Horror cinema continues to thrive in recent years with the premiere of “The Monkey,” the latest from director Osgood Perkins.

The film follows two twins who discover a monkey that belonged to their father, which appears to have supernatural powers.

Seeing that everyone around them is dying, the twins set out to destroy the cursed doll once and for all.

Osgood Perkins continues in the horror genre after directing the acclaimed psychological thriller Longlegs in 2024.

And this runs in the family, as he is the son of Anthony Perkins, the iconic Norman/Norma Bates in Psycho (1960).

The Monkey is based on a short story of the same name, written in 1980 by the master of horror, Stephen King.

It thus joins the many adaptations of the writer's novels, some of which are considered among the best.

For example, The Shining (1980), Misery (1990), The Green Mile (1999), Carrie (1976), and The Shawshank Redemption(1994).

The character from The Monkey had already appeared in a previous film, but it was neither horror nor suspense—it was an animated movie.

Specifically, in Toy Story 3 (2010). The monkey is the security guard at Sunnyside Daycare, from which Woody and the gang try to escape.

The first reviews of The Monkey are positive, praising Osgood Perkins' direction as well as the film's faithfulness to King's story.