The beginning of 2025 has already brought us a collection of excellent horror films in every shape and size — from the savage and silly Companion to the genre-transcending vampire flick Sinners to the delightfully gory The Monkey. Based on a Stephen King short story of the same name, The Monkey was originally published in Galley magazine in 1980. Now it’s been adapted into a feature film full of “gonzo and gory displays of ultra-violent death,” as Mashable’s film editor put it. King himself called it “batshit insane,” and that’s saying something.
If you missed the cymbal-banging monkey murderer in theaters, now’s your chance to catch the gruesome horror comedy on the small screen. Here’s everything you need to know to watch The Monkey at home.
What is The Monkey about?
Written and directed by Osgood Perkins (Longlegs), The Monkey follows twin brothers Hal and Bill Shelburn (both played by The White Lotus‘s Theo James, who find their father’s old monkey toy in the attic. It’s not just a quirky toy; it’s a cursed drum-playing monkey that kills without mercy anytime his crank is turned.
The horror comedy also stars Tatiana Maslany, Christian Convery, Colin O’Brien, Rohan Campbell, Sarah Levy, Adam Scott, Elijah Wood, and others.
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