From the cleverness of its writing, to the gleeful goriness of its many deaths, The Monkey is a black comedy delight and the best horror film of the year so far.

The film follows Hal (Theo James), a quiet and reserved man who is just wanting to see his estranged son, Petey (Colin O’Brien), and enjoy time with him before he’s adopted and will no longer see him. However plans change when his twin brother, Bill (also Theo James) warns of the seemingly cursed wind-up drumming monkey that their father left them reemerging and causing chaos. Everytime The Monkey finishes banging its drum, someone dies in one of the most horrific ways imagineable so it must be stopped.

With Longlegs last year, Osgood Perkins showed his potential, as the directing was one of that film’s strengths. This is exceptionally different tonally and he may have potentially found his forte with this black comedy style. Theo James’ return was a welcome one too and he did not disappoint. He has a lot to do here playing Hal and yet also his twin Bill, who is his polar opposite personality-wise. James shines at making these characters feel worlds apart and yet very much consistent with the tone that Perkins has set.  

The real draw of this film is the kills and they’re excellent. They’re absurdly inventive and will keep the audience engaged with what could horrifically kill someone next. There is a constant anticipation for when the titular primate is going to bang his drum and the next body is going to hit the floor, or just outright explode. It’s a satisfying loop and it keeps one-upping itself throughout to make it constantly thrilling. Most of the kills are also incredibly slapstick and, as a result, hilarious. The comedic timing of the kills and also the reactions of which by James are what make this so constantly entertaining.

The element that brings all these triumphs together into a cohesive and impressive piece is the writing though. As much as this film seems quite immature in its explicit presentation, its messages and themes are quite the opposite. There is a lot here about mortality and grief but at the centre of it all is this rallying cry to smile at death and greet it like the part of life it is. To dance away without fear of it because whether it happens in 60 seconds or 60 years, it will still happen so there’s no need to worry about it. This film is actively laughing at death and the likelihood is that if you watch this, you probably will too.

Perkins got much more of a spotlight put on him with Longlegs than any of his previous films and he now seems to be using his name accordingly. The Monkey oozes the confidence of a director finding his indentity and horror, especially, needs more directors like this. It will be very interesting to see what he has in store next.