The Monkey is soon to be released in cinemas and will be the next instance of a Stephen King horror coming to life on screen. Ahead of the film’s release, critics who had seen the movie early shared their reviews online, resulting in a promising Rotten Tomatoes score.

The new horror film is from director Osgood Perkins who scared audiences in his 2024 film Longlegs. The Monkey is based on a short story written by Stephen King that was published in 1980. The plot involves two twin brothers finding an old wind-up monkey toy in their attic which results in a string of horrifying deaths occuring around them. The brothers go their separate ways but the cursed toy returns to haunt them. The movie adaptation stars Theo James as both twins along with, Elijah Wood, Tatiana Maslany, and Adam Scott.

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The Monkey’s First Reviews Revealed

The Monkey won’t be released until later in February, but all signs are pointing to it being a hit. The film debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 91%. It has since dropped slightly to 90% based on 20 reviews, but regardless, this is a very promising debut for one of 2025’s most anticipated horrors. Critics have praised the film’s morbid humor and intense gore, with many saying the film is Perkins’ most entertaining yet.

Discussing Film’s review said The Monkey is “operating in a darkly comedic mode that he hasn’t tried before.” Total Film’s Amy West said in their review that the movie is “all things, all at once. Just like life.” Collider critic Emma Kiely praised Perkins as a director, saying “The Monkey is prime evidence that Perkins is one of the rare horror directors who can strike a sublime balance between comedy, suspense, and the type of gore and nastiness that has been missing from mainstream horror for years.” As far as what The Monkey may be similar to, critics mentioned in their reviews Final Destination and Gremlins as tonal references, which should give audiences an indication of what they’re in for.

The Monkey has only two reviews that are not rated fresh on Rotten Tomatoes so far. These criticisms were less lenient with The Monkey’s tonal balance, with Inverse’s review calling the film “neither funny nor bitter enough to make a lasting impact.” Jeff Nelson (Guy at the Movies) concurred with this saying in his review “the film struggles to break free from its one-note slump.” It appears that The Monkey’s tone and humor will be subjective, but this initial crop of reviews is still promising for the Stephen King horror adaptation.

Even Stephen King Has Praised The Monkey

King himself has primed audiences for a fun time with The Monkey, saying on Threads “You’ve never seen anything like The Monkey.” This sentiment bodes well coming from the author of the story. Not all adaptations of King’s work have been so well-received, so it’s a promising sign that the author has given The Monkey his stamp of approval.

The Monkey will be released in US cinemas on February 21.

The Monkey

Release Date

February 19, 2025

Runtime

98 Minutes