The Monkey

away from the slow‑burn horror style of his earlier films. The death sequences are inventive, gory, and often absurd — ranging from an electrified swimming pool to a flaming head — lending the film a Final Destination‑style unpredictability. However, the shifts between over‑the‑top carnage and attempts at heartfelt family drama don’t always merge seamlessly. The father‑son reconciliation subplot shows promise, but Petey’s late arrival in the story makes it harder for the emotional beats to resonate fully. Even so, Perkins’ playful treatment of death — inevitable yet imaginatively staged — gives the film a distinctive personality. Nico Aguilar’s cinematography captures both the unsettling intimacy of the monkey and the chaotic spectacle of its kills, while editors Graham Fortin and Greg Ng maintain a brisk pace, despite a few abrupt timeline transitions. The sound design, particularly the monkey’s ominous drumbeat, is used to strong atmospheric effect. The Monkey is a gleefully twisted horror‑comedy that thrives on outrageous set‑pieces and a macabre sense of humour. Though it falters in delivering a fully satisfying emotional payoff, its blend of Stephen King’s premise with Perkins’ eccentric vision makes it an entertaining, if uneven, watch — one that will appeal to fans of quirky, gory genre fare.