King's Classic vs. Perkins' Take: 4 Key Differences Between The Monkey Movie & Original Story
It is generally accepted that film adaptations are always inferior to the original. However, this is not always the case – in the hands of a talented director, some book plots can significantly expand on the author's idea or take on a whole new meaning.
On February 21, the horror movie The Monkey by Osgood Perkins was released. It is an adaptation of Steven King's story of the same name from his collection Skeleton Crew.
In general, the adaptation has kept the main points of the original story. However, there are significant changes. We will talk about the five most noticeable differences.
1. The Main Antagonist
Bill plays a minor role in the original story, which focuses on the Hal family's confrontation with the monkey. Osgood Perkins expanded Bill's story to make him the main villain.
In the past, Hal started the monkey, hoping that it would deal with Bill, who was mocking him. At the time, the boy did not believe that the toy was cursed. However, their mother, Lois, became a victim.
Bill suspected that his mother died because of Hal. He decided to avenge his brother. But the monkey disappeared, leaving Bill only the key – to return to it when he grew up.
Years later, Bill discovered the monkey in Aunt Ida's house. He decided to kill Hal, but the monkey decides for itself whom it would kill.
In King's story, the monkey influenced people's consciousness and forced them to turn on the toy. So the main antagonist was only the monkey.
2. Bill's Fate
Hal and Bill reconciled in the finale of the movie. Although Bill managed to force his nephew Petey to wind the monkey's key. The toy killed Ricky, who led Hal and Petey to Bill. However, the toy did not finish the tune.
In the movie, once Hal and Bill resolved the conflict, the monkey killed the oldest of the twins – Bill. In the story, the curse did not reach Bill – he survived.
3. The Monkey's Final Destination
The cursed monkey was burned and thrown down the well, but it always returned. So in the movie, Hal and Petey decided to keep the toy in their family so that no one would accidentally or intentionally wind it.
In the original story, Hal and his son left the toy at the bottom of the lake – which mystically managed to flood Hal's boat, but he survived and returned to shore to Petey. Later, hundreds of dead fish were found in the lake.
4. One of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Bill's attempt to kill Hal with the help of the monkey killed many of the town's residents. In the finale, Hal and Petey drove home and watched as the monkey's curse continued to affect the townspeople.
At the crossroads, they came upon a pale rider with black eyes. Most likely, this is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In other words, Bill's actions caused the end of the world. There was no such storyline in King's version at all.
