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.

Back in 2001, few politicians gave much thought to Joe Rogan — or even knew his name. They might have heard something about “Fear Factor,” the crass show on NBC where people ate sheep eyeballs and submerged themselves in containers teeming with rats in hopes of winning $50,000.

But the idea that the show’s blandly macho host would become one of the most influential figures in American life would have seemed as ridiculous as, well, Donald Trump getting elected president. Twice.

Nearly a quarter-century later, Rogan hosts one of the most popular podcasts in the world, “The Joe Rogan Experience.” During the 2024 election, it became one of the most sought-after bookings for politicians seeking to court younger male voters, despite — or perhaps because of — Rogan’s history of spouting misinformation on vaccines, COVID-19, trans people and other topics.

Although it’s too soon to know exactly what went wrong for Democrats in 2024, Rogan’s lengthy interview with and subsequent endorsement of Trump in the final weeks of the campaign already feels like a watershed moment. Many liberals believe they need to find a progressive version of Joe Rogan in order to combat Trump 2.0. They might start looking outside the traditional party structure and turning to a medium that has become a breeding ground for influencers on the right: reality TV.

Rogan is one of many influential figures in the conservative media ecosystem and the so-called manosphere who rose to prominence in reality TV, daytime talk shows and other forms of alternative entertainment. And as Trump gears up for a second term in office, he is casting his new administration like a reboot of “The Surreal Life.”

Shortly after his win in November, Trump nominated former Congressman Sean Duffy, who starred in Season 6 of “The Real World” and went on to win multiple seasons of the spinoff show now known as “The Challenge,” for secretary of Transportation.

“Maybe he’ll pick one of the ‘Teen Moms’ to be secretary of Labor!” joked Jimmy Kimmel, who described Duffy as “one of his least embarrassing picks.”

Trump also tapped Mark Burnett, the TV producer whose fateful decision to cast the serially bankrupt Trump as a successful businessman in “The Apprentice” paved the way for his first White House run, as special envoy to the United Kingdom.

Television producer Mark Burnett, left, with President Trump in 2017.

(Evan Vucci / Associated Press)

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Dr. Mehmet Oz, the cardiothoracic surgeon known for touting dubious cures such as green coffee beans and colloidal silver on his daytime talk show, is in line to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, an agency that provides healthcare coverage to more than 160 million Americans. Longtime Trump supporter and failed senatorial candidate Linda McMahon, former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment, may soon be running the Department of Education, an agency that Trump has pledged to eliminate.

Nor is the reach of reality TV limited to formal administration appointments. Dr. Drew Pinsky, known for appearing on VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab,” is now a conservative talking head who regularly sits down with the likes of Laura Ingraham and Alex Jones. Podcast bro Theo Von, who formerly starred on “Road Rules,” “The Challenge” and “Last Comic Standing,” also interviewed Trump last year on his show, “This Past Weekend,” which is not overtly political but attracts a young, male demographic that increasingly skews right.

“People will vote for someone like Donald Trump because they just think he’s real and authentic” despite his long history of dishonesty, says Nelini Stamp, director of strategy for the Working Families Party and creator of the Real Housewives of Politics, an Instagram account that uses Bravo memes to spread a progressive message. To them, being real “means you say what you want, usually the first thing that comes out of your head.” In other words: acting like someone on reality TV.

Of course, Trump is a creature of reality TV himself, someone who not only rebuilt his image and his fortune through “The Apprentice” but also borrowed the medium’s blunt imagery and tendency to manipulate the truth to stage two successful presidential campaigns.

But he has also remade the Republican Party and its accompanying media ecosystem in his image, transforming a group of neoconservatives and deficit hawks into faux-populist, conspiracy-addled culture warriors whose party slogan could easily be the oldest of reality TV cliches: “I’m not here to make friends.”

It’s well known that Trump watches a lot of TV, particularly Fox News, and often hires (and fires) people based on their telegenic abilities rather than other more relevant qualifications.

There’s also a well-established history of mostly conservative politicians and pundits embracing reality TV, dating back to 2010, when Sarah Palin signed up to do a Burnett-produced series for TLC shortly after stepping down from her job as governor of Alaska in the middle of her term. Palin and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani have both appeared on “The Masked Singer,” while former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer turned up on “Dancing With the Stars.”

But this trend also suggests a more profound connection between the reality TV mindset — the kinds of personalities and viewpoints that thrive in the unscripted space — and the Trumpian worldview. It’s the reality TV-to-MAGA pipeline, and lately it’s overflowing.

“Reality shows tend to traffic in simple stories. There’s a hero, there’s a villain, there’s someone you love, there’s someone you hate. People are shown as one-dimensional on reality TV, and there’s always a person to blame if something goes wrong, and we see that in MAGA politics too,” says Danielle Lindemann, professor of sociology at Lehigh University and author of the book “True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us.”

Sean Duffy, shown in 2018, was a “Real World” cast member and congressman before President-elect Donald Trump nominated him to be Transportation secretary.

(Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press)

“Most of us know that reality TV is not a pure mirror of reality, but we’re still connecting with it at the level of emotion, even if we don’t necessarily see it as 100% truthful,” she says. “Even people who support Trump don’t necessarily always believe what he’s saying.”

Duffy’s rise from “Real World” cast member to cabinet appointee is instructive. In 1997, the lumberjack and aspiring lawyer with a thick Wisconsin accent appeared in the Boston-set season of the groundbreaking MTV reality series. He repeatedly clashed with co-star Kameelah Phillips, calling her a “b—” and at one point likening her to Hitler because she expressed pride in her Black identity.

But Duffy, typical of “The Real World” in this era, which often cast sheltered conservatives alongside others who challenged their beliefs, didn’t suffer any consequences for the dustups. The following year, he participated in the spinoff “Road Rules: All Stars,” an early incarnation of the show that came to be known as “The Challenge.” There, he met and fell for his future wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, who played a similar role in Season 3 of “The Real World,” set in the liberal bastion of San Francisco. She wasn’t shy about her politics, dragging her housemates to an event with Republican politician Jack Kemp, but she also kept an open mind, bonding with co-star Pedro Zamora, a gay AIDS activist who died of complications from the disease hours after the series finale aired. The Duffys married in 1999 and soon started a family that now includes nine children.

Duffy dabbled in reality TV for a few more years, then pivoted to politics. He served as district attorney of Ashland County, Wis., before staging a successful run for Congress in the tea party-fueled Republican wave of 2010. In the House, Duffy became an early supporter of Trump’s, speaking with Campos-Duffy at the 2016 Republican National Convention and defending the president throughout his scandal-plagued first term. Duffy resigned from Congress in 2019, citing the need to care for a child with health complications he and his wife were expecting. Both Duffys were soon hosting shows in the Fox News empire.

In interviews, Duffy has said that “The Real World” taught him about finding common ground with people from different backgrounds and belief systems. “You see the same thing here [in the House of Representatives],” he said in 2019. “If you give people a chance, and you build a friendship and a trust, it’s amazing the kind of legislation you can work on together and how many points of agreement you actually have.”

But reality TV changed in 2000 with the premiere of “Survivor” on CBS. The show, imported to the U.S. by Burnett, took the voyeurism of “The Real World” and added an element of Darwinian competition that other shows, including “The Challenge,” immediately tried to replicate. It’s notable that Duffy won $50,000 in “The Challenge: The Battle of the Seasons,” which aired in early 2002 and was the first season in which competitors were eliminated “Survivor”-style.

Reality shows like “Survivor” and “The Challenge” “really started to incentivize bad behavior,” says Susie Meister, co-host of “The Brain Candy Podcast,” who witnessed this shift firsthand as a cast member on “Road Rules” in 1998 and a competitor on multiple seasons of “The Challenge.” Cast members are acutely aware that they need to start drama to get called back for multiple seasons — and keep making money.

“It makes sense to me that we’ve seen mostly conservative politicians embrace that approach of uncensored speech and rejection of civility and politically correct language,” she says. “The public conflates that with the truth: ‘They’re telling it like it is.’ Instead of seeing it as shocking and crude, it’s seen as, ‘Finally, somebody’s being honest and being authentic,’ whether or not they are.”

Despite the value placed on “authenticity,” many reality TV stars adopt exaggerated personas to stand out. Meister is cognizant of the roles she played herself: She says she was cast because she was a virginal blond, but that going on “Road Rules” helped her evolve politically. Later, while pursuing a career in media, she faced subtle pressure to embrace a conservative, Megyn Kelly-style persona. “My agent said, ‘It’s a shame that you’re not conservative, because if you were, there are many more opportunities for women that look like you,” she says — i.e., white, fair-haired and conventionally attractive.

“Fox & Friends’” Steve Doocy, left, Ainsley Earhardt and Pete Hegseth interview Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance in 2019. President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Hegseth to be Defense secretary in his second administration.

(Mark Lennihan / Associated Press)

American politics, particularly conservative politics, are increasingly dominated by brash figures who are able to command attention in a fractured media landscape — not discuss the nuances of policy. “Both the MAGA-sphere and reality TV tend to be populated by very charismatic, often flashy and bombastic people who capture our attention,” says Lindemann.

Trump, of course, played a fictionalized version of himself on “The Apprentice,” beginning in 2004. “Modern-day Trump was created out of ‘The Apprentice,’ which sold that [image] to Main Street America as the gold standard of success,” says Kwame Jackson, who was runner-up on Season 1 of the show and is now president of Kwame Inc., a consulting firm. “It was false, but America bought it hook, line and sinker. Unfortunately, it unlocked a lot of the most extreme demons of capitalism.”

Reality TV is also rooted in the anti-elitist idea that you don’t need to be talented, at least not in the traditional sense, to become famous. The conservative movement is, increasingly, driven by disdain for expertise and experience in science, medicine, government and more. “As long as you’re charismatic enough and believe the right thing, that is the only credential you need,” says Lindemann.

As 48.4 % of the country braces for another season of “The Trump Show” they were desperately hoping to avoid, many are wondering just how he managed another comeback — especially after 34 felony convictions, two impeachments and one violent insurrection.

Again, the answer lies in the collective mindset of reality TV, whose fans are highly tolerant of aberrant behavior and quick to forgive missteps. Stamp points to Teresa Giudice, the long-running “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star (and Trump supporter) who served 11 months in prison for financial fraud, then promptly returned to Bravo, and Erika Girardi, who remains a fan favorite despite questions about her estranged husband’s financial crimes.

“People can be a villain one season, and then you can like them another season,” Stamp says. Trump has had multiple “villain seasons,” she adds, but he’s also experienced several redemption arcs, most notably following the assassination attempt last summer, when the media framed him in a heroic light.

“People are like, ‘But Trump did Jan. 6! I can’t believe we have moved on!’” Stamp says. “That was four years ago. Have you ever seen reality television?”

A mainstream genre film that attempts to stay relevant while reinventing conventional storytelling techniques and tropes has the potential to become a popular, memorable sculpture of its period. This doesn’t come from a complete disregard for these techniques but from understanding why they exist in the first place. Now, what does it really take for a mainstream filmmaker to acquire the deftness to play with the frameworks within its rules, and to know how to break them? I found myself asking this while watching William Goldenberg’s new sports drama.

This is a linear, against-all-odds biopic that proves, to both its merit and otherwise, why a continuous understanding of popular genre tropes is necessary for films to become edifices of their period. On the one hand, the film refuses to reinvent its tropes, and on the other, demonstrates what made great sports dramas like Rocky stand the test of time.

Let’s talk about how screenwriters Eric Champnella, Alex Harris and John Hindman take us into the world of Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome), a wrestling prodigy from Mesa, Philadelphia, born with one leg. Taking brevity into account, they waste no space but make a point about how this wrestler views Tom Brand, the head wrestling coach of Robles’ dream institution Iowa, and the school’s wrestling pride, Matt McDonough. This is ideal for what follows, but playing the devil’s advocate, the manner in which the opening is executed shows just about everything wrong with the film.

A still from ‘Unstoppable’
| Photo Credit:
ANACARBALLOSA

For 30-odd minutes, Unstoppable carries the spirit of some old-world YouTube motivational video with some heavy-handed, flowery quote in the background. A straightforward shot, panning from toes to torso, is how we are introduced to Robles. Working push-ups on the floor, he watches a television interview featuring Brand and McDonough, showboating the secrets to success. The camera then pans to his medals, an assembly of his single-paired shoes, and a poster of Rocky to top it.

Of course, this is the story of a spirited, disciplined sporting youth, born with one leg, living with his struggling mother, a wife-beating terror of a step-father, and their four younger children. It is expected to carry a certain uplifting, aspirational quality. But the tone Unstoppable takes is corny and sheepishly theatric. It’s more WWE (Robles once goes, “it’s [WWE] not even real”) than the real deal. Details are spoon-fed, and the condition only gets worse from here on.

How do we know of the equation he shares with his stepfather, Rich Robles (Bobby Cannavale)? Macho face-offs around the dinner table, often triggered by the dead-beat calling Anthony out on a pissing contest to declare “the real man.” How do we know how Anthony feels about his high school coach Bobby Williams (Michael Peña)? He tells us in a rudimentary, “I wouldn’t be here without him.” So is the case with Judy Robles’ (Jennifer Lopez) struggles with her toxic marriage, shown with a pedestrian dual scene on her tendency to forgive the unforgivable.

Sure, the scope to play around facts is nill when it comes to adaptations (the film is adapted from Robles’ autobiography of the same name), but the concern here is the straightforward screenplay — a stale treatment, and uninspiring staging of scenes. In two of the scenes, Robles climbs the iconic staircase of the Museum of Art, and perhaps, it was important for Philadephia homeboy Robles to pay homage to Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky, but save for the poster in his room, it is entirely irrelevant to the larger story.

On more than one occasion, the film appears short-sighted in its narrative efficacy. The film wishes to put us in Robles’ shoes when he struggles to make a life-changing decision — whether to go for Drexel University’s fully-sponsored wrestling programme or opt for another expensive college with highly competitive selection criteria. Even those unfamiliar with the real story may raise an eyebrow over how this pans out, but then the film undoes any tension with an elaborate scene with a coach who persuades Robles to take the safer options. Perhaps, a scene or two more featuring similar coaches from other colleges could have played up the anticipation.

Unstoppable claws back once Robles chooses his path, and Don Cheadle’s Shawn Charles, a new coach, comes into the scene. How the young wrestler tackles domestic issues while attempting to turn the odds against him throughout the college wrestling season shows the real potential of the story. A scene involving a hike at the Phoenix Mountains, or ones set inside Charles’ office, is just brilliant, and so are the competitively choreographed wrestling scenes, but what ends up affecting you the most are the peripheral arcs and the familial drama (a major reason is Lopez, who is excellent as a woman struggling to juggle her multiple roles).

Most sports dramas these days suffer from a lack of inspiration to reinvent the genre’s archetypes. In a biopic, the scope is less, but is it inexistent? The overall structure may be a no-go for remodelling (no points to guess which matches Robles loses or wins) but the moments in between could have brought it whole. To sum up, a really aspiring film would attempt to invent a language to tell a story millions are already familiar with. Take dialogue writing, for instance — most of the pep talks Robles gets from Williams are like pick-me-up quotes you might find on a Google search. Except for a “Your greatest opponent? Never gonna be somebody standing across from you on a mat” from Charles, nothing else sticks.

In one of the better scenes, punctuated with compelling performances, Judy shows Anthony a box of fan letters. It’s a tear-jerker. It’s organic, relevant, and wonderfully sets up what to follow. These are the moments that make you wonder how it could have been had the screenplay go through a few more drafts.

Unstoppable is currently streaming on Prime Video