What’s It About
After stumbling upon their father’s vintage toy monkey in the attic, twin brothers Hal and Bill witness a string of horrifying deaths unfolding around them. In an attempt to leave the haunting behind, the brothers opt to discard the monkey and pursue separate paths over time. However, when the inexplicable deaths resurface, the brothers are compelled to reconcile and embark on a mission to permanently eliminate the cursed toy.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
WTH, this movie is literally such a letdown! It tries to mix scares and laughs but totally misses both. The kills are wild NGL – we’re talking exploding bodies and super gory scenes – but everything between those moments? Major snooze fest. Here’s the tea: The story follows these twin brothers (played by the same actor, which is kinda cool, tbh). They find this creepy old toy monkey in their attic that used to belong to their dad, who’s MIA. The toy looks harmless but fr it’s cursed – whenever someone winds it up, someone nearby dies in the most extra way possible. The deaths are literally insane. Like, picture someone falling into a bucket full of fish hooks (ouch!), then their face catches fire, and they end up getting impaled on a sign. Another person gets deleted by a bowling ball to the head. And don’t even get me started on the hibachi restaurant scene – it’s giving Final Destination vibes, but not in a good way. The whole “you can’t choose who dies” thing could’ve been super suspenseful, but it’s giving boring. Only the person who winds up the Monkey is safe – everyone else is basically playing a death lottery. No cap, the movie tries to make it deep with this “Like Life” message on the toy’s box, but it’s lowkey trying too hard. Fast forward 20 years (yes, there’s a time skip), and the twins are grown up. One of them is trying to stay away from his own kid because he’s scared the curse will come for them, too. But obvs, the Monkey shows up again in their hometown and starts causing chaos. We’re talking random impalings and people getting unalived in the most bizarre ways. The aesthetic is giving vintage vibes with this whole 70s decor situation, but it’s not enough to save the movie. The dialogue? Cringe. The jumpscares? Mid. Even when they try to destroy this cursed Monkey by cutting it up or yeeting it down a well, it keeps coming back like those spam accounts that won’t leave you alone. The biggest problem? This movie can’t decide if it wants to be serious or not. One minute it’s trying to be deep about family trauma, the next minute, it’s unaliving a whole bus of cheerleaders for laughs. It’s like when you can’t pick a filter for your post – just pick a vibe and stick with it! The cast deserves better fr fr. The mom character (before she gets taken out by the Monkey’s curse) and the grown-up version of the twins are actually decent actors, but they’re stuck in this messy plot that’s all over the place. And don’t even get me started on how they explain EVERYTHING. Like, we get it! You don’t need to spell it out as if we’re NPCs who can’t follow a basic story. The voiceover is giving tutorial mode when nobody asked for it. The deaths might be creative (electric shock that makes someone explode? okay go off), but when that’s the only thing your movie has going for it, that’s low-key embarrassing. It’s like having a fire fit but zero personality – the look isn’t everything! This movie is basically a jumpscare compilation with extra steps. Sure, the deaths are kinda iconic, but everything else? Major L. It’s trying to be both scary and funny but ended up being neither. If you’re looking for actually good horror movies, just scroll past this one bestie. No shade, but there are way better options out there that don’t waste your time explaining basic plot points like you’re five.
OUR RATING – A CONFUSING 2