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

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

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.

American writer and leading voice of horror literature Stephen King would know what Danse Macabre is. This is the title of his book about the ways of

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.

Oz Perkins takes a wildly different approach than Stephen King, but his version of The Monkey makes the same compelling point.