It seems like practically every movie director has adapted a Stephen King story at some point. They are not always successful, but when they do work, they do it well. Expectations are high because the most recent film, The Monkey (adapted from the short horror story in King’s 1985 collection Skeleton Crew), is distributed by Osgood Perkins, the director of the eerie successful film Longlegs. Watch this short trailer for the movie, which features Theo James:
The official synopsis of The Monkey, which stars horror veteran James Wan as producer, reads as follows: “As twin brothers Hal and Bill find their father’s old monkey toy in the attic, a string of gory fatalities begins to occur all around them. After years of growing apart, the brothers make the decision to discard the monkey and move on with their lives. However, when the unexplained deaths recur, the brothers must get back together to figure out how to end the monkey permanently before it claims the lives of everyone who matters to them.”
Meanwhile, Perkins told Bloody Disgusting that the movie was “sort of like if Robert Zemeckis had taken a little bit of acid and made a picture about a monkey toy,” which is how he described it. Less strange than Longlegs, then? Possibly, but based on this initial glance’s evidence, still trying to shock. Elijah Wood and Tatiana Maslany are also in the cast with James.
The movie will open in UK theaters on February 21, 2025, the same day it opens in the US. This is the finest news yet. Magic with monkeys? We’re excited about this one.