By Max Rekela Jasper on April 14th, 2025

Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey is the cinematic equivalent of a Jello Salad—a dish that looks good and might even taste good, yet defies its own category as one of the least salad-like “salads” out there. Much like how the original creator of the Jello Salad, Mrs. John E. Cook, likely intended it as a treat rather than a true salad, Perkins seems to have approached his 2025 horror-comedy with a similar mindset. The Monkey isn’t simply a horror film; it’s a gleeful, absurd, and oddly satisfying treat masquerading as something far more sinister.

Based on a Stephen King short story, The Monkey centers on a wind-up toy monkey with a liking for murder—an incredibly bizarre premise. One may assume that adapting such material would result in a straightforward horror film, but that is not the case. Like the multifaceted chaos of a Jello Salad, The Monkey leans into humor, balancing its darker elements with an unapologetically comical tone.

Unlike Perkins’ previous film, Longlegs—a gritty, brooding crime-horror reminiscent of The Silence of the Lambs—The Monkey opts for a lighter approach. Perkins injects playful absurdity into the story, using the toy monkey as a vehicle to lampoon the genre’s conventions. The closest cinematic comparison may be Five Nights at Freddy’s, but where Freddy’s stumbles into absurdity, The Monkey fully embraces it, crafting a film that’s pun intended, bananas.

The comedy’s lack of subtlety works surprisingly well, with outrageous gore amplifying the absurdity of death itself. The creative kills are so over-the-top that they become comedic highlights. However, where the film falters is in its emotional depth. The first act establishes a heartfelt bond between identical twin brothers, Hal and Billy (Christian Convery) and their mother (Tatiana Maslany), as well as a strained sibling relationship. Sadly, this emotional groundwork doesn’t carry through the film’s following acts.

Another area that feels underdeveloped is the antagonist’s motivation. Without giving away spoilers, the solution to their motive feels overly simplistic, leaving room for deeper exploration. Similarly, the dialogue occasionally comes across as too “on-the-nose.” While this may have been intentional, it detracts from the otherwise clever tone of the film.Despite these shortcomings, The Monkey is a refreshingly self-aware blend of horror and comedy. Its commitment to shock value and absurdity makes for an engaging and unique viewing experience. With strong performances, creative writing, and a clear sense of its own identity, The Monkey delivers a delightfully unhinged ride. In conclusion, this film is as bananas as its premise suggests, earning a respectable three and a half out of five stars.