"The Monkey" movie director Osgood Perkins spills on his cartoonish kills, nods to Stephen King and why Death himself makes an appearance. (Spoilers!)

Writer/director Osgood Perkins says his new horror movie was about "trying to conjure the spirit" of the horror legend's work.

The Monkey is out now, and you might spot a couple of familiar faces appearing in the new horror movie – but not Stephen King.

Even though it takes major liberties with the Stephen King short story that inspired it, Osgood Perkins's film The Monkey still follows the basic premise of the original. It focuses on a guy dealing with a magical toy monkey that causes mysterious and absurd deaths every time it bangs its drum.

As far as tone is concerned, Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey is unlike any Stephen King adaptation audiences have ever seen. There have been King films in the past that have funny lines and funny scenes, but the 2025 movie is the first to go all out and consistently use extreme horror as a vehicle for comedy.

Director Osgood Perkins follows up 'Longlegs' with a giddy, gruesome, film that would make the King of Horror proud

Stephen King has become an authority online on films, whether they are based on his works or not. He often shares reviews for horror or sci-fi films but he is also very open about his adaptations and doesn't mind being upfront if he doesn't like them.