Splendidly deranged, ‘The Monkey’ is a pitch perfect horror-comedy

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Stop monkeying around!

Synopsis

The Monkey follows young twin brothers Bill and Hal Shelburn (Christian Convery), who happen upon their father’s toy wind-up monkey tucked away in the attic. Whenever the key on the monkey’s back is turned, it begins drumming, but there’s a catch. Once the monkey bangs its drum, somebody nearby randomly dies in an inexplicably violent way.

After a series of these tragic deaths, Bill and Hal get rid of the monkey and believe that’s the end of it, but it drives a wedge between their brotherhood over the next 25 years. Eventually, the monkey somehow returns, bringing constant, violent death back to their hometown. Bill (Theo James) sets out to destroy the monkey once and for all, but when death is life’s greatest inevitability, what exactly can be done?

My thoughts

The tagline on the poster for The Monkey reads, “Everybody dies.” If you think that’s a spoiler, it’s not. Not everybody in this movie dies; it’s just the main theme of the movie. As Tatiana Maslany’s character says to her sons at their babysitter’s funeral, “Everybody dies. Some of us go in our sleep, and some violently and painfully. But no matter what, it ends up coming for us all.” I’m paraphrasing, but you get the gist.

So, while everybody in The Monkey doesn’t die, many people certainly do. Brutally so and constantly, mostly without any rhyme or reason as to why it’s happening. Despite Tatiana Maslany saying in her hilarious monologue that some of us go peacefully, nobody goes peacefully in this movie. They may rest in peace, but also assuredly in pieces.

Monkey drum, monkey kill

The titular monkey doesn’t actually kill people, but it still acts as an arbiter of death, setting off a Final Destination-esque chain of events whenever it’s wound up. It plays into the randomness of death and how some apparently innocuous things we take for granted could actually lead to our doom. Nobody who dies in this movie really “deserves it”, so to speak, pretty much all of them just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Mind you, this is all played for laughs, with the gore dialed up to an almost cartoonish level. There are plenty of classic horror kills that the genre normally provides you, but some really gnarly and creative ones. No matter how the characters die, the practical effects are always magnificently disgusting, with CG effects used sparingly, yet effectively, to touch them up. I can’t think of one death that doesn’t elicit some sort of visceral reaction.

The tone is simply perfect, but that shouldn’t be surprising, as the tone has always been writer-director Osgood Perkins’ strong suit. What is surprising is that the tone here is far more comedic than his prior films, even if the comedy here is as pitch black as a hole in outer space. Perkins’ signature brand of dread and unease is still present, with plenty of creepy, atmospheric shots, but each time, they end with an uproariously bloody punchline.

I don’t think you could play this material 100% straight and have it work anyway, so Perkins deciding to go all in with making it comical was absolutely the right idea. He quickly lets the audience in on the joke, letting them know that what they’re about to see is not to be taken seriously. The characters may be horrified at what’s happening, but we audience members can’t wait for that monkey to start drumming again and bring on the carnage.

Monkey business

That doesn’t mean it’s all fun and games, as that’s really when the bloody stuff is happening. Perkins knows when it’s time to get serious and dial down the humor with a few genuinely heart-wrenching scenes. There is a real story about unresolved grief and trauma woven through all the blood, guts, and severed heads, exploring death from all points of view. Death is an incredibly scary thing that causes immense pain and suffering to those who survive, but a cosmic absurdity lingers beneath it all.

Like the rest of Perkins’ work, the plotting and dialogue are the weakest elements. I’m not familiar with Stephen King’s 1980 short story, which this was based on, so I couldn’t tell you where Perkins’ or King’s contributions end or begin. It does play like your typical Stephen King story, though, with a great idea, compelling characters, and interesting themes. However, once the horror needs to be explained and wrapped up at the end, it falters a bit.

It’s all about how you adapt it, though. The first act is the strongest, mainly because of Theo James’ narration as adult Bill, which gives the movie a humorously grim Christmas Story vibe. It’s after Bill and Hal grow up that the story loses its footing and thus the rip-roaring pace it was going at first. That campy, dark humor still crackles through, thanks to some clever joke writing, but the tension doesn’t quite match the excellently paced and structured first 30 minutes.

The rest of the movie is still quite fun, though. Theo James is a great lead, convincingly playing the dual role of twins Bill and Hal. Praise should also be given to Christian Convery for his portrayal during their younger years. James’ reactions to the carnage around him get funnier after each horrific scene, where at first he’s mortified, but by the end, his expression just says, “Eh, business as usual.” It’s a perfect reflection of somebody experiencing death so much that they eventually become numb to it.

Final verdict

The Monkey isn’t just Osgood Perkins’ overall best film to date, but his funniest work yet. The man has an impeccable talent for campy, dark comedy, so it makes one wonder why he never dabbled in it before. I guess material like The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Longlegs doesn’t really allow for comedy to rear its silly head. Still, a movie about a supernatural killer toy monkey sure allows for it. This felt like Perkins really coming into his own, so let’s hope he keeps the laughs coming, no matter how drenched in blood they become.

Horror fans love movies about blood, guts, and death, which The Monkey has in gratuitous amounts from beginning to end. It’s a pitch-perfect horror-comedy where if you have a penchant for twisted, blood-soaked, macabre laughs, you’ll have a rollicking good time. I’d avoid trailers for this one, but just know that if you’re in a theater that has people hooting and hollering during the first 10 minutes, you know you’re in the right place.