The Monkey (2025)★ 6.0/10

By blending teen horror with grotesque, imaginative deaths, the film creates a unique mix of childlike fantasy and blood-soaked spectacle. Everything—from the narrative to the visual style and the elaborate death scenes—leans more toward a surreal children’s nightmare rather than the grounded realism of "Final Destination." That said, the execution is rough, and the story lacks coherence between its different sections.

The plot lacks logic, with too many characters forced into contrived deaths, making it feel like a low-intelligence imitation of "Final Destination." The storyline is baffling, yet the creativity in the death sequences is undeniable. Strangely, the protagonist shows little to no reaction when witnessing others die, which feels oddly detached.

Director Osgood Perkins’ personal history—having lost his mother in the 9/11 attacks—likely influenced the film’s underlying themes. The toy monkey becomes a symbol of life's unpredictable tragedies, a force that arbitrarily determines who lives and dies, much like real-world catastrophes. This deeply personal subtext adds emotional weight to the horror elements, prompting viewers to reflect on mortality even as they experience the film’s eerie tension.

Though it centers on a cursed toy monkey that heralds death, the film ultimately serves as a reflection on life's fragility and the inherent cruelty of existence. The recurring line "Everybody dies, and that’s life" encapsulates its bleak philosophy. However, while the film touches on themes of trauma, grief, and familial bonds, it never delves deeply enough to achieve real emotional resonance, leaving its narrative feeling somewhat superficial.

The film wastes no time with lengthy exposition, instead launching straight into blood-soaked chaos and Adam Scott’s character descending into madness at the hands of the sinister toy monkey. This immediate, in-your-face approach grips the audience from the start, setting a darkly comedic tone. The director continuously finds new and creative ways to stage each character’s demise, crafting a blend of absurdity and terror.

Some elements of the film lack sufficient explanation—how does the toy monkey possess such immense evil power? What triggers its repeated appearances? The film leaves these questions unanswered, creating gaps in logic that may frustrate viewers. Additionally, it relies heavily on grotesque and violent imagery to generate fear, sometimes at the expense of narrative depth and coherence. As a result, certain plot points feel disjointed and underdeveloped.

Osgood Perkins has quickly become one of the most interesting and confident horror directors in the past year, with LONGLEGS last year. He already has another movie that just released, THE MONKEY. Don’t be fooled, these two are very different movies, the first was a creepy mystery, while the second is a very silly and gory horror comedy. Based on a short story by Stephen King and produced by James Wan, this is about an evil toy monkey that has the power to kill people in some wild ways. The great opening scene perfectly sets the tone. Christian Convery does a great job at playing teenage twins Hal and Bill. Hal is the nerdy main character while Bill is just a little sh**. They find the monkey in with their absent father’s old things, and things get crazy. The writing here is over the top, which might feel weird to some. There’s a great family dynamic here. Death has a sense of humour in this movie. From the first scene to the last, there are silly and creative deaths very much like the FINAL DESTINATION franchise, of which I haven’t seen any. The first half is better than the second, but I still had a lot of fun throughout. The toy monkey itself is proper creepy. When the director first read the script, he thought it was way too serious. I’m so happy he had the power to change it. He knew what this movie could become. As Stephen King himself said “the movie is bats*** insane”. This is the kind of movie that can be interpreted in many ways. Perkins’ parents both died in traumatic ways. He uses this movie to address the craziness and randomness of life. Death is inevitable. All we can do is laugh in the face of it, and THE MONKEY.

No la entendí del todo pero da miedo

O filme não se leva a sério, então se você não levar a sério também quando for assistir, vai fazer um favor a si mesmo e se divertir por quase uma hora e meia, depois vai esquece-lo pra sempre.

Estoy casi seguro que el director sabía cómo hacer la película, pero no necesariamente qué hacer. Tiene muy buenas ideas visuales y en lo general una estética atractiva, pero el tono es imposible. No pega una cosa con nada.

El humor nunca funciona, la voz en off es insoportable y las actuaciones fuera de registro completamente. Además, tiene unos diálogos espantosos y una arbitrariedad algo insultante incluso para un film sobrenatural que puede darse el lujo de jugar con sus reglas.

Lo único coherente es que tanto el prólogo como el epílogo son igualmente de insólitos y anticlimáticos.

Es una película interesante, con buenas muertes, pero al que su tono cómico no ayuda para nada.