SPOILER ALERT

It's always a coin toss when going into a movie blind. Sometimes I get excited about the prospect of just seeing something new with no idea what to expect, and other times the same thought will triggeer a forever avoidance.

I knew two things about The Monkey. It had something to do with an organ-grinder monkey toy and Elijah Wood was in it. I had no idea the insanely hysterical mess I was walking into or how stacked the cast was. Elijah Wood is literally only in the film for less than five minutes, but thankfully, there was plenty going on that I simply did not care.

A quick synopsis: The Monkey is the tale of twin boys who inherit this so-called toy from their pilot, deadbeat father. Somehow the monkey is attached to this family and refuses to leave no matter how many ways this family attempts to take it out. Whenever anyone inserts and turns the key that the monkey needs to beat its drum, someone inevitably dies.

I'd say that's basically it. The key gets turned and someone besides the key turner dies, usually someone in close proximity to the said monkey. At first, it seems likes it targeting people close to the twins, but as the box the monkey arrived in says "Like Life," it's all really random. The only thing that seems not random is the key turner is safe from the threat. Also, if no one turns the freaking key, no one will die. That key needs to be a safely guarded family heirloom, and the monkey should have a place of honor on a high shelf somewhere. Since I went in blind, except a minor clip I watched before deciding to put it on this list, I had no idea this was more comedy than horror. However, considering Elijah Wood's presence I probably should have expected it. His brilliant choice of movies usually have some sort of morbid comedic lean.

I'm not sure if The Monkey has a message. There was a lot going on with "deadbeat dads;" even though I truly believe the father, played by Adam Scott, did some sort of disappearing act to protect his family or was murdered by The Monkey the next time the key turned for attempting to burn it to ashes.

The deadbeat dads also were uniform donners. The main father was a pilot, and later on, a new family with two sons had a police father who left. There is a point to show both of the uniforms hanging in the closets of items they left behind.

As I'm typing this out, maybe that's the point: fathers leaving their children to deal with their baggage. Hal, the primary twin and narrator of the story, almost repeats this pattern with his own son Petey. I imagine if Hal and Bill, the other twin, had died the monkey would have found its way to Petey.

My favorite part of the movie had to have been the increasingly ridiculous freak accidents that occurred each time the monkey beat its drum. This felt somewhat of an homage to Final Destination, but the slapstick unparalleled. I'm not much for grotesque murder scenes, but these were too unbelievable to illicit nightmares.

The Monkey

Written & Directed by Osgood Perkins (based on a short story by Stephen King): He's on a weird movie streak, following up Longlegs with this. And now I'm adding his other films to my watchlist. Very excited that he seems to reuse Tatiana Maslany; she's one of my all time favorite actresses.

Starring

• Theo James (The Gentlemen, White Lotus)
• Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black, She-Hulk)
• Christian Convery (Sweet Tooth)
• Colin O'Brien (Wonka)
• Adam Scott (Severance, Parks & Rec)
• Elijah Wood (Yellowjackets, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency)
• Sarah Levy (Schitt's Creek)
• Rohan Campbell (The Hardy Boys)
• Tess Degenstein