For
a
story
that
thrives
on
jumpscares
and
gruesome
kills,
The
Monkey
has
enough
tricks
up
its
sleeve.
The
shockers
keep
you
entertained
for
the
most
part,
observes
Mayur
Sanap.
A
movie
centered
around
a
haunted
toy
is
not
novel.
Think
of
campy
horror
in
Chucky,
or
atmospheric
Annabelle
or
the
Marathi
horror
comedy
Zapatlela
—
the
evil
doll
sub-genre
is
quite
a
bit
of
fun
if
done
well.
The
Monkey,
which
is
backed
by
The
Conjuring‘s
James
Wan,
takes
a
Stephen
King
short
story
and
turns
into
a
mix
and
match
of
genres
—
horror,
slasher,
thriller,
along
with
some
dark
comedic
beats.
As
expected,
this
ambitious
mix
of
genres
skids
off
balance
and
what
we
get
is
a
desperate
attempt
at
horror
that
relies
heavily
on
shock
value
rather
than
genuine
scares.
The
story
follows
twin
brothers
Hal
and
Bill
(both
played
by
Christian
Convery)
who
find
a
toy
monkey
in
the
closet
of
their
deceased
father
(Adam
Scott).
What’s
initially
presumed
as
a
‘stupid’
toy
turns
out
to
be
something
sinister
that
sets
a
chain
of
gruesome
deaths
around
them.
As
the
boys
witness
the
crazy
ways
people
die,
they
realise
the
monkey
kills
at
whim.
The
cursed
toy
kills
their
mother
(Tatiana
Maslany)
leaving
them
orphaned.
After
seemingly
get
rid
of
the
monkey,
the
story
moves
forward
25
years
and
the
now
adult
Hal
and
Bill
(Theo
James
in
dual
roles)
have
turned
into
estranged
brothers.
The
monkey
strikes
back
into
their
lives
as
more
deaths
follow.
For
a
story
that
thrives
on
jumpscares
and
gruesome
kills,
The
Monkey
has
enough
tricks
up
its
sleeve,
making
a
way
for
some
cleverly
crafted
gory
set
pieces.
The
Final
Destination-style
shockers
keep
you
entertained
for
the
most
part,
if
that’s
your
movie
watch
of
choice.
However,
for
a
film
that’s
only
100
minutes
long,
The
Monkey
meanders
after
its
initial
shock
value
as
the
conflict
of
twins
that
steers
the
central
plot
is
generic
and
boring.
Director
Osgood
Perkins
has
laced
the
drama
with
twisted
humour
that
doesn’t
effortlessly
gel
with
the
fright
on
screen.
Worse,
it
only
dilutes
the
eerie
atmosphere.
Random
characters
are
introduced
and
then
killed
off
immediately,
and
the
story
continues
to
move
at
a
sluggish
pace
only
for
another
random
kill
to
stir
things
up
again,
albeit
briefly.
By
the
time,
we
reach
its
predictable
climatic
twist,
things
are
already
drawn
out
and
you
wonder
if
this
could
have
been
better
off
as
a
short
film.
The
Monkey
Review
Rediff
Rating:
