Sean Parker
Somewhere between the beginning of your life and inevitable death, there’s chaos. Sometimes prosperous, but often not, mischief and difficulties are bound to rear their ugly little heads when you least expect them and, on occasion, to a devastating degree. So what do we call an entity of entropy so provocative it only leads to the inevitable? In the Final Destination franchise, the writers called it “Death’s design,” but in reality, the term “Chaos Monkey” has been thrown around. If you survive a visit from a chaos monkey, you’ll have a great story to tell, which is indeed what Longlegs director Osgood Perkins and master of horror Stephen King have in store with their new film The Monkey.
If you’re a fan of Perkins’ Longlegs and are looking for the same kind of elevated, methodical thriller, you won’t find it in The Monkey. Filled with dark humor, The Monkey is the kind of depraved ‘80s horror film that genre fans will put on a pedestal with Evil Dead 2 or Dead Alive. Featuring gory eviscerations, explosions, and beheadings, it’s exactly what you’ve been waiting for: a balls-to-the-wall, blood-soaked blast of twisted laughs. The Monkey is a whirlwind of mayhem and death antics that helps remind us to fill our short time with family, laughter, and dancing whenever we have the chance.
With a cold open that plays a little like a reverse Gremlins, Perkins introduces us to the titular Monkey, a large wind-up toy (don’t call it that) that beats a drum and calls death in such a way it evokes reference to the board game Mouse Trap. Attempting to unload the curio at a local pawn shop, a cameo surprise unveils the curse he unintentionally bought for his young twin sons Hal and Bill (Sweet Tooth’s Christian Convery in dual roles) during his travels as a commercial pilot. Years later, the boys are left to wonder why their father ran out on them and never returned, leaving a wealth of curios as their inheritance that their mother Lois (Orphan Black’s Tatiana Maslany) would like the hell out of her closet. That’s when the fun for the viewer begins, as Hal and Bill’s lives turn into a nightmare.
Years after The Monkey wreaks havoc on their childhood, the grown-up siblings (The Gentlemen’s Theo James in dual roles) find themselves estranged. The film focuses on the vanilla lifestyle Hal has settled into, where trauma has left him an underwhelming loner. Like all kids eventually do, he finds perspective in his father’s decision to leave, keeping his own son Petey (Wonka’s Colin O’Brien) at a distance to protect him from the family curse. But when Hal’s Aunt Ida (Schitt’s Creek’s Sarah Levy) dies in a disconcerting manner, Hal’s forced to take Petey on a road trip into the darkest parts of his family’s history, with death lurking around them like they’re metal rods under dark clouds.
First of all, Theo James should read every audiobook for Stephen King from now on. There’s just something about his voice that’s simultaneously calm and intense, which is perfect for Hal’s plain dynamic while giving Bill the freedom to show off his more assertive persona. But while James is exceptionally entertaining in his role, it’s really the elaborate death scenes that get the spotlight. Audiences engaged by the first trailer for Final Destination: Bloodlines will ultimately love the stylized violence threatening to shock and disturb them, and they aren’t going to leave upset.
At the heart of the film is a story about generational trauma through the allegorical curse of The Monkey. You know, the kind of trauma your mother or father instilled within you and, should you choose to have children, will eventually pass onto them. It’s a nightmarish conundrum to love someone so much that you believe you’re doing right by them in staying away. Hal’s relationship with Petey is reticent, to say the least, and grows more strained as Hal withholds information regarding his twin brother.
There’s also an exceptionally comedic yet bold commentary in the film that begins when a young pastor attempts to find any words to say at the funeral for one of the tragedies. The words “That sucks” become a kind of awkward mantra for people trying to console Hal and Bill, who can’t fully empathize with the gravity of the boys’ continual losses. “That sucks” is hardly a commiseration, let alone a comfort. However, death isn’t about religion. It’s going to happen to everyone, no matter what they believe. That’s why I found it darkly hilarious that Perkins wants The Monkey to play in both theaters and churches so you can experience the comedic tragedy whichever way you please. Also, you may have a pretty cool church if they decide to take Osgood Perkins up on that deal.
While sibling rivalry and childhood hatred certainly play into the film’s plot devices, the underlying concept that familial bonding happens over the most f*cked up scenarios signals The Monkey’s positive realization that these things can’t be hidden or guarded and need to be shared and examined to learn and move on from. And though family lends itself to a wide array of unique situations to become f*cked up by, family are also the ones that will help get you through pretty much everything that’s eating you up inside.
If I have any problems with The Monkey, it may be in one particular death scene. Don’t get me wrong. I loved every silly, gruesome, Home Alone-coded moment of the scene itself. It was just the timing… which is also kind of the point. Death doesn’t take suggestions or care how you feel about it one way or another. It’s a chaos monkey. So, live every day like it’s your last, or as the song in the trailer goes, “C’mon, baby, let the good times roll.”
The Monkey swings into theaters on February 21.
THE MONKEY – Official Redband Trailer – In Theaters February 21
Based on the Stephen King short story, and produced by James Wan (The Conjuring, Saw), The Monkey is a new trip from Longlegs writer/director, Osgood Perkins. When twin brothers find a mysterious wind-up monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tear their family apart.
