Summary
The Monkeyis Osgood Perkins’ latest horror film following 2024’sLonglegs. It’s an adaptation of aStephen King short storyand James Wan, a newer master of horror, helped produce it. The film begins with two twin brothers, Hal and Bill Shelburn, witnessing several murders after uncovering an old toy of their father’s in 1999.
Decades later, the toy appears again to wreak havoc in their lives even after they buried it as kids. While scary,The Monkeyis also played for laughs thanks to the absurdity of some of the kills. Viewers who enjoyed it in the theater may also enjoy these wild takes on the horror genre. Evil toys, childhood traumas, cursed families, dark comedies, and more are ahead.
Beetlejuiceis a horror comedy about the mundanity of death and becoming a ghost. The movie opens with Adam and Barbara Maitland dying in a car crash, doomed to live in their house for near eternity before they can move on. This would be okay if they were alone, but instead, they also have to deal with new owners, the Deetz’s, who rearrange their stuff.
Upset by these new conditions, they think about hiring a poltergeist named Beetlejuice who resides in a model town Adam built before his death, and chaos ensues from there.Beetlejuiceis aTim Burton miraclethat probably doesn’t need that much explanation, but the fact remains that it is a classic.
It Followsis a metaphor for the dangers of engaging with romantic partners without proper care and protection. Most modern horror movies like to use allegories for conditions to tell their stories, and this is one of the creepiest of the bunch.
It features a curse whose origins are unknown, but those afflicted will pass on this curse to their romantic partners. Once infected,a ghost-like entitythat can take on any form will follow that person around and ultimately kill them given the chance. Even if someone lives in Minnesota and moves to Japan, that ghost WILL find them, much like the cursed monkey inThe Monkey.
For those who missed it,Longlegswas the last movie Osgood Perkins directed beforeThe Monkey. It follows FBI Agent Lee Harker as she stumbles upon a paranormal case in the department. Someone has been tricking fathers into murdering their families around the time of their daughters' birthdays, only for the true killer to leave a coded note taking credit, which Lee eventually puts together.
She also finds a doll at one of the murder houses which has a mysterious orb inside. How it relates to the overall case requires a spoiler, but let’s just say that it’s unpredictable, much likeNicolas Cage’s performanceas the codenamed Longlegs is unpredictable and unhinged in the movie.
There are a lot of great item-based Stephen King adaptations worth highlighting after watchingThe Monkey,butNeedful Thingssticks out the most. Like many King settings, the movie begins in the small town of Castle Rock.
A new shopkeeper moves in, providing the residents of this sleepy village with things they desire the most with seemingly no catch. The trick is that these items are cursed, making the owners more evil by the day. By the end of the movie, the town is practically destroying itself because everyone is going cuckoo for consumerism.
Piranha 3Dis an absurdist remake, or more like a reimagining, ofPiranhafrom 1978. It takes place around theSpring Break holidaywhen college kids are at their worst, and in this beach setting, a crew is trying to make an adult movie.
Things go wrong when people start dying to ravenous piranhas, which is when a group of scientists are called in to deal with the problem. ImagineJawsif it were bloodier and funnier.Piranha 3Dis a good recommendation for those who love gore and comedy blended and, because Adam Scott is in it (he briefly makes an appearance inThe Monkey), it makes an ideal companion to 2025’s latest horror comedy.
Ready or Nottakes place in a mansion after Alex and Grace get married. Alex belongs toa board game empireand his family invites them to the family mansion to play a game to celebrate their vows, as is their family tradition. It’s a bit unorthodox, but Grace goes along with it and, unfortunately, she chooses the wrong game: Hide and Seek.
Alex’s family, it is revealed, are cursed by tradition, and they have to kill the bride of a newlywed family member or else they will all die. The movie then becomes a cat-and-mouse game wherein Grace tries desperately to hide from members of the family who are trying to kill her. Is the curse real? That’s the big question.
Society
Societyis a hard movie to describe beyond calling ita physiological thrillerwithout spoiling too much. Bill is an ordinary teenager who feels on the outs with his parents, who seem to adore his sister more. Bill keeps seeing weird stuff but believes it’s just a trick of the eyes. People around town are starting to act weird as well, making Bill think otherwise.
Is it all in Bill’s head or is something going on? Let’s just say Bill’s family is hiding something and, when things hit a boiling point, viewers will be unable to unsee the horrors found within. There isabsolutelynothinglike the climax ofSociety, so don’t look too much more into it and just watch it instead.
Vivariumis a smaller horror movie from 2019 that probably not many have seen. It stars a schoolteacher, Gemma, and her janitorial partner, Tom, who decide to look at a new suburban plot outside of the city. Their tour guide is a bit weird, as is the cookie-cutter neighborhood they tour, which looks to be in pristine order albeit abandoned.
Their guide eventually sneaks away, and the two find themselves trapped in suburban hell and unable to escape. Also, they’re given a child in a box to raise who looks and sounds like Damien fromThe Omenfranchise. To callVivariumweird would be an understatement, but it is captivating from minute one.
