Partial poster of “The Monkey.”
The Monkey — a hit horror thriller based on Stephen King’s short story from Longlegs director Osgood Perkins — is now available to rent for much less on digital streaming.
Rated R, The Monkey opened in theaters on Feb. 21. The official logline for The Monkey reads, “When twin brothers find a mysterious wind-up monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tear their family apart. Twenty-five years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree forcing the estranged brothers to confront the cursed toy.”
Written and directed by Perkins, The Monkey stars Theo James (Netflix’s The Gentlemen) as twin brothers Hal and Bill, while Tatiana Maslany (She-Hulk, Orphan Black) plays the twins’ mother, Lois, in flashback scenes. The Monkey also stars Christian Convery as the young versions of Hal and Bill, Colin O’Brien as Bill’s estranged teen son, Petey, and Elijah Wood as Ted, who is married to Hal’s ex-wife,
In addition to directing the film and adapting King’s book for the film’s screenplay, Perkins also plays a supporting role in The Monkey as Hall and Bill’s uncle, Chip.
The Monkey was released on digital streaming via premium video on demand on April 4 for a purchase price of $24.99 and $19.99 for a 48-hour rental period.
On Tuesday, however, the PVOD rental price dropped to $9.99 for a 48-hour period and $19.99 for purchase. The film is available on PVOD on such digital platforms as AppleTV, Fandango at Home, Prime Video and Spectrum.
‘The Monkey’ Director Osgood Perkins’ Life And Career Is Rooted In The Horror Genre
Filmmaker Osgood Perkins is the son of late Psycho movie icon Anthony Perkins and late actress Berry Berenson, whose credits include Cat People.
Before his career as a filmmaker, Osgood Perkins’ first credit in the movie business came as an actor as he starred as the young version of his father’s legendary character, Norman Bates, in the 1983 horror thriller Psycho II.
While Perkins has since acted in a variety of different film genres — his credits include the role of Dorky David in the 2001 comedy classic Legally Blonde — he hasn’t strayed too far from his horror film roots, which includes a role in director Jordan Peele’s horror thriller Nope in 2022.
Prior to directing Longlegs and The Monkey, Perkins directed the horror films The Blackcoat’s Daughter starring Emma Roberts, Kiernan Shipka, Lucy Boynton in 2015, 2016’s I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House starring Boynton, and 2020’s Gretel and Hansel starring Sophia Lillis.
Like Longlegs — which stars Maika Monroe as an intuitive FBI agent tracking down a devil-worshipping serial killer (Nicolas Cage) — The Monkey was a big hit in theaters and with critics.
During its theatrical run, The Monkey earned $39.7 million domestically and nearly $24 million internationally for a worldwide box office tally of $63.7 million against an $11 million production budget before prints and advertising costs, per The Numbers.
The film also received a “fresh” rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics, who collectively gave the horror comedy a 78% “fresh” rating based on 272 reviews. Audiences, however, gave The Monkey a 52% “rotten” score on RT’s Popcornmeter based on 1,000-plus verified user ratings.
The Monkey is available for a reduced rental price on PVOD of $9.99 and a purchase price of $19.99 on Tuesday.
