2025 is set to be a big year for horror, and an adaptation of a decades-old Stephen King short story is poised to set a grisly, haunting tone for the year. The Monkey was originally published in King’s short story collection Skeleton Crew in 1980, and the adaptation will expand upon the short story’s central premise of a cursed toy monkey that inexplicably brings death to those around it. The Monkey, which is directed by Osgood Perkins (Longlegs), is just the first of several Stephen King adaptations that will hit theaters and streaming platforms in 2025.
Master of horror Mike Flanagan is at the helm of The Life of Chuck, which is not horror, but a drama based on a 2020 novella by King that will be closer in tone to The Green Mile or The Shawshank Redemption. A remake of King’s dystopian action thriller The Running Man is also slated for 2025, directed by Edgar Wright and starring Glen Powell. Max will release Welcome to Derry, a TV series set in the world of Andy Muschietti’s IT, but The Monkey is the only true horror movie based on King’s work due in 2025.
The Monkey’s Trailer & Early Reactions Are Incredibly Exciting
It Looks Bloody, Scary, and Has An Interesting Premise
The main trailer for The Monkey set an incredibly dark and intriguing tone, and it actually set records for trailer views for horror movies within the first 24 and 72 hours. The trailer promises plenty of blood and gore, exotic deaths, and of course a nightmare-inducing toy monkey at the center of it all. It does a remarkable job of selling the concept of a cursed toy monkey, which on its own is inherently silly, and makes it feel legitimately terrifying and disturbing.
The Monkey stars Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, and Elijah Wood, and hits theaters on February 21st, 2025.
On top of the incredible trailer, first reactions for The Monkey are nearly unanimous in their praise. Reviewers have praised the movie’s balance between bloody horror and chaotic silliness, as the convoluted nature of the deaths brought on by The Monkey serves as a savage dose of entertainment for those comfortable with typical horror gore. Stephen King himself already weighed in on The Monkey, and declared it “batsh-t insane” while promising that moviegoers have never seen anything like it. All the hype surrounding the movie seems as though it’s well-founded based on the trailer and reviews.
2025 Could Be A Huge Year For Horror Movies
High-Profile Sequels And Original Movies Are On Deck
The Monkey is the first real high-profile horror movie to hit theaters in 2025, but it is merely setting the stage for what should be a killer year for horror. The new year will see a potent mix of franchise continuations and original horror concepts, with such a variety of subject matter that horror fans of all kinds have something to look forward to. Perhaps most importantly, 2025 will continue a horror trend from 2024, which saw a number of A-list actors taking their talents to the horror genre, which further legitimizes horror’s status as a higher form of story-telling.
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5 Most Anticipated Horror Movies Arriving in 2025
2025 is looking to be an excellent year for the horror genre.
Ayo Edebiri and John Malkovich will collaborate on the cult thriller Opus in March, and shortly after, Ryan Coogler will step into the horror genre for the first time with Sinners, the Michael B. Jordan-led vampire thriller, in April. The much-anticipated return to the 28 Days Later franchise, 28 Years Later, will hit theaters in June with a star-studded cast, as will the sequel to Blumhouse’s surprise hit killer robot movie M3gan, M3gan 2.0. With sequels also on the way from the Saw, Final Destination, The Conjuring, and the Predator franchises, 2025 promises to be an all-time year for horror.
The Monkey
- 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