Hollywood is gearing up for a new release of its next big horror release. The makers just dropped the first teaser of The Monkey and it has led to a massive response on social media. The film is an adaptation of the Stephen King short story also titled The Monkey. Set to release on the big screens in early 2025, it is backed by NEON, producer James Wan and directed by Osgood Perkins. What makes the project more exciting is that the screenplay is also written by Perkins (best known for Longlegs). And the first look at the teaser confirms the film will be made in his classic style.
The teaser led by Theo James featured him in a bloodied environment over and over again along with a massive blood bath taking place every time he encounters the menacing toy monkey. The clip began with an introduction to The Monkey, Theo turning the key on the toy and narration revealed that “For the longest time there was nothing and then it appeared. A beast not from this earth.” It then shows people in the 1970s and the 80s being killed in front of the twins. Later, a grown-up Theo (one of the twins) is once again haunted by their childhood toy.
The narrator also reveals that whoever has the toy possesses its powers, but the teaser does not reveal any more about the climax of the story. According to the film’s official synopsis the film will follow “twin brothers Hal and Bill who discover their father’s old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths starts occurring all around them.”
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“The brothers decide to throw the monkey away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years. “But when the mysterious deaths begin again, the brothers must reunite to find a way to destroy the monkey for good before it takes the lives of everyone close to them,” it added. While both roles of Bill and Hal are set to be played by Theo James, the film also stars Elijah Wood, Tatiana Maslany, Laura Mennell, and Christian Convery among others.
The Monkey written by King first appeared in Skeleton Crew, a 1985 collection that also featured The Mist, The Jaunt, The Raft, Survivor Type, The Reach, and more. The short story also follows a pair of twins through their childhood and adulthood as they are faced with the horrors of an evil toy. The short story is over 40 pages long and has been called one of the scariest stories by King.
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The film is also expected to be an interesting one given the collaboration between the production teams which includes James Wan, who is best known for creating The Conjuring Universe as well as Saw and Insidious. Perkins’ track record with horror especially historic horror is good. From the look of the teaser, it does seem like the film will take place in different timelines, from their childhood in the 80s and later their adult lives possibly in the 2000s.
Several scenes in the teaser have caught fans’ attention for the colour palate as well as its cinematography, which is consistent with some of Perkins’ previous work. The film will hit the big screen on February 21, 2025.
Cover artwork by Patrick Gawande/Mashable India
