Not even a year ago, Osgood Perkins unleashed the diabolically frightening “Longlegs” And define the stratospheric expectations for everything he could have in his sleeve then. Perfectly mix the hacultist fear with a skill to find the dark comedy in the hidden corners (due in large part to the disturbed performance and rock and roll of Nicolas Cage), the filmmaker’s assured management has left a lot of questions – okay, maybe just me – how he could approach another The horror film that has completely changed speed. Instead of a bizarre deep dive into the most disturbing depths of human id, how about a horror comedy that used horrible killed and exaggerated violence to find humor in the absurd ?

This recall defying expectations comes earlier than we could have thought with “The Monkey”, a windy adaptation of Stephen King’s news of the same name. It will not take long, however, for viewers to realize that this functionality feels as vaguely connected to its source material as for “Longlegs”. Having little or no connection with King’s story, I can only get rid of how purists will react to the artistic license that goes far, far Beyond the replacement of cymbals of the eponymous monkey toy with pests. Unfortunately, this vast gulf also extends to the way in which “the monkey” measures (or, more precisely, does not manage to measure) on the previous effort of Perkins. Where “Longlegs” was really fresh and revealing, this much more puffy follow -up cannot escape the stench of pastche – and not terribly unique or intelligent, to that.

What is the most frustrating about “Le Monge” is that Perkins had the good idea to look at the inherent stupidity of history. After all, there is only so much mileage that you can get out of a cursed liquidation toy that brings death to anyone who took his way while treating it with a serious po-face. But overlying too far in the opposite extreme is only due to a set of other problems. Laughter proves to be as random as the stretched killers who sometimes kill themselves inventive. The arc and distracted random tone can never decide to settle in one path or the other. The script loses all its momentum when it reaches a conclusion which is sort of too disorderly and too tapped. Worse still, any feeling of pleasure slowly ends up subsumber by the omnipresent feeling of cynicism and snark.

In a better world, “the monkey” would be held as an unmountained proof that the directors should not be bent in a specific box. Instead, this disappointing series of missed opportunities could make you wish that Perkins respected his proven forces.

Anyone who has already lost a loved one knows that even in the middle of a mourning process that seems to have no end in sight, tears can give way to smiles when they are the least anticipated. Osgood Perkins endured more than its fair share of tragediesAnd everyone helped shape the trajectory that finally led “the monkey”. Sometimes his unrivaled scenario seems to argue, the only thing we can face our most existential fears is to laugh. Yes, that means that this is only the last of a long line of horror films on the word “T” of everyone – the trauma – but its offbeat approach is a crucial aspect that separates this from many of its Wicker rivals, at least.

Anyway, “the monkey” is never forgettable. This is clear from the first parts of the film, which opens with a bloody and bloody prologue (with a strangely perfect Adam Scott in a glorified cameo) establishing everything we need to know about the main threat of the film. It also works against him, ironically, because he defines a high bar for controlled chaos that the rest of the film is not able to match. If you followed with The absolutely impeccable marketing campaign led by neonYou know the basic essentials now. History begins in New England in the 1990s and follows the twins Lesilleurs Hal and Bill Shelburn (both played by Christian Convery as children), the unfortunate souls who find themselves stuck with this frightening monkey toy and its murderous curse who accompanies him. As if his habit of arising in inexplicable places was not sufficient, his ability to go to the complete “final destination” on anyone (except the person who really turns the key to the back of the monkey, in particular) adds an essential dose Any need to unpredictable to a differently simple affair.

If you can go beyond the clumsy dialogue, a terribly unconvincing game and an overabundance of tropes worthy of Eyeroll throughout these first 30 minutes, well, things improve at least marginally from there. By taking 25 years later, we joined Hal as an absent and divorced dad (now played by Theo James) who avoids everyone, including his now distant brother (also represented by James) and his distant son Petey (Colin O’Brien), in a desperate attempt to protect his family. The past has a funny way of catching up with us, however, and this is only a matter of time before Hal, Petey and the whole city of Hal’s childhood were taken in the wake of this supernatural series killer .

On paper, everything on “the monkey” should have been a slam dunk. More than many other genre mashups, horror comedies require the most stable hand behind the wheel and Perkins seemed exactly the kind of talent that could mount this incredibly fine line. Instead, the experience of looking at this will leave you mainly to dwell on all missed opportunities. I tend to respect the idea that any film given must “learn” us to watch it, deliberately communicate the specific style and the approach that storytellers use to pass their ideas. For better or for worse, “the monkey” plants his flag very early when a character rather indicates a ham, “don’t think about it”.

This ethics of a faire takes place in practically all the facets of its cinema: from a visual aesthetic which frequently amounts to bland lighting and a strangely unwanted framing, to gags to a note too dependent on steep sections or Musical signals rather than meticulous configurations and reimbursements rather than meticulous configurations and reimbursements, to disperse elements of construction of the world which refuse to meet as a cohesive set. This last part undoubtedly ends up feeling most of the network, while Perkins has trouble filling this story with many interesting or even colorful characters. Local Burnout Ricky (Rohan Campbell), A Hilariously Overmatched Priest (Nicco del Rio) who Keeps Officiating A String of Disstruss Funerals, and Especially The Scene-Stealing Tatiana Maslany As the Twins’ Offbeat Mother Lois Are Among The Very Few Cast Members who Clearly Understand the mission here. (Elijah Wood is another, appearing in an all -to -bread appearance … but not before devouring Each thumb of surrounding landscapes first.) Yet for each joke that lands and each figure that makes a lasting impression, there is exponentially more emblematic failures of “throw everything on the wall and see what sticks” methodology “too much Widespread in “the monkey. “Even Theo James’ double performances, because two very different twins cannot display the rest of the film’s missteps.

“Everyone dies and it’s life,” makes a constant chorus throughout the 98 -minute execution. In the context of the film, what looks like an observation painfully by heart is actually supposed to play as a deep achievement. The inevitability and the suddenness of our end are not a good excuse to abandon and pack it; In fact, this is precisely what should motivate us keep life. It’s just a shame that the execution of themes so poignant leaves too much to be desired. “The monkey” is a barrel soaked in laughter of laughter and macabre killed who never find an effective way to reconcile one or the other of them.

/ Film assessment: 5 out of 10

“The Monkey” opens in theaters on February 21, 2025.