Brave the Dark, 2025.

Directed by Damian Harris.
Starring Jared Harris, Nicholas Hamilton, Jamie Harris, Sasha Bhasin, Will Price, Daisy Galvis and Joey Cabrera.

SYNOPSIS:

Haunted by torturous childhood memories, Nate Williams finds himself engulfed in darkness. When his drama teacher, Mr. Deen bails him out of jail and takes him in, Nate must confront his past before it leads to his own destruction.

Based on true events, director Damian Harris’ Brave the Dark follows homeless high school senior Nathan Williams (a leather jacket-sporting bad boy played by Nicholas Hamilton), troubled but kind and caught up in a rebellious crowd, also becoming the only one of that group to be punished for stealing from a home appliances store. Following a rather humiliating arrest at school (an effort to make an example out of his misdeeds), his girlfriend Tina (Sasha Bhasin) decides to step away from the relationship while most of the school faculty deem him a lost cause, relieved that they no longer have to deal with a student they attribute as disrespectful and lazy.

One particularly empathetic teacher isn’t ready to give up, as drama instructor Stan Deen (Jared Harris) steps in to not only try and get Nathan back on a more productive life path but to save him from serving time. Naturally, posting his bail turns out to be difficult, and the situation turns out to be much more dire than he ever imagined once he discovers that Nathan has been living in his car instead of a foster home. Nathan is also momentarily reunited with his strict, hard-edged grandparents, who are more concerned with making him work while also perceiving him as more of a burden than anything. The grandfather especially has a startling lack of empathy regarding some trauma that happened to Nathan’s mother, who died when he was six, cruelly stating that she made mistakes in life and got what was coming to her.

These grandparents clearly aren’t the proper guardians to assist Nathan with his current predicament and personal demons, so the well-meaning Stan goes through the trouble of getting authorization for the boy to live with him while helping turn his life around. It also made clear that Stan is already lonely, having lost his mom roughly a year ago, now living alone. This is not about one man’s loneliness, though, as he is a teacher who genuinely perceives his job as going beyond the classroom, subscribing to the notion that no child is hopeless.

As such, Brave the Dark works when it’s allowing Nicholas Hamilton and Jared Harris to talk, as each character slowly lets their guard down. Understandably, Nathan becomes confused about why Stan is going to such extremes to help change his life for the better, giving the expected problem of child resistance. The two often butt heads with Nicholas Hamilton convincingly portraying these conflicted emotions. Meanwhile, Jared Harris is terrific as a kindhearted soul, occasionally with an amusing dry sense of humor. Whenever they are interacting with one another, the film feels grounded and human.

However, and this could be a result of not only multiple screenwriters in Lynn Robertson Hay, Dale G. Bradley, and Damian Harris but also the fact that this is a script rewritten from the works of the actual Nathan and John P. Spencer, Brave the Dark also has several unnecessary melodramatic flourishes. It starts with flashbacks hinting that there is more to the death of Nathan’s mom than a supposed car accident (offering glimpses of an abusive partner.) Then it continues with Nathan gradually taking on the persona of that father when Tina regularly reaffirms that she doesn’t want to talk to him anymore. It’s a situation that only escalates when she quickly starts dating a boy Nathan already doesn’t like without any justifiable reason for doing so. 

There are solid thematic ideas and juxtapositions here, but the execution is noticeably weaker and forced compared to the drama that generally feels real and moving from letting Nicholas Hamilton and Jared Harris act. One wonders if the mystery element regarding what really happened to Nathan’s mom fits in this narrative simply because it consistently hurts the storytelling structure. A more restrained approach to that plot element might have been wiser (there are certainly some flashbacks that don’t need to be here) and further elevated some of the revelatory moments and closing speeches.

However, as a film about compassionate teachers going above and beyond whilst showing the impact they can have on a student’s life for the better, alongside an otherwise inspirational and compelling story for Nathan, it’s easy to brave the dark in Brave the Dark. It has flaws but is well-meaning, sincere, and potentially even crucial, considering teachers today are grossly undervalued.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews and follow my BlueSky or Letterboxd 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=embed/playlist

If you pair Keke Palmer up with someone, they’d better be on her level or at least round out her energy. SZA does both as Alyssa, who is one of those people who prefers to let the universe resolve her problems rather than handle them herself. She rounds out Palmer’s Dreux who bears some insecurity and awkwardness with loving enthusiasm. SZA shows impressive comedic range throughout. I was mainly impressed by how she depicted patience with Keshawn, and we all know if SZA were controlling the pen, she would certainly go “Kill Bill” on him. Either way, one can sense the childhood history of these characters through their affectionate banter and interactions. Like every Issa Rae production, their friendship and the tests they go through are the film’s core. The co-leads’ radiant energy is enough to justify the price of admission alone. 

One of Them Days is a Millennial Friday But For the Girlies

One of Them Days is like a spiritual successor to Friday but to represent the Millennials. Much of its plotting takes from the F. Gary Gray classic. It captures the same breezy, laid-back style and flavor, even down to Dreux and Alyssa having their own Deebo in Berniece. As Friday was a love letter to Compton, One of Them Days is a love letter to Crenshaw. 

One of Them Days is brimming with hilarious visual gags and the plotting unfolds in a series of vignettes but none that feel too long-winded or disrupt the runtime. Janelle James, Katt Williams, and Keyla Monterroso Mejia portray various amusing side characters that the duo encounters throughout the day, and they all contribute to a lighthearted tone with their over-the-top personalities. My favorite was Williams as Lucky, a homeless man who constantly tries to steer the duo in the right direction, but they never “take heed” from him.

The Monkey, the latest film adaptation from one of hit author Stephen King’s novels, is receiving rave reviews after its first critic screenings.

Coming mere months after Salem’s Lot (based on another King novel), The Monkey is set to tell a horrifying story centered on a vintage toy monkey. This toy winds up being cursed, leading to a string of deaths unfolding around a pair of twin brothers as they have to find a way to eliminate the toy for good.

Led by Theo James, The Monkey is due to drop in theaters for the first time on February 21, marking the latest in a long list of 2025 horror outings.

First Critics Reactions to Stephen King’s The Monkey

Critics shared their first reactions to the film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Monkey following the first official press screenings.

Collider’s Perri Nemiroff called the film “a super bloody blast,” giving director Oz Perkins credit for sharing his own unique perspective on the Stephen King short story:

“‘The Monkey’ is a super bloody blast! A nearly non-stop series of gleefully violent kill scenes that well earn every ‘holy sh*t’ response they got out of me. Loved how quickly Oz Perkins cements that this is a version of the Stephen King short story that’s uniquely his own. I like some of his films more than others, but that’s something I often appreciate about his work in general. He always appears to have a clear, bold vision that’s been executed unapologetically.”

Nemiroff continued, telling fans not to compare the movie to something like Longlegs (see more on spoilers from Longlegs here). She detailed how this movie has a “particular style and energy,” which Perkins conveys to perfection:

“For anyone going straight from ‘Longlegs’ to ‘The Monkey’ and expecting more of the same, I’d let those expectations go. And that’s a good thing! As a horror lover, I can’t imagine a bigger treat than getting two movies from a filmmaker within a single year that well highlight his skills and confidence behind the lens in such drastically different ways. The Monkey rocks a *very* particular style and energy, and Perkins knew precisely how to make that vibe soar. Same goes for Theo James, Christian Convery and Tatiana Maslany. They knew exactly the type of movie they were making and don’t hold back while playing in that space.”

“The Monkey is a bloody blast,” declared critic Eric Goldman, who felt the film took “a big shift away from Longlegs” while comparing it to movies like Final Destination:

“‘The Monkey’ is a bloody blast. A big shift away from the feel of ‘Longlegs,’ the movie is a full on horror-comedy with Osgood Perkins having a ton of fun going into ‘Final Destination’ territory with one crazy-gory-twisted death after another.”

Awards Radar’s Joey Magidson thoroughly enjoyed The Monkey, describing it as “savagely funny and savagely gory” while calling it the movie that “establishes Osgood Perkins as a horror master:”

“‘The Monkey’ absolutely rules. Savagely funny and savagely gory in equal measure, it’s a bloody good time that establishes Osgood Perkins as a horror master. You’ll be howling with laughter and covering your eyes in equal measure. I loved it.”

According to The Wrap senior writer Drew Taylor, Perkins’ latest effort is “about as good a time as you can have at the movies” due to its humor and how scary it is:

“Adored ‘The Monkey.’ Oz Perkins has been one of the most exciting genre filmmakers since he started and his latest is about as good a time as you can have at the movies – funny, scary, poignant and so, so fun. A rare movie that can be compared to ‘Gremlins’ in terms of giddy chaos”

Reel Blend’s Jake Hamilton feels The Monkey will be a horror movie he watches “over and over for the rest of [his] life,” praising the horror aspect while noting he had not laughed harder at a movie in years:

“‘The Monkey’ is going to be one of those horror movies I watch over and over for the rest of my life. Dark and brutal enough so that calling it a ‘horror comedy’ feels wrong, but it’s also the hardest I’ve laughed in a movie theater in years. A new classic King adaption is born.”

Fandango’s Erik Davis praised the comedy aspects of this film, recalling it being “incredibly funny to the point people were cackling in [his] theater” while urging people to enjoy it “with a crowd:”

“2025 is all about horror out of the gate, and Oz Perkins’ ‘The Monkey’ is a very good time – incredibly funny to the point people were cackling in my theater, but also dark, gory & brutal with some amazing kills. Very different from ‘Longlegs’ – Perkins flexing his range, tonally, delivering a film that very much enjoys monkeying around. You’ll jump and yell and cover your eyes, but you’ll definitely walk out smiling. No doubt you should watch this with a crowd.”

Davis continued, heaping praise on Theo James while wishing “there was more Elijah Wood” throughout the film:

“Theo James definitely brings it, the film asks a lot of him and he delivers. Wish there was more Elijah Wood, but not saying too much because I don’t want to spoil the film.”

Horror News’ Jacob Davison echoed Davis’ sentiments telling fans to “see it with a really big crowd to laugh and scream along with,” noting how it sets the stage for a great year of movies:

“Just saw ‘The Monkey’ and it was one mean but funny as hell horror comedy and Stephen King adaptation! You’ll want to see it with a big crowd to laugh and scream along with… Really sets the tone for 2025!”

“The Monkey is Osgood Perkins’ lightest film yet,” opined Guy at the Movies’ Jeff Nelson, although he lamented the fact that its “dramatic underpinnings fall short:”

“‘The Monkey’ is Osgood Perkins’ lightest film yet, despite the heavy helping of gory monkey business. Genuinely funny when the comedy lands, but its dramatic underpinnings fall short.”

After a couple of viewings, slashfilm’s Bill Bria feels the film “keeps getting funnier” with each viewing:

“I’ve been lucky enough to see ‘The Monkey’ a couple times now, and it keeps getting funnier every time I see it. Oz Perkins shifts into a ‘Tales From the Crypt,’ ‘Creepshow’ mode by way of Morgan & Wong: a mean, grisly horror comedy riff on the impersonal fate which awaits us all.”

Describing The Monkey as “one of the most bat shit horror films” he’s seen in a long time, That Hashtag Show’s Junior Felix gave Perkins credit for going “full throttle” and bringing real consequences:

“‘The Monkey’ is one of the most Bat Shit crazy horror films I’ve seen in YEARS! Osgood Perkins goes full throttle in a demented film about facing consequences. A bloody, grizzly, hilariously bonkers film that tries to out do itself kill after kill.”

The Direct’s Russ Milheim called the new horror outing “an absolutely wild, brutal dark comedy” with creative deaths, saying that fans of Final Destination “will feel right at home:”

“‘The Monkey’ is an absolutely wild, brutal dark comedy filled with aggressively creative deaths that’ll keep audiences glued to their seats laughing the whole time. Fans of ‘Final Destination’ will feel right at home.”

Tessa Smith of Mama’s Geeky also compared The Monkey to Final Destination, describing the movie as “over the top in the very best way:”

“I can’t stop thinking about ‘The Monkey.’ It’s like ‘Final Destination’ on crack. Over the top in the very best way. I can’t wait to watch my friends watch it…”

What To Think of Strong Reviews for The Monkey

The Monkey will mark the first of a new round of horror movies coming in 2025, which is expected to be joined by movies like Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. It also has the advantage of getting to enjoy a theatrical release, which Salem’s Lot (the last King movie adaptation) did not.

While horror movies do not often perform well financially in theaters, King has a reputation as one of the great horror writers in history. With dozens of movie adaptations of books credited to him, he remains as popular a figure as any in the genre.

However, it will be challenged by heavy competition from other movies coming out close to that same release date. Most prominent from that perspective are Paddington in Peru and Captain America: Brave New World (and its popcorn buckets), both of which hit theaters one week prior to The Monkey. 

While movies of that caliber may keep The Monkey from reaching its highest potential, it should still be able to stand strong in the horror genre for those in search of a spook.

The Monkey is due to be released in theaters on February 21.