Stephen King once told us of a cursed mechanical monkey in a short story called, of course, “The Monkey.” It’s one of those stories that just gets right under your skin in its simplicity and deceptive obviousness. If you weren’t already suspicious of wind-up cymbal-banging monkey toys, King would push you over the edge. But it’s also a story that’s, well, short.
Yet there’s a horror film writer/director out there who can spin a mood of dread out really well. Osgood Perkins has just caught many a horror fan’s attention with Longlegs starring Nicolas Cage. But he’s been making films for quite some time. I’ll admit that more often than not I’ve respected his work more than loved it, but I think next February’s The Monkey from Neon and James Wan’s Atomic Monster may be the one that makes me a fan. (I haven’t yet seen Longlegs.)
Stephen King, James Wan, and Osgood Perkins. This is a triad of terror.
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