The Monkey is brand new to theaters this week and has been anticipated since Osgood Perkins' Longlegs. The movie is a complete change of pace from the horror/thriller, The Monkey goes in a far quirkier direction. The Monkey is a campy good time full of chaos and mayhem that leaves you smiling.
Osgood Perkins leans into the gore with his creative kills. Each death has its own charm that leaves you gasping or giggling with few reactions in between. This list will be ranking the best kills to the worst based on my own viewing. Be warned there are major spoilers ahead!
1. Trampled by horses
My favorite death has to be Chip, Osgood Perkins writes himself into the movie as the eccentric uncle. Unfortunately the character doesn't last long and is trampled to death by horses while hunting. When they recovered the body it looks like ground beef or smushed apple pie. The death is hilarious but gruesome and downright disgusting, it's perfect.
2. Swallowing a colony of wasps
Ricky's character is a little misplaced in the movie but he is another body that eventually gets killed off. Ricky gets trigger happy and accidentally shoots through a windshield while sitting in the car, agitating a nearby wasps nest. The wasps swarm through the car and make a beeline for Ricky's screaming mouth. The wasps begin to sting through his face until his jaw begins to separate from his face. The end result is a sight to behold and left my own jaw hanging open.
3. Impaled by a For Sale sign
Similar to Chip, his wife Ida meets a very unlucky demise. In true Final Destination fashion Aunt Ida falls first into fish hooks that imbed into her face so she cleans the injury with alcohol but then she accidentally sets herself on fire, which then leads to her rushing outside and eventually impaling her face through her for sale sign. I enjoyed this particular death because of how ridiculous the lead up was, I kept trying to guess what in the house would kill her.
4. Swimming pool electrocution
While staying at a motel with Petey, Hal is discussing the whereabouts of the monkey with Bill, he then notices a woman nearby getting reading to take a dip in the swimming pool, but a vent falls close to the edge, causing an electric spark. The spark reaches the pool and as soon as she dives, she explodes. Her leg goes flying into Hal confirming the monkey is back.
5. Disemboweled by harpoon
Hal and Bill's father Petey tries to return the monkey to its seller in the film's opening. The seller refuses, denying any harm the monkey could do, Petey tries to warn him but once the monkey drops his hand it's too late. A harpoon fires and goes straight through the owner but when the harpoon is retracted back his intestine goes with it. The opening kill is quite dramatic but sets the tone very well for the rest of the movie.
6. Beheading at hibachi grill
When Hal and Bill are young they go out to dinner with their babysitter. This is the first death that the boys witness. The hibachi chef is doing his normal tricks and accidentally swings his blade a little too fast. The babysitter looks to Hal showing a cut growing from her throat, her head then slips off onto the grill. The death is pretty shocking because you don't know what happened until you see her throat begin to bleed.
7. Townsfolk deaths
I could divide up each of the deaths that the people of Maine endured but that would make this list very long. The highlights of the deaths would have to be the lawnmower incident and the golf course cobra. The lawnmower was one of the bloodiest deaths and the striking cobra was quite hilarious considering there are no cobras in Maine. A lot of the people died thanks to the monkey going bananas (see what I did there?) but watching the town erupt in chaos was extremely entertaining.
8. Brain aneurysm
Hal has had enough of his brother and begs the monkey to kill him but the monkey does not take requests. In a sick twist of fate the monkey sets his sights on their mother. Bill walks into the kitchen where his mother is baking but realizes something is very wrong with her. When Lois turns around to face Bill she is bleeding from her ears and eyes, she then collapses to the floor. The death is actually quite sad and changes Bill's character for the worse.
9. Bowling ball
After Bill confesses what he was trying to do with the monkey, he begins to turn a new leaf. He was hurt by the death of his mother and wanted to kill Hal for it. The monkey does not take kindly to demands and Bill pays the ultimate karmic price. The bowling ball Hal fantasized killing Bill with comes full circle and smashes his face in. The splatter is comical as Bills face basically explodes on impact. Bill's death was a Chekhov's gun moment and is a satisfying conclusion to his character.
10. Falling shotgun
As Hal goes through his Aunt's house to find the monkey he asks the real estate agent to open every closet. Coming up empty handed they go to the last closet, as the door creaks open, a shotgun falls from its post. The shotgun hits the real estate agent and she explodes right in front of Hal. The sight is similar to the previous deaths, full of blood, but lacks creativity in my opinion.
11. Cheerleader bus accident
The cheerleaders were confusing to me because they would cheer at the most inopportune times and were seemingly excited about Ida's death. The ending shows them cheering once again as the town is up in flames, that is until another bus drives by and beheads them all. The sight is satisfying but also a little random considering their characters.
Overall I loved all of the death's and found it pretty hard to rank them. Each death deserves its moment of praise. The monkey was a formidable villain and succeeded in causing as many gruesome deaths as possible. I was satisfied by how much we got to see and just how ridiculous it all was (in the best possible way).
The Monkey is now playing in theaters.