A disturbing pattern is repeating itself in The Monkey, Osgood Perkins’ macabrely funny adaptation of Stephen King’s short story from 1980, about a malevolent organ grinder toy monkey. The writer/director of Longlegs perfectly captures the pitch-black humour of the prolific author in a layered film about boyhood, fatherhood and the inevitability of death. The time setting is transposed from the 1980s, beginning in 1999, with 2016 as a pivotal point (the year of the monkey and when Donald Trump was first voted in as president) and up to the modern day.
It’s told from the point of view of Hal, played by Theo James in an impressive dual performance as he also takes on the role of his twin brother Bill. The former is deeply sensitive and anxiety-ridden while Bill is an aggressive bully. From the outset, a gory and humorous tone is set with complex Final Destination-style kills. Just like the boys in Stand By Me, the brothers come face to face with death at a young age, the trauma bleeding into their formative years, and rearing its head later on in life in damaging ways. The monkey, a wicked little emblem of violence and destruction, just won’t leave them in peace.
Hal has grown into a father who only sees his son Petey (Colin O’ Brien) once a year out of fear that the monkey will kill him, and Bill is an obsessed loner who begins to worship the power of the toothy-grinned toy. They are estranged but a father-son road trip following the death of their Aunt Ida (Sarah Levy) who took them in with her husband (Osgood Perkins with Elvis mutton chops) after their mother (Tatiana Maslany) died of a brain embolism brings the two back together. Elijah Wood turns up as a rich and successful stepfather figure to Petey and Adam Scott (Severance) appears as the absent father to Bill and Hal who disappeared without a trace when they were young.
Perkins has crafted a gleefully twisted comedy-horror film with real bite and a 1960s aesthetic that pays loving tribute to King’s body of work and nods to the rebellious spirit of that period of time. It’s a blood-and-guts work of art with a personal edge that acknowledges how close the world is to apocalyptic calamity. On its surface, it examines the lessons that are passed on to young men by asking if the brothers are destined to repeat the mistakes of their father. It’s a film that looks to the past in concern for what will happen in the future and to the next generation.
The Monkey will be released in cinemas on 21 February