‘The Monkey’ Film Theories: Explanations, Themes, and Meaning

The Monkey was … fun. I can’t say it’s my favorite horror film of all time, but I really liked Longlegs — another Osgood Perkins film, and I think he’s an up-and-comer in this space — so I’m still glad I saw it.

Despite it not being my favorite, The Monkey still presented some themes to discuss. Get a look at my thoughts below:

Screenshot from “The Monkey” trailer.

Top Theories About the Meaning and Themes of ‘The Monkey’ (2025)

1. The Inescapable Cycle of Guilt and Trauma

Theory: The monkey symbolizes generational trauma and guilt, passing from parent to child like a curse. The more the characters try to escape or suppress it, the more devastating its effects become.

• Why It Fits:
  • Hal and Bill inherit the monkey from their father, just as they inherit the consequences of his disappearance and their mother’s death. Despite attempts to destroy or discard the monkey, it always returns, much like unresolved trauma. The final scene, where Hal and Petey accept their role as the monkey’s keepers, suggests that the only way to manage trauma is to acknowledge and live with it rather than trying to outrun it.
• Key Moments:
  • Hal’s fear of connecting with his own son, mirroring his father’s disappearance.
  • The monkey’s resurgence whenever past wrongs resurface—Lois’ death, Hal’s guilt, Bill’s grudge.
  • The reconciliation between the twins only occurring after the monkey has wreaked havoc, suggesting that the acknowledgment of shared pain is the only way forward.

2. Fate vs. Free Will

Theory: The monkey represents an unavoidable force of destiny, and its victims are chosen at random to emphasize the illusion of control. The characters believe they can manipulate fate by deciding who winds the key, but the monkey ultimately follows its own rules.

• Why It Fits:
  • Bill spends his life believing he can control the monkey’s victims, only to be proven wrong when it finally takes his life in a moment of cruel irony. Even Hal, who tries to reject the monkey’s influence, ultimately has to accept his connection to it. The presence of the Pale Horseman reinforces the idea that death is an inevitable force, and the monkey is simply one of its instruments.
• Key Moments:
  • Bill’s realization that the monkey has been killing indiscriminately rather than targeting Hal.
  • The twins’ failed attempts to dispose of the monkey, paralleling their inability to escape their family history.
  • The Pale Horseman’s silent acknowledgment of Hal and Petey, implying their new role in the cycle of fate.

3. The Corrupting Power of Obsession and Revenge

Theory: The monkey serves as a metaphor for unchecked obsession and the self-destructive nature of revenge. Bill spends decades waiting for the monkey to return so he can use it against Hal, only for his obsession to lead to his own demise.

• Why It Fits:
  • Instead of moving on from his mother’s death, Bill becomes consumed by the idea that Hal was responsible. His bitterness causes him to value vengeance over human life, leading him to intentionally unleash the monkey’s destruction on others. Ricky’s obsession with the monkey further highlights how dangerous the pursuit of power over death can be.
• Key Moments:
  • Bill hiring Ricky to retrieve the monkey rather than letting it stay buried.
  • Ricky forcing Petey to wind the key, showing how the monkey’s influence spreads like an infection.
  • Bill’s final act of desperation—trying to force the monkey to kill Hal—backfiring spectacularly, proving that revenge only leads to more destruction.

4. A Cosmic Joke About Death and Randomness

Theory: The film plays with the idea that death is arbitrary and cruel, and that trying to make sense of it is ultimately futile. The monkey, with its cheerful seaside tune and absurd method of selecting victims, embodies the absurdity of human attempts to find meaning in tragedy.

• Why It Fits:
  • The deaths in the film are often darkly ironic, reinforcing the idea that death is as unpredictable as it is inevitable. The final image of Bill being killed by a bowling ball with Lois’ name on it suggests that the universe itself has a morbid sense of humor.
• Key Moments:
  • The hibachi restaurant decapitation, a ridiculous yet horrifying accident.
  • The real estate agent Barbara being killed by a falling shotgun—an absurdly specific chain reaction.
  • The final moment where Hal and Petey, instead of mourning or resisting, simply decide to go dancing.

Key Themes in ‘The Monkey’ (2025)

The Unseen Cost of Survival

Throughout the film, characters who survive the monkey’s curse do so at the expense of others. Petey, Hal, and Bill all live while those around them die in unpredictable ways. The film raises the question of what it truly means to survive—whether it’s simply a matter of luck or if survival itself carries a moral burden.

Family Bonds and Fractures

The story is deeply rooted in the relationships between parents and children, as well as between siblings. Hal and Bill’s relationship is shaped by tragedy, resentment, and misunderstanding. Meanwhile, Hal’s distant relationship with Petey reflects his fear of passing on the curse, showing how trauma can drive families apart.

The Fear of the Past Resurfacing

The monkey’s return after years of being buried in a well mirrors how unresolved conflicts and buried guilt inevitably resurface. The characters believe they have left the monkey behind, only to find that it has been waiting for the right moment to reappear. The film suggests that ignoring the past does not erase it—it only delays its consequences.

The Blurred Line Between Superstition and Reality

While the monkey’s power is undeniable, the way characters react to it reveals how people justify or rationalize their actions in the face of inexplicable forces. Bill believes he can control it, Hal tries to deny its power, and Ricky becomes obsessed with it. The monkey’s influence mirrors the way people interpret fate, luck, or divine punishment in their own lives.

Plot Summary

• Year Released: 2025
• Director: Osgood Perkins
• Writer: Osgood Perkins and Stephen King

In “The Monkey” (2025), twin brothers Hal and Bill inherit a cursed toy monkey that causes fatal accidents whenever it plays its drums. After their father mysteriously disappears and their mother dies under suspicious circumstances, the twins attempt to destroy the monkey, but it reappears years later. As adults, Hal and Bill are drawn back together when a new wave of deaths signals the monkey’s return. Bill, obsessed with revenge and convinced Hal was responsible for their mother’s death, weaponizes the monkey’s power, leading to chaos and destruction in their town. Ultimately, Hal and his son Petey inherit the responsibility of keeping the monkey sealed away, recognizing their inability to escape its curse.

Similar Films to ‘The Monkey’

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Final Destination (2000)

A group of survivors cheats death, only to be killed one by one in gruesome and seemingly random accidents. Like The Monkey, this film explores the inevitability of fate and the illusion of control over death.

—> Watch Final Destination online.

It Follows (2014)

A supernatural entity relentlessly pursues its victims after being “passed on” like a curse. This film shares The Monkey‘s themes of inescapable doom and the burden of transferring a deadly force to someone else.

—> Watch It Follows online.

Sinister (2012)

A writer discovers a series of home movies that reveal a demonic entity manipulating children into killing their families. Sinister and The Monkey both focus on the idea of an external force influencing people’s fates and the horrifying consequences of uncovering the past.

—> Watch Sinister online.

The Ring (2002)

A cursed videotape dooms anyone who watches it to die within seven days unless they pass the curse on to someone else. Like The Monkey, this film plays with the idea of a supernatural object that compels its victims into a desperate struggle for survival.

—> Watch The Ring online.

Christine (1983)

A teenager becomes obsessed with his possessed car, which takes on a murderous life of its own. Christine and The Monkey explore the theme of an object’s corrupting influence and how obsession can drive people to destruction.

—> Watch Christine online.

Have Your Own ‘The Monkey’ Theory?

Anyone out there like The Monkey more than I did? 

I want to hear from you — specifically, I want to hear what I missed. I know there’s something there, but I don’t think I quite found it. Share your take in the comments!

😱