We all know that those little cymbal-crashing toy monkeys are some of the creepiest items to ever hit the market. They just look evil, so it’s no wonder that Stephen King was drawn to them as a source of terror. Now, Osgood Perkins is hoping to do justice to King and the source, with The Monkey arriving in theaters next month. As it turns out, the movie screened just this week. So, did Perkins deliver on the simian scares?

Fortunately for fans of both Stephen King and Osgood Perkins, it looks like The Monkey is just the level of horror fun that will be a crowd pleaser, with those that caught the screening praising it for combining blood and laughs. Check out some of the first reactions to The Monkey below:

With comparisons to movies like Gremlins and Tales from the Crypt, you can now count The Monkey as one of the more anticipated horror flicks of 2025. I was on the fence at first, but these reviews have spun my expectations for the better. I also didn’t love Longlegs as much as the general consensus, but that holds no bearing on my newfound anticipation for The Monkey.

As mentioned, The Monkey is adapted from Stephen King’s short story of the same name, which was first published in 1980 and later anthologized in his essential collection Skeleton Crew. That collection also featured “The Mist” (turned into a fan favorite Frank Darabont movie in 2007), “The Raft” (used as a segment in Creepshow 2) and “The Jaunt” (which at one point had Andy Muschietti attached to direct).

Here is the synopsis: “When twin brothers Hal and Bill discover their father’s old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths starts occurring all around them. The brothers decide to throw the monkey away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years. But when the mysterious deaths begin again, the brothers must reunite to find a way to destroy the monkey for good before it takes the lives of everyone close to them.” The Monkey will release on February 21st.

Are you looking forward to The Monkey? Will you be checking it out on opening weekend?

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