The Monkey, Osgood Perkins's adaptation of the Stephen King short story, follows a young boy who discovers a cursed toy. It works better on paper.
Filmmaker Osgood Perkins isn’t one to play it safe. In his adaptation of Stephen King’s short story The Monkey, hitting theaters today, he refuses to pander to audiences or tread lightly. Instead, he delivers bold, unfiltered storytelling. “You can’t worry about offending an audience,” Perkins states. “You have to have the guts to execute it.”
His commitment to authenticity extends to the film’s gruesome special effects. The crew created “guts cannons” and trucks loaded with fake blood to craft some of the most graphic and imaginative deaths in horror cinema.
A Dark Tale with a Thoughtful Core
Unlike Perkins’ usual slow-burn horror, The Monkey moves at a relentless pace. The film follows Theo James as twin brothers tormented by a cursed wind-up toy monkey. Every time its key is turned, someone dies. With a cast including Tatiana Maslany and Elijah Wood, the film offers a mix of gore, thrills, and surprising depth. At its heart, it explores trauma, grief, and the passage of time.
Perkins himself has a deeply personal connection to themes of loss. His father, Psycho star Anthony Perkins, passed away from an AIDS-related illness, and his mother, Berry Berenson, was a passenger on one of the planes involved in the 9/11 attacks. Reflecting on how time shapes grief, Perkins shares, “If I had written this movie when I was 29, it would have been pretty sad. But now that I’m 51, it’s a pretty funny movie.”
Courtesy Everett Collection via Variety
From Actor to Horror Auteur
Perkins started his career in front of the camera, playing young Norman Bates in Psycho II and the awkward law student David in Legally Blonde. However, he shifted to directing with his 2015 debut, The Blackcoat’s Daughter, solidifying his place in the horror genre. His indie thriller Longlegs (2024), starring Nicolas Cage, became an unexpected hit, earning over $125 million on a $9 million budget.
“The success of Longlegs was a shock,” Perkins admits. “It’s an offbeat movie for weird people.” He credits distributor Neon for positioning it as a work of art. Despite newfound industry attention, he remains committed to his unique style. “I’m not running off to make a video game or an X-Men movie,” he says. “You can expect more of the same from me—just better.”
The Art of the Kill
Perkins prides himself on creative, over-the-top death scenes in The Monkey. He embraces the film’s cartoonish, fantasy-like nature, which likely helped avoid censorship issues. “Every death is totally impossible,” he notes. “As long as we kept to an Itchy and Scratchy level of playfulness, we could use as much blood as we wanted.”
The director even researched how much blood a human body contains—only to multiply it by five or more for maximum impact. “My special effects guys would show up daily with gallons and gallons of fake blood,” he recalls.
What’s Next?
Having successfully adapted King’s work, Perkins is open to more. He expresses interest in an anthology-style Creepshow-inspired project but isn’t drawn to television. Raised in a Hollywood era where TV and film were distinct, he remains committed to the big screen.
His secret to adaptation success? “Make it personal,” he advises. “If it comes from an honest place, it will feel worth something. And that’s what Stephen King does best.”
