A new horror movie, adapted from a short story by Stephen King, has landed a whopping 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Monkey, from director Osgood Perkins, follows brothers who find a creepy wind-up toy monkey in their loft, and accidentally unleash a series of gruesome deaths.
The White Lotus star Theo James leads the star-studded cast, alongside Elijah Wood, Sarah Levy and Tatiana Maslany.
After the trailer was ‘banned’ from airing on TV, the flick is set to be released in cinemas on February 21.
Ahead of the premiere, it has been met with rave reviews from critics – with many heaping praise on the ‘gory, glorious scenes’.
Empire’s Jamie Graham wrote: ‘Don’t expect the true terror of Perkins’ Longlegs or King’s source story. Do expect plentiful gags to make you, well, gag. The best scenes here are a gory glory.’
‘The Monkey is prime evidence that Perkins is one of the rare horror directors who can strike a sublime balance between comedy, suspense, and the type of gore and nastiness that has been missing from mainstream horror for years,’ Collider’s Emma Kiely said.
THN’s Kat Hughes agreed: ‘Super stylish and somewhat whimsical, The Monkey is a gloriously kitsch comedy horror that has blood and guts by the bucketful.’
‘It’s a vicious and hysterical spectacle of blood and brain matter that’ll make you laugh, gasp, gag, and even think,’ Kristy Puchko of Mashable wrote.
As Meagan Navarro from Bloody Disgusting added: ‘With brisk storytelling efficiency and a playful spirit, The Monkey delivers a Stephen King adaptation like no other.
‘Perkins pushes back against logic in favor of entertaining midnight madness, and death has never been funnier or gorier.’
Thankfully, we only have a few more days to wait before the Monkey scares us silly.
Viewers may need to pack a pillow to hide behind after film distributor Neon confirmed that trailers were ‘banned’ by network executives, for being ‘excessively violent’.
The official synopsis reads: ‘When twin brothers find a mysterious wind-up monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tear their family apart.
‘25 years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree forcing the estranged brothers to confront the cursed toy.’
The Monkey will be released in cinemas on February 21.
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