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Another terrifying Stephen King short story has jumped to the big screen, and here’s what to know aboutThe Monkey. Based on the eponymous short story originally published in 1980,The Monkeyconcerns a pair of brothers who discover a mysterious cymbal-playing monkey toy in the attic. Unfortunately for the unsuspecting siblings, someone close to them perishes every time the mechanical simian clangs its cymbals. Aping classic stories likeThe Monkey’s Paw, King’s underrated tale was one of his few works yet to see the screen.
As the iconic King of Horror’s career careens into its sixth decade, the popularity of the Maine-based wordsmith seemingly hasn’t faded.Movies based on Stephen King’s workscontinue to be blockbusters, and though King has had his fair share of misses, his books, novellas, and short stories have proven to be a nearly endless well for Hollywood. Now, one of King’s more understated works has finally gotten the adaptation treatment, and it has some big names in the cast which have helped makeThe Monkeyanother Stephen King smash-hit.
All 66 Stephen King Books Ranked From Worst To Best
Over the course of his literary career, Stephen King has crafted 66 novels and over 200 short stories, but how do his books rank against one another?
Stephen King’s The Monkey Digital Release Date
Catch The Terror At Home In April 2025
After a strong performance at the box office, the latest Stephen King horror opus has finally reached the small screen. Starting in the first days of April 2025,The Monkeyis available to purchase and rental on all major VOD platforms. For now, the movie will cost $19.99 to rent and $24.99 to buy, and details concerning a physical release are still forthcoming. It’s also unclear when the movie will be available for streaming, though a release date is likely to arrive soon.
Stephen King’s The Monkey Box Office & Critical Reception
Great Reviews & Even Better Box Office Returns
Though Stephen King’s adaptations are notoriously hit or miss,The Monkeycouldn’t fail with horror maven Oz Perkins at the helm. As such, the creepy tale scored high marks from critics overall, including aRotten Tomatoesscore in the high 70% range. Horror outletBloody Disgustingpraised the movie for its gory humor, whileScreen Rantdocked the movie for lacking soul in the face of its absurdity. Overall,it seems as if the King adaptation pushed its over-the-top humor to the point where it alienated some viewers.
As for the film’s financial outlook,The Monkeycontinued NEON’s hot streakof late, and finished second behind only a massive Marvel movie at the box office in its opening weekend.The Monkeygrabbed over $14 million in its debut weekend (viaBox Office Mojo), making itthe second-biggest opening for NEON after 2024’sLonglegs. At this rate, the Oz Perkins opus should continue to build momentum throughout its theatrical run.
Stephen King’s The Monkey Cast
Theo James Leads Alongside Elijah Wood & Tatiana Maslany
The lead roles are both played by Theo James,who stretched his range as twin brothers Hal and Bill. The star-studded ensemble grew in early 2024 with the addition of Elija Wood as Ted alongside Tatiana Maslany ofShe-Hulkfame, who plays Lois, Hal/Bill’s mom.Sweet Toothstandout Christian Convery plays the childhood versions of Hal and Bill, while Sarah Levy plays Hal and Bill’s aunt, Ida. Youngster Colin O’Brien plays Hal’s son Petey, and Rohan Campbell appears as Ricky.
Stephen King’s The Monkey Trailers
Watch The Full Trailers Below
Though the movie wasn’t set to premiere until 2025, a teaser trailer forThe Monkeywas dropped in August 2024 that serves to increase the dread for the upcoming Stephen King adaptation. In the span of only 44 seconds, the teaser shows the creepy drumming monkey as the camera zooms in with distorted carnival music playing under the scene. Finally, the teaser concludes with a shot of Theo James' Hall or Bill removing his glasses in shock after being drenched in blood.
After the first teaser dropped a few sinister hints, a longerteasertrailer forThe Monkeyarrived in October 2024. Set to a jaunty beat, the blood-soaked and macabre trailer highlights just a few of the terrible deaths that will occur throughout the film. Also featured in the clip is director Oz Perkins' unique style, and the symetrical camera work is in direct conflict with a world that is clearly going mad.
Further fleshing out the story of Oz Perkins' nightmarish opus, the latesttrailerforThe Monkeydebuted in January 2024. Narration in the trailer explains that Hal and Bill discovered the demonic toy as children and went to great lengths to destroy it. Unfortunately, the monkey has returned, and the twins must reunite in order to stop its reign of terror once again.
Stephen King’s The Monkey Ending & Spoilers
An Appropriately Bleak Ending For The King Adaptation
the movie does an excellent job of recouping some of its emotional weight in the final scenes, and never leaves behind its core ideas in favor of cheap thrills
The ending ofThe Monkeydidn’t pull any punches, and while it was humorously gory, it was also rife with less-than-subtle allusions to folklore and mythology. After diverging greatly from King’s short story, the movie does an excellent job of recouping some of its emotional weight in the final scenes, and never leaves behind its core ideas in favor of cheap thrills. Though most horror films nod toward a sequel as a rule,The Monkeyis likely a one-and-done story with no follow-up necessary.
The Monkey
Cast
The Monkey is a horror film focused on twin brothers who encounter a mysterious wind-up monkey responsible for a series of tragic events within their family. Twenty-five years later, the estranged brothers are compelled to face the cursed toy once again as it resumes its deadly rampage.
