Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Monkey!The Monkey director Oz Perkins has explained how one of the movie’s conversations between Hal and Bill (Theo James) was changed for the horror movie’s trailer. The Monkey‘s story beings by following Hal as he investigates the titular killer toy monkey’s return to a small town in Maine. However, it doesn’t take long for him to discover his twin brother, Bill, is in possession of the toy, using it in hopes of taking revenge on his brother for accidentally killing their mother (Tatiana Maslany). This is a far cry from the film’s marketing, which hinted at the brothers teaming up.
During an Ask Me Anything on Reddit’s r/movies, LucasBarton169 asked Perkins about a line from Bill that’s only heard in The Monkey‘s trailer, where he says, “The evil monkey that killed our family is back and we need to vanquish it.” The director explained the line had been recorded by James specifically for the trailer, with the line getting tweaked for the movie itself. This reflects how much the real storyline was kept hidden during the film’s marketing.
What Perkins’ Statement Says About The Monkey’s Marketing
The Trailers Expertly Kept The Story Under Wraps
Ahead of its release, trailers for the horror-comedy made it seem like both of James’ characters were going to be working together to stop the titular monkey toy from killing anyone else. It seemed like the cast of The Monkey would mostly consist of people they cared about dying too, something that ended up being very different from the truth. In actuality, Bill used the toy to lure Hal out of hiding, seeking revenge on his brother no matter how many people around them had to die.
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The Monkey ended with a confrontation between the two brothers, emphasizing the rift between them after their mother’s death, and the blame Bill put on Hal for what happened. However, it still embodied the themes of the film overall, with the movie’s focus on death being a part of life being a key theme of the film. By obscuring this in the marketing, Perkins and his team made it less likely for anyone to guess the direction of the movie, especially because it’s a plot wholly original from the Stephen King short story.
Our Take On The Monkey’s Marketing Differences From The Movie
It Makes The Film’s Actual Story Stand Out More
The difference in lines between The Monkey‘s trailer and the movie itself helps the actual story stand on its own, as it provides different expectations the movie is able to twist around. With two memorable marketing campaigns under his belt, the other being Longlegs in 2024, Perkins’ next horror movie, Keeper, could have a similar strategy. Even with the differences between the trailer and the film, the final product still managed to impress with a resonant story about revenge, family, and death.
Perkins’ next movie, Keeper, is set to be released in theaters on October 3, 2025.
Source: r/movies/Reddit
The Monkey
6/10
- Release Date
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February 19, 2025
- Runtime
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98 Minutes
- Director
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Osgood Perkins
- Writers
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Osgood Perkins
- Producers
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John Rickard, Natalia Safran, Ali Jazayeri, Chris Ferguson, Fred Berger, Giuliana Bertuzzi, James Wan, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, John Friedberg, Jason Cloth, David Gendron, Michael Clear, Jesse Savath, Peter Luo, Dave Caplan