Napoleon Bonaparte once said (allegedly) “We must laugh at man to avoid crying for him”. And this was a dude who was forever enshrined in history as being a mean short-arse when he was actually of average height for a man at the time. The (random) point here is, that if you don’t laugh, you cry. And boy, is there a lot to weep about in the real world at the moment! So it is the right time for Osgood “Oz” Perkins to find his funny bone and release this quirky horror in the cinemas. Perkins is a director most prominently known for making esoteric creep-fests with subliminal satanic or paranormal edges to them, with the incredibly successful Longlegs being the most recent example last year. So having the filmmaker take on a Stephen King story is certainly not a stretch. Mr King gave it a stamp of approval (calling it “bat-shit insane”, but in a good way), despite it being noticeably different to his narrative in quite a few ways. Theo James is the lead here, one of the main players in the Underworld movies, he’s now best known for The Gentlemen and The White Lotus. But you can also expect cameos from Adam Scott (Severance, Krampus), Elijah Wood, and Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black). It’s had some decent early word, which have praised the outrageous and copious death scenes, as well as the dark comedy. So it’s time to take a look at this Toy Gory Too.

 

After a brief (literally) gut-wrenching prologue, during the heady days of 1999 we meet young twin brothers Hal and Bill Shelburn (both winningly played by Christian Convery from Cocaine Bear and Sweet Tooth). Brought up alone by their slightly bitter mother (Maslany as Lois) after their father goes out for a cigarette and never returns, they become obsessed with his locked-away belongings. After one visit to his forbidden cupboard of secrets, they find a “LikeLife” branded Organ Grinder’s Monkey toy. This wind-up grotesquerie seems like a harmless (if ugly) piece of tat but after turning the clockwork key in its back and watching it drum furiously; they witness a horrible accident which results in a fatality. Hal suspects that the Monkey is responsible and is driven to inflict its murderous curse on his bullying brother. Doesn’t work out well needless to say and the brothers try to contain the sinister simian. 25 years later and Hal (now played by James) is divorced and has emotionally distanced himself from his son. Still at least that Monkey’s not around to cause needless death and destruction… right? Well, after a surprise call from Bill (also James), it seems that someone’s got their hands on it again, and there’s a whole lotta death going on as a result. Who’s going to stop the Monkey business?

 

If you’re worried or thinking that ‘Oz’ Perkins has sold out and made a generic adaptation which is basically a Final Destination rip-off and a studio pot-boiler, well… he absolutely hasn’t. This is a weird, trippy, funny movie that never outlasts its welcome and will delight gorehounds. And whilst it doesn’t necessarily have anything new or profound to say about human nature, it wears its heart on its cinematic sleeve at all times and is refreshingly honest about some things. If that sounds a little pretentious, it shouldn’t do. To get a taste of its warped sensibilities, contemplate these elements in the plot. Hal is bullied at school, not by male jocks, but by a diverse bunch of teen girls who smother him in smushed-up bananas in the gym and steal his trousers. Later on, a small US town becomes so accustomed to weird deaths that a group of cheerleaders (seemingly) turn up outside crime scenes to herald the removal of a body! And then there’s the titular character itself…

 

The form of the Monkey is an embodiment of all those creepy dolls and toy characters over the years. Amusingly enough, it bangs a drum (after twirling a stick) rather than clash cymbals (as in the original story) because of a copyright issue with Pixar’s Toy Story! However, this plays in its favour as this action becomes more important and suspenseful towards the end of the tale. Thankfully, there’s no other movement to the toy, apart from a loathsome curling of the lips which reveals all-too-human teeth. However, there is a persuasive hint of malignance to its off-screen materializations (“You know he can teleport!”) and just the slightest touch of FX when the pupils seem to slightly dilate. Not to mention a splash of blood when one character tries to dismember it. Primal nastiness that is shudder-worthy. Aside from the simian git, the other main talking point is inevitably the death scenes.

 

People don’t just die in The Monkey. They DIE!!! That is to say, their final moments are captured in vignettes that are reminiscent of a Chuck Jones Looney Tune or Itchy and Scratchy presentation. Contact with electricity and water doesn’t just result in a heart arrest and collapse, they explode. A gunshot victim evaporates in a bloody splat. And a guy run over by stampeding animals is reduced to something resembling a jumbo can of baked beans poured into a sleeping bag. You get the picture. It’s cartoon violence that can’t be taken seriously and that is probably why the film has a 15 rating in the UK, rather than an 18. Say what you like about us Brits, but we’re seriously down with ludicrous blood-letting for a laugh. Ostensibly, it all comes across like a mash-up between “Death Note” and the previously mentioned Final Destination series. Except it’s intentionally dafter and funnier, albeit with a touch of pathos and philosophical nous.

 

At one point, Hal and Bill’s mother matter-of-factly explains death (“Everybody dies. Some of us peacefully and in our sleep, and some of us... horribly. And that's life.”). In another moment, a rookie priest reveals the meaning of life or “God’s great plan” at the funeral. (“It is… what it is.”). There is no rhyme or reason for death. The Monkey is wound up to cause a death, but ultimately the victim is up to the ape. It can’t be “directed” like a weapon. Which is something that both Hal and Bill find out to their cost. It’s a simple but almost profound message that lies under all the gore and black comedy, and something that even becomes strangely life-affirming at times. Pointless death? Cruel fate? You can’t control it. So, try to get on with your life as best you can, move past feelings of harmful survivor’s guilt, honour the people lost, and love the people you should. Who would have thought that you could extract that deep message from a film where someone is choked and torn apart by angry bees!?

 

The darkly comedic element comes not only from the hyper-deaths but also from the characters and the associated situations. James turns out to be an inspired choice for the lead(s). His Hal is a Clark Kent-type character, trying to do the right thing but basically screwing everything up in the process, including the relationship with his son. His reactions to some of the deaths are priceless. The actor’s slightly hammy take on Bill is also very cool. As mentioned, Convery also does a great job as the juvenile twins, as does Colin O’Brien as Petey (Hal’s son). Truth be told though, all of the other characters (apart from Maslany’s “Lois”) get very little screen time or development, mostly because a lot of them get killed quite quickly. However, Perkins does find time to insert some bizarre characters into the mix, such as Wood’s punch-able parenting guru, and Rohan Campbell as rocker Ricky. Top marks for some truly inspired dialogue as well, such as: “We were supposed to be going to an amusement park… not darkness and death”. Some of which is so wacky that it’s almost meta.

 

It’ll be interesting to see what the legs of The Monkey are like at the box office. Whereas Longlegs seemed to touch an international horror nerve, this one feels like it might have a touch more love/hate aspect to it. In my screening, whilst most of a packed audience seemed to love it, there were actually a couple of walk-outs from unimpressed couples, You get the impression that they just weren’t prepared for the offbeat tone of it and were expecting a more straightforward horror. Not a great date movie it seems. Ah well, their loss. I loved it and it’s encouraging to see risks being taken in the genre with offerings like this. Also, stick around for a brief teaser for Perkins’s next film (Keeper) which is due later this year! Monkey see? Monkey do!