A new horror movie, adapted from a short story by Stephen King, has finally landed on the big screen after getting a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.
The Monkey, from director Osgood Perkins, follows brothers who find a creepy wind-up toy monkey in their loft, and accidentally unleash a series of gruesome deaths.
The White Lotus star Theo James leads the star-studded cast, alongside Elijah Wood, Sarah Levy and Tatiana Maslany.
After the ‘excessively violent’ trailer was ‘banned’ from airing on TV, the flick has finally been released in cinemas today, making it a perfect watch for this weekend.
Ahead of the premiere, it was met with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 85% and rave reviews from critics – with many heaping praise on the ‘gory, glorious scenes’.
Empire’s Jamie Graham wrote: ‘Don’t expect the true terror of Perkins’ Longlegs or King’s source story. Do expect plentiful gags to make you, well, gag. The best scenes here are a gory glory.’
‘The Monkey is prime evidence that Perkins is one of the rare horror directors who can strike a sublime balance between comedy, suspense, and the type of gore and nastiness that has been missing from mainstream horror for years,’ Collider’s Emma Kiely said.
‘It’s a vicious and hysterical spectacle of blood and brain matter that’ll make you laugh, gasp, gag, and even think,’ Kristy Puchko of Mashable wrote.
As Meagan Navarro from Bloody Disgusting added: ‘With brisk storytelling efficiency and a playful spirit, The Monkey delivers a Stephen King adaptation like no other.
‘Perkins pushes back against logic in favor of entertaining midnight madness, and death has never been funnier or gorier.’
Thankfully, we only have a few more days to wait before the Monkey scares us silly.
Viewers may need to pack a pillow to hide behind after film distributor Neon confirmed that trailers were ‘banned’ by network executives, for being ‘excessively violent’.
The official synopsis reads: ‘When twin brothers find a mysterious wind-up monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tear their family apart.
‘25 years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree forcing the estranged brothers to confront the cursed toy.’
This article was first published on February 14.
The Monkey will be released in cinemas now.
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