The Monkey (2025) Review
At Panel’s Chamber of Chills, we’ll be alternating between horror classics and modern horror. Today’s pick is Atomic Monster’s new horror-comedy, The Monkey (2025). I’ll be honest—I didn’t watch this because it looked amazing. I’m cheap and lazy, and it just popped up on my Hulu account. But hey, it’s based on a Stephen King short story, so how bad could it be? For better or worse, here’s my review.
Produced by James Wan and directed by Osgood Perkins, The Monkey comes from a filmmaker who knows the genre well. Perkins followed up his acclaimed Longlegs with this much lighter entry, and while the material is paper-thin, he makes the most of it. Fun fact: Perkins appeared alongside his father, the legendary Anthony Perkins, as young Norman Bates in Psycho II (1983). Here, he dives into the kind of low-budget, scrappy horror we used to see a lot of in the ’80s. It’s nice to see a new generation of directors embracing that tradition.
The movie opens with a clear homage to Gremlins (1984). A father (Adam Scott, Parks & Rec) wanders into a mysterious shop, trying to return a drum-playing toy monkey he bought for his twin sons. Just like Randall Peltzer before him, this dad quickly regrets his purchase. The opening is both comical and entertaining, complete with a killer vintage soundtrack (easily one of the film’s highlights) and a string of Final Destination-style deaths.
After that strong start, the film leans into classic Stephen King tropes: childhood trauma, an overbearing mother (played wonderfully by Tatyana Ali), and bullies. King goes back to these ideas often because they work—and they work here too. Following a few more comical but bloody deaths, the twins bury the cursed toy monkey along with their trauma. The first 20 minutes, focused on the boys, are a fun mix of horror and dark comedy. Then the story jumps forward 25 years.
Theo James takes on the dual role of the twins: Bill, the timid one, and Hal, the aggressive one. After a family death, Bill and his estranged son return home to retrieve the toy monkey and destroy it for good. From here, the film goes full gore and slapstick. There are plenty of over-the-top deaths, lots of blood, and almost no subtlety. The second half throws in a few twists, but nothing truly surprising.
Overall, The Monkey (2025) is a fun horror-comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously. That works in its favor—too many horror films stumble by trying to be more than they are. If you’re a fan of the Final Destination franchise (I am), you’ll probably have a good time with this one. It’s not deep, it’s not refined, but Osgood Perkins clearly enjoys leaning into this kind of schlocky, throwback horror.
Final Verdict: 3 out of 5 tombstones.
For more horror classics, explore our Chamber of Chills reviews.
All promotional images © 2025 Atomic Monster / Universal Pictures. Used here for review purposes.
