After his truly nerve-wracking, spellbindingly scary "Longlegs," I couldn't wait to see director Osgood Perkins' next picture. "The Monkey" is his grisly adaptation of a Stephen King short story from King's own "Skeleton Crew" and it is a very funny horror comedy done just right in terms of tone and style. It has the atmosphere of a blood-curling page turner that you feel you should not be reading yet you can't wait to tell others about it. Think "Creepshow" and then think "Tales from the Darkside" and you will get a good feel for what you are in store for.
Two twin brothers, Hal and Bill (Christian Convery in a dual role), live with their honest-to-the-bone mom (a fantastic turn by Tatiana Maslany). Bill is bullish and the other brother, Hal, is quiet and a bit of a nerd. He is consistently bullied by other students whether it is having bananas thrown at him or being forced to take off his pants ("Who wears the pants in your family?"). After digging through their deadbeat father's belongings (he deserted his kids for reasons that become clearer at the end of the film), they find an old-fashioned, creepy organ grinder monkey with a drum set. You have to turn the key to making the monkey active, which it begins by flashing a smile and then it starts to beat its drum. Only problem is that the monkey can make people die when it beats its drum. The one who turns the key doesn't die yet random people will in elaborate, freak accidents that are too absurd to believe. The twins' babysitter's head is decapitated all on its own at a Japanese restaurant. The twins' mother dies abruptly from an unusual aneurysm that only affects one in 44 million or some absurd statistic. Death follows them until they decide to throw the monkey doll down a well.
25 years pass by and Hal (played by Theo James, once again, a dual role) works in some convenience store, and has a son Petey (Colin O'Brien) whom he only sees for one week a year. Before long, after taking Petey on a road trip, freak accidents begin yet again. Hal and Bill's stepmother dies in a freak accident involving her stove and plunging her head into a real estate sign! That definitely has to hurt. It turns out that the monkey is active again and somebody has turned the key, but who?
"The Monkey" is freshly funny and engaging from start to finish. Do not be alarmed - there are some wild gory scenes here but they are short and bloody sweet. There is a tongue-in-cheek attitude to the gruesome kills that are of the Rube Goldberg variety (some say "Final Destination") - you may wince while watching but you won't be fleeing the theater. Director Osgood Perkins sets up the story by beautifully dramatizing this menacing, threatening looking monkey - I would not want something like that in my house, no thanks. The way the monkey twirls its drum with its right paw before banging its drum is unnerving and will scare the pants out of you! With invigorating performances by Christian Convery and Theo James (both playing twins seamlessly), not to mention Tatiana Maslany as the sardonic mother who believes in dancing with her boys after a funeral and Osgood Perkins himself as a stepfather with heavy sideburns, "The Monkey" is a macabre, pulse-pounding delight that will leave you in stitches. It would suck if you miss this one.
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