Move over Kendrick, this year's halftime show might just be stolen by the upcoming horror movie The Monkey directed and written by Osgood Perkins. 1428 Elm has learned that distributor Neon has partnered with The Kill Count creators Dead Meat to create the first "Horror Halftime Show." It will air as part of Super Bowl Sunday on the Dead Meat YouTube channel.
This weekend, the Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Philadelphia Eagles as part of the Super Bowl LIX. It will be one of the biggest sports and entertainment events of the year, with tons of new trailers set to premiere along with the continued tradition of fun Super Bowl commercials. But horror fans will get to join the fun in their own unique way, this time with this special halftime show dedicated to the genre.
Perkins and star Elijah Wood will join Dead Meat hosts James A. Janisse and Chelsea Rebecca to analyze "kills and scares in the style of football legend, John Madden."
For those unaware, Madden was a legendary sports commentator and coach known for his detailed analysis of football plays and winner of numerous Sports Emmy Awards. Madden passed away in December 2021, so this new show will be a great way to honor his memory. In a similar fashion to Madden's recaps, Perkins, Woods, and the Dead Meat hosts will analyze notable horror films, pointing out the best kills, scares, and more, with frame-by-frame commentary.
"The inaugural show promises to deliver a bloody good time with the gnarliest horror scenes and plenty of comedy," reads the press release.
So far, The Monkey sits at a 91% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes, an even higher score than Perkins' 2024 film Longlegs, which became a massive hit for Neon. The Monkey appears to be on track to become one of 2025's most successful horror films, with the official trailer becoming the most-viewed indie horror trailer ever, surpassing 100 million views within 72 hours and over 109 million global views across all platforms to date.
The Monkey is the upcoming horror film based on Stephen King's 1980 short story of the same name. Theo James plays twin brothers intent on stopping a toy monkey from killing them and their entire family. Wood also stars alongside Tatiana Maslany, Christian Convery, Colin O'Brien, Rohan Campbell, and Sarah Levy.
The Monkey will be released in theaters on February 21. Dead Meat's Horror Halftime Show airs live on Sunday, February 9 on the Dead Meat YouTube channel during the Super Bowl Halftime.