The Monkey
Movie, 2025, The 2020s, Set in A wind-up toy
The Monkey is #36 of 42 in release order and #20 of 42 in chronological order in the Stephen King Universe.
The story
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.
The Monkey recap
The Monkey (2025) follows twin brothers haunted by a wind-up toy monkey that causes a random, gruesome death every time its drum is played. Osgood Perkins writes and directs, with Theo James playing both adult twins, Hal and Bill Shelburn. In 1999 their father, a pilot (Adam Scott), tries to return the monkey to an antiques shop and vanishes after a chain of deadly accidents. The boys (Christian Convery) find it among his things, and their babysitter is killed at a restaurant that night. Hal, bullied by Bill, winds it hoping it will kill his brother, but instead their mother Lois (Tatiana Maslany) dies of an aneurysm. The brothers throw the monkey down a well and move to Maine to live with their aunt and uncle, but it returns, and their uncle is trampled to death. Twenty-five years later, Hal, estranged from his son Petey (Colin O'Brien), learns from Bill that their aunt has died and the monkey is back, with a string of freak deaths in town.
The Monkey ending explained
The Monkey ends with Bill killed and Hal and Petey vowing never to wind the toy again. Bill has been using the monkey for revenge, and a local named Ricky kidnaps Petey to get it, but Ricky is killed by wasps. Bill tries to make the monkey kill Hal, but it drums out of control and destroys much of the town. The brothers make peace, and then a bowling ball bearing Lois's name decapitates Bill. Hal and Petey watch a pale rider on a horse pass by, then go dancing, which Lois loved.
Where to watch The Monkey
The Monkey is streaming on Hulu and Kanopy in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 5.9/10, Rotten Tomatoes 77%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Salem's Lot, before The Life of Chuck.
- Chronological order: after Salem's Lot, before The Life of Chuck.
What to watch before The Monkey
In release order, 19 Stephen King Universe essentials come before The Monkey (2025), from Carrie (1976) to Salem's Lot (2024).
Cast
- Theo James as Hal / Bill
- Tatiana Maslany as Lois
- Christian Convery as Young Hal / Young Bill
- Colin O'Brien as Petey
- Adam Scott as Captain Petey Shelborn
- Elijah Wood as Ted
- Rohan Campbell as Thrasher / Ricky
- Sarah Levy as Aunt Ida
- Osgood Perkins as Uncle Chip
- Nicco Del Rio as Rookie Priest
- Zia Newton as Dwayne
- Kingston Chan as Lt. Pepper
Directed by Osgood Perkins.