Stephen King Classic Story Finally Gets Movie Adaptation From Hottest Horror Director Today

For those not familiar with his work, Osgood Perkins is an American writer and director who got his start as an actor in films like Legally Blonde and Six Degrees of Separation. Still, even in those early days, Perkins was working on movies like Wolf and Secretary.

More recently, he has come to be known as a master of his craft as a writer and director on films like Gretel & Hansel, The Blackcoat’s Daughter, and the upcoming Longlegs. It will certainly be a treat to watch his work on the Stephen King story, The Monkey. 

It can be no wonder that Oz Perkins found his way to horror as the son of actor Anthony Perkins, famous for his role in Psycho. He saw his first acting role in Psycho II, as the 12-year-old son of Norman Bates, his father’s character.

Today, it seems he’s found his footing behind the camera, telling the stories that keep us up, terrified, at night. Stephen King’s The Monkey should be no exception to this rule. 

The short story was published in a collection of King’s stories called The Skeleton Crew in 1985 that includes other popular tales like The Mist. Stephen King’s The Monkey tells the story of two young brothers, Peter and Dennis, who find the classically creepy monkey toy that bangs cymbals.

The boys had been wandering around the attic of their great uncle’s house and discovered the monkey there. Upon investigating further, they find that the monkey had belonged to their father, Hal. Apparently Hal had discovered the monkey in an antique chest belonging to his own father, who had long since disappeared mysteriously. 

Only Stephen King could make the monkey such a creepy yet convoluted tale. Hal reveals that he suspects the monkey is cursed and that it actually had something to do with his father’s death, as he tells the boys that every time the cymbals clap together, someone close to him dies. He tells the boys that he chucked the monkey down the well at his uncle’s house to get rid of it, and it had never been seen since, until now. 

It looks as though the film adaptation will be a continuation of what Stephen King started with “The Monkey.” In the film, the two boys begin to experience the deaths of those around them until they rid themselves of the monkey.

Then, many years later, the boys grow up, and the deaths begin again. So they must come together to resolve the situation. It should be a horrifying watch in theaters next winter. 

This film adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Monkey” will star Theo James as twin brothers Hal and Bill, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Colin O’Brien, Rohan Campbell, and Sarah Levy. Neon won a bidding war to distribute the film in the United States in May 2024. Here’s hoping for another excellent adaptation to add to King’s archives.