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What to Know About the Stephen King Short Story That Inspired the Hit Horror Movie ‘The Monkey’

Osgood Perkins' latest horror movie is loosely based on a short story that appeared in Stephen King's 'Skeleton Crew'

By Jonathan Zavaleta

Jonathan Zavaleta

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February 25, 2025

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Stephen King‘s books are a frequent source of inspiration for filmmakers, and it’s not hard to see why — from The Shining to Shawshank Redemption, King’s works make for big box office draws. The latest is Longlegs director Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey, based on the short story of the same name.

The 1980 short story, which is about a cursed monkey toy that causes people to die in horrific accidents when it plays its cymbals (in the movie it’s a drum), was originally published in the adult magazine Gallery Magazine. In 1985, Stephen King compiled 22 stories, including “The Monkey,” into Skeleton Crew.

'The Monkey': What to Know About Stephen King's Short Story

Skeleton Crew

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What to Know About Skeleton Crew

In addition to “The Monkey,” Skeleton Crew includes The Mist, the 1980 novella that served as the inspiration for the 2007 film of the same name. The majority of the stories in Skeleton Crew were previously published, including in science fiction, horror, literary, and general interest magazines. The book has been republished many times, including the 2016 edition from Scribner.

Perkins’ The Monkey deviates substantially from King’s original, both narratively and tonally. The film blends horror with comedy, with some of the goriest, grizzliest scenes played for laughs, while the short story features the kind of menacing horror King’s work is known for. The film’s narrative also diverges substantially, including the eventual fate of the monkey.

Like the movie, the book follows Hal, whose childhood was haunted by the seemingly cursed monkey. He throws the monkey in a well, only for it to resurface years later. In the short story, Hal and his brother Bill have a much less contentious relationship than in the film, as do Hal and his son Petey, who have a strained, distant relationship in the film.

In the short story and the film, the monkey playing its instrument is always followed by a gruesome freak accident, and despite attempts to bury or destroy the “toy,” it always manages to come back. The film stars Theo James doing double duty as Hal and his twin brother, with Christian Convery playing the twins as boys. Their mother is played by Tatiana Maslany, while Adam Scott and Elijah Wood have brief, supporting appearances.

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'The Monkey': What to Know About Stephen King's Short Story

The Monkey [4K Blu-ray]

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The Monkey is distributed by Neon, the indie studio behind Sean Baker’s awards darling Anora. Due to Neon’s multiyear deal with Hulu, we can expect The Monkey to hit the streaming service at some point in the future, though no streaming date has been announced for the just-released film. Otherwise, fans of physical media can pick up the 4K Blu-ray, which is expected to drop on March 25.

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