“THE MONKEY” (2025, 98 min., directed by Osgood Perkins)
Oz Perkins burst onto the mainstream cinema scene with “Longlegs,” the horror sensation of 2024. Seven months later, the writer-director is back with another bombastically bloody trip: “The Monkey,” adapted from the 1980 Stephen King short story of the same name.
The film follows a pair of identical twin brothers – played in their younger iteration by Christian Convery and as adults by Theo James – who inherit a creepy, wind-up monkey from their father. Unbeknownst to them, winding the key on the monkey’s back causes the toy to trigger a “Final Destination” style death for a person of its choosing. After enduring several bizarre family tragedies via this method, the brothers realize that there may be monkey business afoot.
Unfortunately, attempting to destroy the monkey is futile: it will magically reappear, unharmed and unscathed.
In this way, Perkins’ rapid return to the silver screen resembles his latest’s titular toy. For audiences underwhelmed by “Longlegs,” be warned: “The Monkey” is more of the same. Perkins has returned in full force, doubling down on his singular directorial style: lots of interior beige and scarlet, a profusion of mid-century, center-framed Americana memorabilia and loads of horrific, creative gore.
On the other hand, for fans of Perkins’ vision, there is much to admire about “The Monkey.” I count myself among them.
The particularly genius stroke of the film is pairing Perkins’ aesthetic with King’s anachronistic style. Much of King’s early success came in the 1970s and 80s, and his characters speak and act in alignment with that time. More recent King novels may feature new horrors and modern technology, but the characters still sound like they did 50 years prior. “The Monkey” adopts a similar approach. While the film begins in 1999 before jumping forward to 2024, despite the occasional smart phone appearance or 90s wardrobe choice, the film is set-dressed in 70s trimmings.
Much like “Longlegs,” watching “The Monkey” is like cracking open a yellowed paperback in the dim recesses of a thrift store. The signature Perkins twist is that his pulpy paperbacks are peppered with outrageous, gnarly kills. That’s not to say every Perkins film is the same old thing. “Longlegs” caked its horror in domestic dread and antique unease.
“The Monkey” is simply hilarious.
The film’s sense of humor wouldn’t work at all if not for the actors tackling it. James is operating at high levels of camp hilarity in his dual role as Hal and Bill Shelburn. He brings a devilish glimmer to the part, like the evil glint in the flat black eyes of the monkey itself. He is supported by a caustic, embittered Tatiana Maslany as the boys’ mother, an antic, amusing Adam Scott as their dad and an exasperated Colin O’Brien as Bill’s son, Petey. Convery is quite good as the younger version of Hal – less so as Bill. At the risk of spoiling one of the best parts of the movie, Elijah Wood also makes a memorable cameo.
Then there’s the bananas gore.
“The Monkey” is not for the faint of heart or the squeamish. It is rated R with a capital. But, for anyone sporting a sick sense of humor, the film has kills that will crack you up. A man is torn apart by bees. A baby carriage is set on fire. A Chekhov’s bowling ball squishes a head.
The drum-playing, ever-grinning monkey presides over it all. Trust me. Give this monkey a twist of the key.
Rating: 4/5
“THE GORGE” (2025, 127 min., directed by Scott Derrickson)
Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller star in what might wind up the best video game movie of 2025, even if, shockingly, “The Gorge” isn’t a video game movie.
If that sounds disparaging, it isn’t meant to be. Not entirely, at least.
While it makes for a dumb, messy movie, “The Gorge” plays very well as a send-up of first-person shooters and horror survival games. It’s laden with digital special effects and moves from scene to scene like levels in a game. The mutant zombies at the bottom of The Gorge in “The Gorge” are highly evocative of other games-made-cinematic, like “The Last of Us” and “Resident Evil.”
Heck, there’s even a final boss.
Regardless of director Scott Derrickson’s intent, to get to the bottom of “The Gorge” is like watching a talented friend play through a rollicking horror-romance video game.
Fortunately, that turns out to be a lot of fun.
“The Gorge” has a goofy premise but a winning execution. Two emo soldiers – Teller and Taylor-Joy – are stationed at opposite ends of a mysterious abyss and forbidden to make contact with the other. Said sad soldiers wind up falling in love long-distance – it’s a wide gorge – while fending off creatures crawling up to the world above. Eventually, an in-person tryst leads to a quick descent down into the mist, and the rest of the film is Teller and Taylor-Joy vs. terrifying skull spiders and mutant WWII veterans.
Taylor-Joy and Teller are tremendous in this exercise, bringing serious charm and chemistry to their very silly parts. The romance that unfolds between them is just enough to keep the plot on track. The film, written by “The Tomorrow War” scribe Zach Dean, is a funny balance of sharp in the small and moronic in the massive.
Tiny details Dean includes are well-observed. A favorite of mine was Teller’s character growing quite smelly by the time he made it to Taylor-Joy’s side of the trench, just as anyone might be crawling hand-over-foot along a zipline. The stars: they’re just like us.
The broader plot eventually buckles under its own weight. It turns out it’s much less interesting explaining a gateway to Hell than exploring it. The third act is especially egregious, and the final moments of the film lack nuance and the necessary closure.
Then again, so does a GAME OVER screen. In the parlance of its biggest influences, “The Gorge” may not be Game of the Year, but it’s worth playing at least once.
Rating: 3/5