NEON is quite happy to stay in the Osgood Perkins business. When his latest film Longlegs became a huge horror hit earlier this year, they quickly began the hype for his next horror, The Monkey, which opens in theaters early next year and has Stephen King and James Wan’s names attached to it. Sounds like one Hell of a scary combo.
The Monkey is based on the Stephen King short story first published in 1980. Perkins wrote and directed the film, with Wan aboard as a producer. The story centers on twin brothers who witness a series of grisly murders after discovering their father’s vintage toy monkey. Years later after getting rid of the toy, the deaths start again and the siblings must reunite to end the curse once and for all.
The film stars Theo James in dual roles, Christian Convery, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Colin O’Brien, Rohan Campbell, and Sarah Levy.
Based on the footage, Perkins is working at a different register here than with Longlegs. This one might be bloody, but it’s also clear that we’re meant to have a little bit of fun watching it, so a welcome change in tone.
The Monkey opens in theaters on February 21st 2025.