AfterLonglegsproved a huge hit for director Osgood Perkins, his upcomingStephen KingadaptationThe Monkeylooks like it will take the director in a shocking, and promising, new direction. Now that the dust has settled on the sleeper hit success ofLonglegs, it is fair to say that director Osgood Perkins does not have the hallmarks of a blockbuster helmer. Perkins’ three earlier movies,The Blackcoat’s Daughter,I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In This House, andGretel and Hanselwere punishingly bleak horror movies that earned theLonglegsdirector a terribleRotten Tomatoesaverage.
Does Longlegs Have A Post-Credits Scene?
Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe’s horror movie keeps the mystery until the end. Here’s whether there is a Longlegs post-credits scene explaining more.
Not only were Perkins’ earlier efforts anathema to mainstream viewers, they weren’t even all that popular with critics. Even reviewers called out Perkins’ movies for their opaque plots and plodding pacing, which made the critical and commercial success ofLonglegsa welcome shock. Not only wasLonglegs’ twist endingone of the scariest horror moments of 2024, but the movie earned a staggering $108 million at the box office on a budget of under $10 million. Meanwhile,Longlegsalso netted Perkins the most unambiguously positive reviews of his career, with a superbRotten Tomatoescritical score of 85%.
Longlegs Director Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey Looks Surprisingly Comedic
The Stephen King Short Story Adaptation Leans Into Dark Comedy
Now,Osgood Perkins’ upcoming Stephen King adaptationThe Monkeylooks like it will see the director try something completely different. The first red-band trailer forThe Monkeywas released by NEON in October 2024, and the King adaptation seems to veer far from the somber tone of the author’s original story. From a cop saying a bloody crime scene looks like “Spaghetti City” to a knife-related incident in a sushi restaurant to the hero holding a severed, still-painted fingertip,The Monkey’s tone looks shockingly comedic and cartoony compared to Perkins’s earlier horror moviesand the King story it is based on.
Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey looks all the more exciting and unpredictable thanks to this wonky, surreally comic tone.
There is even a particularly goofy moment where Theo James’s panicked protagonist Hal/ Bill sees blue sparks of electricity traveling through a puddle toward a swimming pool a woman is diving into, a gag that could have come straight out of a Tex Avery cartoon. It is a far cry fromI Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In This House, one of the most austere horror movies of the 2010s, or the brutally hopelessThe Blackcoat’s Daughter.Osgood Perkins’The Monkeylooks all the more exciting and unpredictable thanks to this wonky, surreally comic tone, whichLonglegssubtly hinted at.
The Monkey Director Osgood Perkins Is Overdue A Horror-Comedy
From Lee Harker’s painful lack of social graces to the eponymous killer’s absurd display in a hardware store,Longlegscan be surprisingly funny at times. The humor is all reliably deadpan since the movie remains a supernatural serial killer thriller, butLonglegsisn’t devoid of humor. This is notable precisely because Perkins’ earlier efforts are, with even the fairytale retellingGretel and Hanselbeing utterly lacking in any levity. Perkins’ upcomingStephen KingmovieThe Monkeywill see the director flex largely unfamiliar muscles with this foray into dark comedy, butLonglegs’s darkly comic moments prove the adaptation could be a fun ride.
