Jakarta. American filmmaker Osgood Perkins is back after giving Hollywood an incredibly eye-pleasing horror "Longlegs". This time, Perkins introduces us to "The Monkey", a comedy horror based on Stephen King's 1980 short story of the same name. "The Monkey" is a comedy gold with a touch of crazy.

"The Monkey" follows twin brothers Hal and Bill Shelburn (both played by Theo James). Christian Convery plays as their younger selves. Hal and Bill might look alike, but have incredibly clashing personalities. The bespectacled and the movie's narrator Hal is shy, while Bill is more of a bully. The initial 20 minutes or so (after the intro) focuses on their childhood. The twins discover the cursed wind-up toy monkey when going through their absent father's old stuff. The titular toy does not really have a name, and the characters simply refer to it as "the monkey". Little do they know that the toy will turn their lives upside and down as it goes killing off the people around them, including their beloved mother Lois (Tatiana Maslany).

The film goes on a 25-year time skip after the boys decide to throw the monkey down a well. Hal is now estranged from Bill and his son Petey (Colin O'Brien). He realizes that the monkey has mysteriously returned, and is back on his killing spree.

"The Monkey" is not the kind of horror that heavily relies on jump-scare tricks. The evil toy does not suddenly appear out of nowhere. You won't hear that usual eerie violin shrieks.

How it works is pretty simple. If someone winds the toy, it will kill pretty much anyone once the drum sticks come down. The toy also doesn't take requests -- something that Hal has to learn the hard way. But the victims' deaths can be incredibly absurd -- quite similar to the popular horror franchise "Final Destination". But "The Monkey" tells the murders in a comedic way, be it through the edits or dialogue, so it frees the audience from the disgust. Its madcap humor becomes the major force in the movie.

Despite the never-ending laughter that "The Monkey" may bring, the movie has a quite deep message beyond its entertainment. The toy initially comes in a box that has the label "like life", instead of the usual "lifelike". It makes sense. Just like life, deaths can be absurd. You will never know how or when you will die. One thing for certain is we will all die.

"The Monkey" is now out in Indonesian cinemas.

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