THE MONKEY

Twin brothers Hal & Bill (Theo James) stumble upon an organ grinder monkey that's left behind by their absent father (Adam Scott). They soon realize once the key on the back of the toy (don't ever call it that) is turned, someone soon dies under extenuating circumstances. Based upon a short story from Stephen King, writer/director Osgood Perkins follows up his LONGLEGS masterpiece with this over-the-top, dark comedy. The film is more funny than scary as the deaths are more in the vein of "WTF" while the comedy has dry but witty humor. It's dark and messed up in parts but the monkey itself is rather creepy. Unfortunately, Disney holds a copyright to a cymbals-welding monkey thanks to TOY STORY so the original Stephen King monkey had to change his tune to a drum, which still works absolutely fantastically for the picture. A minor edit but one worth mentioning. However, if folks like myself were hoping to be as blown away as they were from LONGLEGS they're in for a disappointment. The film overall is enjoyable but doesn't have the same quality as its predecessor. A third of the film shows the young twins stumbling upon the monkey while the rest plays out in current time. However, the ending and the reasons behind the carnage are understandable but also rather flimsy. I was hoping for more but maybe this'll grow on me in time and repeat viewings? 6/10