The plot tells the story of two twins who have to deal with the possession of a toy as powerful as it is enigmatic throughout their lives.
The film opens with the classic slasher opening scene introducing the villain of the story and the death of an unknown victim that sets the tone and level of violence and explicit content.
The Monkey presents a toy - it is not a toy - of a monkey with a drum in an antique shop. Without quite knowing the context, a gesture on the toy is linked to the death of a character.
The death is exaggerated, graphic and its basis may be implausible, but it is permissible as it is the beginning.
With this prologue, the film establishes its self-parodic tone, which will increase along with its comedy and the surrealism of its premise.
The first death, not counting the prologue, is the one that sets the story on a more satirical than dramatic path. It treats a subject that is nightmarish for many as a joke for all.
It's brave to release a horror comedy after the success of Longlegs. The mix of genres combines frankly well because of the filmmaker's knowledge of the horror genre, with the addition of black comedy and a cast of familiar faces who you can see are having a good time.
Especially Theo James, who doubles as the lead, and Tatiana Maslany who, without appearing much, justifies the director's choice of her to star in his next story.
With a sibling war as the story behind the gore, Oz Perkins crafts a slasher mash-up that becomes memorable when it fully embraces its sense of humour and twists it into the grotesque.
I could understand those who don't play along and dismiss it as an absurdist film, but making that third act effective in emotion and comedy is very difficult.
This is a fairly loose adaptation of a Stephen King short story published in an anthology back in the 1980s, although it may seem unbelievable that there are still unpublished works by the writer that have yet to be adapted.
