The Monkey (2025)
A Bloody Fun Monkey Business
Zombos’ Says: Will probably increase sales of those ugly little noise bangers for scary pranks. Or cause many to be thrown out, just in case. That popcorn bucket looks pretty awesome for collectors, too. This cheeky absurd horror is not a monkey’s uncle.
Osgood Perkins creates nasty little cinema-goodies that match the mental image you get just saying his name. That’s a good thing. He has a cheeky knack for horomedy that makes the kills in Final Destination look amateurish. So while we watch with our mouths open in shock (and mirth!), The Monkey does something one better: it brings a sense of Greek Theater to the story of two brothers, doomed if they do and doomed if they don’t. With help from Stephen King, of course; but, creating the visuals and dramedy elements (yeah, turn that key if you hate these labels), with a tongue-in-cheek glee for terminal eviscerations, does take skill (or a Looney Tunes’ serial killer’s mindset). His pacing is just right; that really creepy large mechanical monkey is perfectly frightening and threatening with its arm raising, drumstick twirling, suspense moving to bloody turmoil panache that does have a rat-tat-tat, glad it’s not me getting skewered, chopped or minced, beat to it.
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