“Longlegs” writer-director Osgood Perkins has returned this month with “The Monkey,” another nightmarish horror film with a shockingly violent edge. The similarities between the two movies more or less end there, though. The new film is, for starters, more of a blackly comic horror comedy than “Longlegs.”
Unlike “Longlegs,” “The Monkey” is not an original story, either. On the contrary, while Perkins wrote and directed “The Monkey” alone, the new film is actually an adaptation. It is, in fact, based on a piece of source material written by one of the horror genre’s most influential and recognizable artists.
Is “The Monkey” based on a book?
“The Monkey” is based on a short story of the same name by “The Shining” author Stephen King. Published over 40 years ago, the story was originally included in a 1980 edition of Gallery magazine. King subsequently revised and re-published it as part of his “Skeleton Crew” short story collection in 1985.
What has King said about “The Monkey” movie?
As fans of Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” will likely know, King is not afraid to make his opinions known about adaptations of his work, and “The Monkey” is no exception. Fortunately, King had nothing but good things to say about the film in a review he posted on Threads in late January.
“You’ve never seen anything like ‘The Monkey,’” King wrote. “It’s bats—t insane. As someone who has indulged in bats—tery from time to time, I say that with admiration.”
Is there a sequel to “The Monkey”?
King has not yet written a sequel to “The Monkey.” Nothing is ever completely off the table with a writer as prolific and productive as King, but given that it has been over 40 years since “The Monkey” was first published, it seems unlikely he will ever write a follow-up to the short story.
Is “The Monkey” different from its source material?
Moviegoers will have to go see “The Monkey” to learn about the specific plot differences between the new film and the original short story it is based upon. That said, Osgood Perkins did make a few non-spoiler-y changes in his adaptation to the film’s King-penned source material.
He, firstly, chose to give the short story’s lead character, Hal Shelburn (Theo James), a twin brother named Bill (also played by James). In King’s original text, the Shelburn family is terrorized by a cursed toy monkey that bangs cymbals together whenever it is about to cause another death. In Perkins’ film, its toy monkey bangs a drum. Speaking with SFX Magazine, Perkins explained that he made said change to avoid a strange copyright issue with Disney.
“When I was given the assignment, the producer said, ‘Oh, by the way, Disney owns the cymbals, because of [the toy monkey in] ‘Toy Story,’” Perkins explained. “It’s one of those things where a limitation becomes an opportunity. If you are making movies and you are not up for that adage then you are in real trouble! I was like, ‘Hey, that’s awesome. The drum is better.’ The drum is like a marching drum. It’s like, ‘Drum roll, please!’ before something happens. That’s better than cymbals. So thanks, Disney. I prefer it!”
Where can I read “The Monkey”?
King’s “Skeleton Crew,” the 1985 short story collection that “The Monkey” is included in, is available for purchase online on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and all major book-selling platforms.