Theo James is making his horror debut—and the first look is already sending chills.
The trailer for The Monkey, the latest Stephen King adaptation from director Osgood Perkins (Longlegs), has officially dropped, giving audiences a terrifying glimpse at the cursed wind-up toy that unleashes a gruesome killing spree. Produced by horror legend James Wan (The Conjuring, Saw), the film reimagines King’s 1980 short story with a darkly comedic edge.
James stars as twin brothers Bill and Hal, who, as kids, stumble upon their father’s old monkey toy in the attic. That discovery leads to a series of horrifying deaths that tear their family apart. But the nightmare isn’t over—25 years later, the killings start again, forcing the estranged brothers to confront the evil they thought was long gone.
The film features a stacked cast, including Elijah Wood, Tatiana Maslany, Christian Convery, Colin O’Brien, Rohan Campbell, and Sarah Levy, alongside James in the lead.
Since its release, the The Monkey trailer has exploded online, amassing 109 million views across platforms, including TikTok. In its first 24 hours alone, it racked up 43 million views, surpassing 100 million in just three days—making it one of the most-watched independent horror trailers ever.
For context, that’s more than Smile (100M views, $22.6M opening), The Black Phone (73M), and even Nosferatu’s first trailer (74M). Clearly, audiences can’t look away from this nightmare.
Perkins, who made history with Longlegs as Neon’s highest-grossing film ever, describes The Monkey as his most comedic horror film yet.
“It’s feeling more like an old John Landis or Joe Dante movie,” Perkins told The Hollywood Reporter. “I saw an opportunity to make a wry, absurdist comedy about death. It’s about the very basic fact that we all die—and how f**ing funny, weird, and surreal that is.”*
Neon is leaning all the way into the film’s unsettling energy. The studio even dropped a partially redacted “trailer advertising report” detailing which scenes can only be shown to R-rated audiences in theaters. Some of the highlights? A bowling ball smashing a child’s face and a baby carriage engulfed in flames.
The trailer itself teases plenty of blood-soaked horror, with one particularly shocking moment showing a priest exclaiming, “Oh, f**!”* at the sight of the cursed monkey’s deadly handiwork.
“When I was a kid, my twin brother and I found something that loved to kill,” Theo James’ character warns in the trailer. “I did everything I could to make it go the f** away. But it had other plans.”*
With Perkins at the helm, James Wan producing, and Neon’s unconventional marketing pushing the hype, The Monkey is shaping up to be one of 2024’s must-see horror events.
Watch the trailer now and catch The Monkey in theaters on February 21.