This adaptation of a Stephen King short story is a very fun horror/dark comedy with plenty of over the top blood and guts to make you avert your eyes at the same time you’re laughing. 

The film tells the story of the Shelburn family who come into possession of an evil wind up monkey toy. The film opens with the father Petey Shelburn, played by Adam Scott, trying to pawn off the monkey toy at a pawn shop. When the monkey is wound up terrible things happen. The pawn shop owner triggers the monkey, and is instantly killed in an absurd and darkly comedic way. 

Years later, Bill and Hal Shelburn, played as kids by Christian Convery and as adults by Theo James, find the monkey in a closet of their dad’s old stuff. 

Bill is a bully and torments Hal mercilessly both at home and at school. When Hal decides to turn wind up the monkey and see what happens, tragedy ensues that will haunt both boys into adulthood. 

I don’t want to spoil anything because this has a lot of fun surprises. There are a lot of silly and satisfying kills. They usually come out of left field and offer a great jolt as well as a laugh. 

Another great surprise about the film is the cast. It is packed full of surprising cameos and famous faces in small roles. I won’t spoil any of them, but it felt like every new character who is introduced is played by someone I was delighted to see. 

My favorite aspect of the film is actually the early scenes of the mother and two sons. The mother is played by a delightful Tatiana Maslany. She has such wonderful warmth and energy. She loves her sons in an offbeat way that is so much fun to see. Her care for them and their relationship is just a delight. 

It’s classic Stephen King. His books can be very scary, but what I’ve always loved about him is that he cares about his characters very deeply. He has such attention to detail in their lives and how they live and care for each other. That comes through beautifully in these family scenes. 

The director of this is Osgood Perkins who is probably best known for playing the awkward law student David Kidney in Legally Blonde. However he has been quietly building up a list of credits as a horror director. It wasn’t until I looked through his credits that I realized how many of his films I’ve seen and enjoyed. The Blackouts Daughter was a moody and atmospheric horror story from a decade ago. I am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House is an eerie ghost story and the recent Longlegs, which features a truly unhinged performance from Nicolas Cage, was excellent. 

This film is less surreal and less truly scary. It’s more of a horror romp than a true horror film. It’s a good time. I’d recommend it if you can find humor in skewerings, beheadings, and exploding bodies. 

It was my cup of tea. B+