Kathryn joins Melvin to discuss The Monkey, one of the first horror hits of the year, and possibly the first of two new Osgood Perkins films in 2025! For a movie whose tagline is “Everybody dies. And that’s F#$*ed up.”, is it cynical? Or, is a little heart tossed in with this horror comedy? Also, and perhaps most importantly… is it funny? Tune in to find out!
Topics:
- (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 28-minutes discussing Longlegs, Osgood Perkins’ 2024 satanic-panic horror-thriller cop drama, and ponder how it stands with his other films, if it exceeded the hype, and how Melvin compares it to The Blackcoat’s Daughter, one of his favorite movies. (PATREON EXCLUSIVE)
- It’s premise is simple, and it’s idea is absurd, lending itself to an easily digest horror/comedy.
- Everything in the film is in service of jokes.
- The industry is timid around horror/comedy films, but a film with a reasonable budget offers a lot of opportunity.
- This is Osgood Perkins’ first movie with a male-led cast, and the two explore his representation of gender across his filmography.
- Chuckling over silly deaths.
- Amidst all the comedy, Osgood Perkins’ still makes sure to add a level of heart the film needs to give it decent pacing, both in its metatext as he processes grief and literally as the film showcases a throughline regarding generational trauma.
- Talking about the ending, and how you can read into the drama if you want.
Recommendations:
- The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (2010) (Book)
- @Niall.Breen.Comics (Instagram)
The Monkey is Rated R for strong bloody violent content, gore, language throughout and some sexual references. It features Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Christian Convery, Colin O’Brien, Rohan Campbell, Elijah Wood, Adam Scott, Sarah Levy, Osgood Perkins, Tess Degenstein, and Danica Dreyer. Directed by Osgood Perkins. The Monkey is available here.
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Melvin Benson is the Founder, Editor-In-Chief, and Lead Host of Cinematic Doctrine. Whether it’s a movie, show, game, comic, or novel, it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s rich, he’s ready and willing to give it a try! His hope is to see King Jesus glorified as far as the east is from the west!
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