Last Summer’s Longlegs proved to be divisive among viewers but was nevertheless successful at the box office, making writer and director Osgood Perkins a hot property in Hollywood. We didn’t have to wait long to see what he would do next, as less than a year later his next project has hit screens, the Stephen King adaptation The Monkey, which sees him abandoning the self-serious tone of his prior films in favor of a more offbeat and even somewhat slapstick comedy vibe. It actually sort of works, but the overall project feels too disjointed to really consider it a success.

Twin brothers Hal and Bill (Christian Convery as both) are being raised by their single mother Lois (Tatiana Maslany) after their father disappeared without a trace. One day they are going through some of his belongings when they come across a creepy toy monkey. Timid Hal wants to put it back in the box and leave it alone, but brash and cruel Bill insists on trying it out and so he turns the key on its back, causing its smile to widen, one of its arms to raise and spin the drumstick in its grasp, and then… nothing. Thinking it broken Bill casts it aside, but Hal nervously keeps observing it. Later, when it is out of sight, the arm finally comes down and the monkey plays its song, causing a horrible death to befall the person of its choosing. For no logical reason, Hal understands that the toy is to blame and after it happens a few more times, he convinces his brother to help him hide it where no one will find it.

25 years later, and the brothers (Theo James as both) rarely speak. Hal is living a life of isolation, only seeing his son Petey (Colin O’Brien) for one week a year, which is of course about to happen just as we meet him. Shortly after he picks him up, the monkey reappears, and strange deaths begin occurring. Bill reaches out to Hal and tells him to take care of it, which he is reluctant to do with his son in tow. Unfortunately, he finds himself with no choice and so sets about trying to find out who has the monkey and why they keep activating it.

The monkey itself is genuinely creepy, a fact that is well-utilized here. The only times the movie really generates any suspense is when the monkey begins its little routine and we are left wondering what will happen next and to whom. The deaths themselves are shockingly grisly, even ludicrously so, going well outside the realm of what is physically possible. In the way they utilize the environment to come across like “accidents”, they recall the Rube Goldberg-like kills of the Final Destination franchise. But where those movies would at least make a half-hearted attempt to feel plausible and leave the viewer frightened of ordinary, everyday objects, The Monkey makes no such attempt, sometimes veering into Looney Tunes territory.

It is sporadically funny in its outrageousness, and the characters’ stilted and detached dialogue garners a few chuckles as well, but Perkins seems unwilling to fully commit to the comedy angle, trying to force in an emotional subplot that never really feels earned. It’s all through no fault of the performers, with Convery and James especially doing excellent jobs at playing sets of twins with very distinct personalities. The movie looks great too, with a retro aesthetic that recalls the grimy 80s horror films that were once notorious for their over-the-top violence.

If you try not to think about it too much (and have a stomach for quick bursts of blood and guts) you can have a decent time with The Monkey. The well-paced plot and intriguingly offbeat world it creates are enough to keep most viewers from ever feeling bored. It just feels like Perkins should have made a more concrete decision about whether to play the material straight or for laughs, because the indecision prevents the finished film from being truly effective at either. That’s even more of a shame because at its core there is a really clever idea here that could have kicked off a new franchise. ★★½

rated r for strong bloody violent content, gore, language throughout, and some sexual references.

★★★★★ = Excellent | ★★★★ = Very Good | ★★★ = Good | ★★ = Fair | ★ = Poor

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