As a genre enthusiast, I am eagerly awaiting a plethora of upcoming horror movies scheduled for 2025. From the live-action "Until Dawn" to Ryan Coogler's vampire movie and beyond, there is much to look forward to. One of the most highly anticipated releases is "The Monkey" by director Oz Perkins, an adaptation of Stephen King's work. And Perkins' latest thoughts on the film have only heightened my interest.

Uncover the Dark Comedy of "The Monkey"

Director Oz Perkins and the Creative Journey

Oz Perkins and the star of "The Monkey", Theo James, spoke to EW about taking an unexpected creative direction with the movie. While it started as a short story published in the "Skeleton Crew" anthology, they expanded it into a full-length film. Despite the story being about a small monkey-and-drum toy that causes tragic and destructive events for twin boys, there is an underlying sense of humor.Perkins shared his unique perspective, saying, "What if it's a comedy? Here's this monkey that doesn't do anything. It's not M3GAN. It doesn't attack. It's evil just in its existence. Things happen around it for no better reason than they do. Its presence makes people die in insane ways." This concept immediately grabbed my attention, especially considering the darkly comedic feel of the red band teaser trailer that came out around Halloween. It was unclear if this was intentional or not, but it turned out to be the case. Perkins reflected on his personal history in explaining his genre-bending approach.He said, "I've had people die in truly, deeply insane ways. Everybody dies whether there's a monkey or not. What if you could do this with a smile - process the fact that everybody dies? And what an insane, surrealist notion, dude! You will die; we'll all die. That's crazy shit. To do that as a comedy felt very apropos."

The Connection to Personal History

Many are aware that Perkins' father is the legendary actor and "Psycho" star Anthony Perkins, who passed away in 1992 from AIDS-related pneumonia after keeping his ailments private for years. His mother, actress and photographer Berry Berenson, was one of the victims on American Airlines Flight 11 when it was hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center's North Tower on September 11, 2001. These circumstances are not inherently comical, but Perkins can appreciate the unique nature of the details and his connection to them. He uses this feeling as a building block to turn "The Monkey" from a freaky short story into a multi-layered movie that combines pitch-black laughs with a heartfelt exploration of family dynamics across different timelines. It's a different approach compared to other King adaptations like "IT: Chapter One" and "IT: Chapter Two".In the interview, Perkins addressed a particular hibachi grill scene sparked by a memory from his own past. It sounds like it goes over the top, with inspirations from both "Death Becomes Her" and "An American Werewolf in London". He said, "Without saying what happens, it's ridiculous, and it's funny. The kids in the movie shit talk all the time. My 15-year-old daughter says fuck every second word. That's just a way of saying that the design of all of it is meant to cause a smile to appear on your face."

The Impact on Audience

Here's hoping the smiles that show up on audience members' faces are more joyous and less nightmarish than the garish grin on this cursed toy. The dark comedy tones of "The Monkey" sound more reminiscent of "Creepshow's" humor-heightened horrors. Although "Creepshow" wasn't a full-length adaptation of King's work, only two of the stories in its screenplay were based on his works. And even that movie had a different sense of humor compared to modern sensibilities. So, "The Monkey" truly sounds like nothing else before it when it comes to live-action King adaptations."The Monkey" is set to cause havoc in theaters and everywhere else it shows up on February 21, 2025. Check out the aforementioned teaser trailer below!