The Monkey is a horror comedy starring Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Christian Convery and Colin O’Brien. Based on the 1980 short story of the same name by Stephen King, it features plenty of bloody kills, some in hilariously inventive ways. (You can check out our review here.)
The film follows twin brothers Hal and Bill, who discover their father’s vintage toy monkey. It turns out that the creepy toy has the power to kill people every time someone winds it up to play the drums. Each kill is unique and creative, and here at Nerd Reactor, we have ranked all of the major kills.
Spoiler Warning: Heavy spoilers ahead. If you don’t want the experience and surprises ruined, turn away now!
13. Death by Vape
Although we placed this last on the list, Dwayne’s death deserves style points for his Looney Tunes-esque death. While attempting to get a snack from a vending machine, poor Dwayne is denied his snack. Defeated, he turns around and unknowingly steps on a rake – the handle flies up, hitting the vape in his mouth and launching it down his throat. As he chokes, he utters his favorite words: “This sucks,” right before he dies.
12. Death by Espresso
The Monkey’s curse causes residents to die in bizarre ways. One flashback shows Burt Bergerson using his espresso machine. The machine malfunctions, shooting high-pressure water at his face, burning and melting his skin. The gruesome scene is reminiscent of Major Arnold Toht’s face-melting demise in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
11. Death by Lawnmower
Another montage scene reveals real estate agent Barbara describing the strange deaths in town. We see Mitchell McDonnell’s body gruesomely devoured by a lawnmower while a horrified neighbor witnesses the bloody carnage.
10. Wild Horses
Uncle Chip died a gruesome death. It’s just too bad we only saw a sleeping bag and the disgusting, mushy aftermath. Still, seeing the gross aftermath of Uncle Chip’s death by horses is why we ranked this higher than the ones below.
9. Death by Shotgun
While showing Hal around his old home, real estate agent Barbara struggles to unlock a closet door. Despite Hal’s warnings to stop, she opens the door, triggering a shotgun rigged as a trap. The blast obliterates her body, with a piece of her finger landing inside Hal’s mouth.
8. Bowling Ball Trap
Bill isn’t necessarily what you would call a model character in the movie. He’s a brat throughout, and the way he dies in the film is satisfying. The setup for his death starts towards the beginning of the final act when Petey sneaks into the hotel where his Uncle Bill is dwelling. As he passes through the various Home Alone-style traps that his dear estranged uncle laid out, a bowling ball falls in a specific spot. The payoff for this setup doesn’t arrive until the end when a series of Rube Goldberg events happen, and Bill’s head is unceremoniously blown off.
7. Dining and Slicing
This death is predictable but intense. At a Benihana-style restaurant, Hal, Bill, and their babysitter watch the chef flirt with the babysitter while showing off his knife skills. He gets carried away, accidentally slicing the babysitter’s neck clean. Her blank expression before her head tumbles onto the grill, causing steam to rise, is chilling.
6. Boomerang Aneurysm
Much like the cobra kill, there isn’t anything particularly noteworthy about Hal and Bill’s Mom’s death. The mom, played by Tatiana Maslany, has blood coming out of her hair and eyes, and she falls and hits her head on the kitchen counter. However, her death has a significant effect on the house of cards that plays out for the rest of The Monkey.
5. Golfer’s Death by Cobra
Although this death was short, it was very, very sweet. As Barbara tells Hal about the various deaths in town over the past couple of days, she talks about a golfer who gets bitten by a cobra hiding in a golf hole. The cobra strikes her neck, causing a lot of blood to squirt. The absurdity of the scene and Barbara and Hal’s conversation afterward have this death high on the list.
4. Hornets
The hornets… What can we say about the hornets sequence other than we hope you don’t have entomophobia. Yet, seeing the payoff to this long setup was fun. The scene begins with Bill’s hired lackey kidnapping Hal and Petey. He then forces Petey inside the building where Bill is to steal the monkey away from him. Yet, the guy isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, and he accidentally shoots the windshield while scratching his head with a loaded gun. As the camera looks through the hole in the windscreen and focuses on the hornet’s nest, you automatically know what will happen. The swarm of hornets flies into the lackey’s mouth, causing holes in his face and his jaw to dangle. The graphic nature of his death is why we have this at number four.
3. Home For Sale
Aunt Ida’s death is both elaborate and horrifying. After waking up paranoid, she investigates noises throughout her house, gun in hand. Falling through faulty stairs, she lands on fishing hooks, injuring her face. After treating the wounds, she inspects the kitchen cooktop, which ignites and sets her head on fire. Stumbling outside, she impales her face on a “Home For Sale” sign’s sharp edge. Gruesome!
2. Swimmer’s Death
We ranked the swimmer’s death in The Monkey at number two because of how unexpectedly she died. The scene begins innocently enough as Bill calls Hal on his cell phone after many years of being estranged. Soon, things start to occur, Final Destination-type things, and as the portable AC unit falls to the ground, you know the swimmer taking a late-night dip in the pool will die. Typically, you would expect her to get electrocuted and die—at most, fry like a fish, but because she exploded, combined with Hal’s reaction, it made it that much sweeter.
1. Pawnshop
The pawnshop worker’s death takes the top spot for setting the tone for the film’s absurd and gory kills. Captain Petey Shellburn tries to sell “The Monkey,” warning the pawnshop worker of its dangers.
A diving-suit mannequin shoots its spear gun across the room and pierces the worker’s stomach. He looks unphased, only to find that the spear gun is retracting the spear, causing his intestines to be pulled from his body. As a result, we see a string of intestines across the room from the shop’s corner to behind the counter.
The Monkey releases in theaters on February 21, 2025.
Written by Mark Pacis and John Nguyen.
