While Stephen King is known for his stories of serial killer clowns and murderous children, his short story The Monkey takes on a more comedic lens. Its film adaptation, directed by Osgood Perkins, premiered on Feb. 21, 2025 in theaters. The story is about a toy monkey that played the drums when you turned the key on its back.

With piercing red eyes and a intense smile, it was more than just a toy. For when you turned the key and it banged its drums, someone would die horrifically. As mentioned in the film, the monkey didn’t take requests, and there was no way to predict who would live or die—just “like life,” as it was written on the box the monkey was kept in.

The story takes place with a father, Petey (Adam Scott) trying to pawn the monkey off with blood soaking his clothes. When that did not work, he tried to destroy the toy to no avail and remained untouched as if brand new.

Fast forward to after the father leaves the family, the rest of the film follows his twin sons, Hal and Bill (Christian Coverty). The two could not be more different; Hal is shy and  introverted; Bill is loud, mean, and constantly bullying his brother.

They find a mysterious monkey in their fathers’ things and find out the hard way what the toy was truly capable of and must do something about it before it killed anymore people. Since destroying the toy does not work, the boys decide to lock it away and throw it down a well hoping to never see it again.

However, the boys were never the same, and twenty-five more years pass before they see the murderous monkey again. Now estranged, Hal (Theo James) works at a grocery store with a child, Petey (Colin O’Brien), who he only sees once a year.

After the unfortunate death of their aunt, Hal must go back to finally put a stop to the “accidental” deaths while trying to connect with his brother Bill (Theo James) with his son along for the ride. It is a film not only about all the creative ways King could kill off characters but also about the complexities of family dynamics and loss.

And while it is not scary in the conventional sense, do not see the film if squeamish of blood, theatrical flying body parts, or seeing a person’s insides on the outside. It is dramatic. It is comical. And most importantly, it is jaw dropping.

Featured photo by Filmaffinity