REVIEW: The Monkey

Writer/director Oz Perkins is on a roll with his second horror film in two years. Last year we got Longlegs, and this year we got The Monkey. There's been some divisiveness surrounding The Monkey since its release and I can understand why. Was this supposed to be an adventure comedy, a coming-of-age movie, a possessed doll film, or even a slapstick comedy? Perkins himself probably doesn't even know. But I digress...

The Monkey is an adaptation of one of many Stephen King novels about a possessed toy monkey mysteriously killing those around it. The toy monkey just needs someone to turn the key in its back. Who better than twin brother's Hal and Bill to do the deed? After the twins discover the toy monkey amongst their (deceased?) father's items, they witness bizarre, untimely deaths. At first the deaths seem unconnected. But after Hal turns the key wishing death upon his bully of a brother, the boys' mother dies instead from a rare aneurism. Following the tragic death, Bill and Hal throw the monkey down a well in hopes of ending the terror. Their attempt seems successful for a time, both growing up and moving on with life. But when sudden deaths start popping up in town, an older Hal begins to question if the monkey has returned.

There are some aspects I like about this film mainly involving the stylish direction. The early portion of The Monkey has a fun narration with a voiceover of Hal. He introduces us to the world and characters, gives us a sense of his relationship with his family, and explains how the monkey entered their lives. This definitely gave a Stand by Me feel with a dash of horror. I kinda digged it. Act one and two are generally strong. Oz went much heavier on the humor than in Longlegs, which boded surprisingly well here. Laughs filled the theater frequently. Heck, most of the laughs were derived from the many outlandish ways characters got offed. It felt like a wacky episode of 1,000 Ways to Die. And again, this mostly worked.

I started to lose some interest though when we transitioned into the final act. The writing gets a bit sloppy, and character motives and decisions are inconsistent and not explained well or justified. For example, Bill turns into a weirdo cartoon character with a vengeance against his brother. He blames Hal for their mother's death and has been waiting for the monkey to return, so that he may retaliate. Sure, Bill's reasons for vengeance make some sense, but it's hard to take seriously. Eventually Hal and Bill square off with the former coming out alive. We come to find the monkey has been wound up too many times by Bill, and death soon consumes the town. Everybody dies. Hal is left with his son Petey in the end, both uncertain of what's to come.

The message of The Monkey is clear: life is unfair. Some kids lose parents to death, and others don't. Some kids grow up without a father figure, and others don't. And some people die tragically, their lives cut short, and others don't. There's seemingly no rhyme or reason as to why these terrible things happen, so it's best to enjoy each moment you've got, while you've got it. It's a nice message, really. I just wish the film could pick a theme/narrative style and stick with it.

What'd you think of The Monkey?

3/5