absurdity with real emotional weight. You’re laughing at the monkey’s theatrics one minute and tearing up at Hal’s trauma the next.

Not an easy feat.

Direction & Cinematic Style

Osgood Perkins brings his signature slow-burn, moody style to the film, blending old-school horror atmosphere with modern flair. The cinematography is clean and crisp, leaning into shadows, flickering lights, and old attic vibes.

The score is unsettling and minimal—except, of course, when the monkey starts banging those cymbals. Then all bets are off.

Perkins also makes good use of silence, letting the tension simmer instead of bombarding you with constant jump scares. It's horror that breathes, even if it sometimes stumbles in pacing.

Themes & Symbolism: Trauma, Twins, and Toys

Beyond the gore and monkey antics, the film tackles deep themes:

• Childhood trauma: The monkey represents unresolved trauma from Hal and Bill’s childhood. Every death is a reminder of the emotional scars they carry.
• Family estrangement: The brothers’ fractured relationship is central to the story. Watching them reconnect (while dodging death) adds depth to the otherwise chaotic plot.
• Grief and guilt: Hal’s guilt over his father’s absence, his mother’s death, and his own failures as a parent drive much of the narrative.

It’s a movie that asks: what if your trauma came back to life in the form of a toy monkey? And how do you kill something that lives in your memory?

Weak Spots? Yeah, A Few.

Let’s not pretend it’s flawless.

• The pacing drags in the second act. Some scenes could’ve been trimmed.
• Certain characters (especially adult Bill) feel underdeveloped.
• It occasionally leans too far into absurdity without enough payoff.
• And if you’re expecting a traditional horror flick, this might feel tonally confusing.

Still, the uniqueness of the concept and execution outweighs the flaws for most viewers.

Final Verdict: Should You Watch The Monkey?

If you’re into:

• ✅ Weird horror concepts
• ✅ Psychological layers beneath the blood
• ✅ Toy-based mayhem
• ✅ Stephen King adaptations that don’t play it safe

...then The Monkey is 100% worth your time.

It’s part B-horror, part indie drama, and part emotional exorcism—with cymbals. It's not the scariest film you’ll see this year, but it just might be the most original.

⭐ Final Rating: 7.5/10

• Story: 7
• Performances: 8
• Scares: 6.5
• Creativity/Originality: 9
• Emotional Depth: 7.5
• Overall Vibe: 7.5

Final Thoughts

The Monkey is the kind of film that sneaks up on you. You come for the monkey (because, duh), but you stay for the character drama and unexpected emotion. Sure, it’s a bit messy, but so is life—and sometimes it takes a cursed toy from the attic to teach us that.

If you ever find an old wind-up monkey toy in your house… don’t wind it up. Just don’t.