You Probably Never Knew The Monkey Director Once Was in This Hitchcock Movie’s Sequel
Osgood Perkins’ status as a horror master came along much earlier than his first ever horror feature.
As The Monkey is about to hit theaters worldwide this Friday, the movie’s director Osgood Perking is having everything prepared to prove that his position as one of the most acclaimed horror filmmakers is more than deserved.
Based on Stephen King ’s novel of the same name, the film garnered favorable reviews from critics and King himself long before its theatrical premiere, making another statement about Perkins’ talent for gripping, though still horrifying stories.
However, the director’s career was determined by the horror genre long before he moved on to making his own movies, and his first ever acting job was one of the most important roles in a legendary thriller’s sequel.
Before Directing The Monkey and Longlegs, Perkins Starred in Psycho’s Follow-Up
Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 horror thriller still has a huge impact on the entire movie industry, so it’s not really surprising to see other filmmakers trying to expand on the famous story and honor the original film’s long-lasting legacy.
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A sequel to Psycho came roughly 22 years after Hitchcock’s movie premiered, and, directed by Richard Franklin, recounted the story of original villain, Norman Bates.
Released from a mental institution where he got locked up after the original movie’s events, Norman returns to the house and Bates Motel, though, despite his attempts to start life afresh and get back to normality, he is tormented by troubled past and paranoid thoughts when someone starts killing people around him.
In the sequel titled Psycho II, Osgood Perkins portrayed a younger version of Norman Bates, while his father, Anthony Perkins, took on the lead role as the adult Norman. The film eventually received praises, with Tarantino even admitting that he would choose Psycho II over original Psycho.
Osgood Perkins Directed One of the Best Horrors of Last Year
Later turning to writing and directing, Perkins expanded the borders of the horror genre with successful flicks like The Blackcoat’s Daughter, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs and, lastly, The Monkey.
The latter’s reviews from the audiences aren’t in just yet, but the stunning success of the director’s previous film leaves no chances for The Monkey to be a disappointment.
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Starring Nicolas Cage in a pretty unexpected role, Longlegs follows FBI agent Lee Harker determined to uncover the truth of an eerie chain of murders of entire families throughout Oregon. With time, she finds out about her personal connection with the killer and has to embark on a race against time before Longlegs kills her family too.
The movie received acclaim from both critics and viewers, still holding scores of 86% and 61% respectively on Rotten Tomatoes; Longlegs also performed stunningly well at the box office and earned around $127 million with the initial budget of less than $10 million.