The Monkey

The following check spoilers for The Monkey , now playing in theatersThe Monkeyhas some very bad differences from the forgetful story that inspired it . Based on a short story by Stephen King of the same name , The Monkeyis an expanded adaptation that take the original estimate and some of the characters from the original and change them into a wildly different plot of ground . While they do follow the same general broad strokes about a cursed toy monkey that is followed by death and destruction , the actual game andcharacters ofThe Monkeyare radically different .

This allows the movie to espouse a more darkly comedic tone , with many of the film - only dying give greater accent . This explores expands on the scope ofStephen King’sThe Monkey , which also transforms supporting players from the brusk story into more crucial characters , admit turning one of them into the picture show ’s overt scoundrel . Here are the most noteworthy divergence between Osgood Perkins’The Monkeyand the short story that inspire it .

10Hal Has One Son (And Is Married) In The Movie

Hal Is Far More Isolated In The Movie

One of the most prominent differences between the two versions ofThe Monkeyis the status of Hal ’s family . In the short story , Hal is married to Terry and they have two boy . While Dennis and Petey are n’t Twin Falls , they have a childishly tense relationship that is excogitate in the way of life Bill treats Hal when they ’re younger . In the short story , Hal is on for the most part safe terms with his category , only lashing out when the Monkey is key out . He also brings Petey along to dispose of the monkey volitionally .

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This is in stark demarcation to the version that appears in the film . fear that his contact with the Monkey has effectively maledict him and could doom anyone else in his orbit , Hal has isolated himself from the film ’s eq to Terry , who is now married to Ted Hammerman . The distich only had one son , Petey , who Hal later reveals was the result of an inadvertent gestation . This earmark the film to focus the excited spark on Hal and Petey coming to terms with their relationship , especially after finding out Ted intend to formally espouse Petey .

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9Hal And Bill’s Father Is Different In The Movie Of The Monkey

The Elder Petey Gets An Entire Opening Sequence In The Movie Version OfThe Monkey

In the original myopic story version of The Monkey , Bill and Hal ’s father was largely lacking . He is n’t even give a full name and is reference as a merchandiser mariner who " simply disappeared " when they were young . Hal , who has no vindicated memory of the man , later hypothesizes if he could have been one of the Monkey ’s many victim . The cinema return more attending to their begetter , who is revealed to have been named Petey as well ( seemingly inspiring Hal to name his own Logos after him ) .

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Now established as a commercial airline fender who had a habit of bring back relic from his traveling , the cold opening of the cinema focalize on Petey trying to wreak the monkey to a cat’s-paw shop as a mean of getting disembarrass of it . This Petey is evidence to have also believed in the curse word of the Monkeyand sought a agency to battle it , similar to how Hal would by and by fight it . The picture show never reveals what happened to him either , but the last shot of the character is of him trying to put down it with a flamethrower .

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8The Movie Gives The Monkey Another Potential Target Of The Curse

Ricky Isn’t In The Original Story

One of the waysThe Monkeyexpands upon the plot of the original short tale is by innovate a new group of minor characters who get along into contact with the curse . In the original story , Hal and Petey locate the Monkey inside their home and move to get free of it . In the motion picture , the Monkey re-emerge in Aunt Ida ’s place and , succeed her death is buy by a local stripling named Ricky . Ricky brings the Monkey to Bill but eventually reveals that he ’s organise an unexpected connection with itand offers to buy it back from Bill .

Ricky has no clear analogue in the original story , and his subplot terminate up turning him into a direct enhancer for Hal and Bill …

When Bill refuses , Ricky becomes a petty opponent . He snatch Hal and Petey , hoping to utilize their family connection with Bill to convince him to get the Monkey . However , Ricky ends up becoming one of the victims of the curse , finally having an total nest of hornets fly into his mouth and tunnel out of his body . Ricky has no clear analog in the original storey , and his subplot end up turning him into a lineal foil for Hal and Bill by also making him the son of a disappeared Dad who becomes obsessed with the Monkey .

Theo James holding his hand out and yelling in The Monkey

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7Bill Is A More Important Character (And The Villain) Of The Movie

Bill Doesn’t Get A Happy Ending In The Movie Version OfThe Monkey

Bill is a comparatively minor supporting fictitious character in the original short narrative . While he also remembers the Monkey from their childhood and suffer because of it , he never had the harshly antagonistic relationship with his buddy that the film gives him . Bill has a much happier life in the myopic story . While in the original report Bill got married and opened a legal philosophy house , the film version never got over the death of his mother . Realizing it was a resolution of Hal turning the key to the Monkey , Bill became obsessed with finding it and using it to take vengeance .

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This positions Bill as the true scoundrel of the movie , as he eventually recovers the Monkey thanks to Ricky and begin to turn the key on its back frequently . Doing so fail to kill Hal , and instead result in several other death across the local town . Bill and Hal ’s feud ends up becoming the essence of the film ’s close , specially when Bill ’s efforts to control the scallywag more forthwith result in it have a go at it the cymbals much harder . This results in countless more deaths , including his own .

The monkey with one drumstick raised in The Monkey 2025

6Hal And Bill’s Mother Is More Prominent In The Film

Lois' Influence Remains With Hal (And Her Memory Turns Bill Into A Villain)

Hal and Bill ’s mother Lois is a far more prominent character in the cinema than in the short story , even if she dies in both interpretation of the tale while her sons are still nestling . In the short storey , Lois is n’t even given a conventional name . or else , she ’s only mentioned to have passed away while they were tike , lead them to be taken attention of by their Aunt Ida and Uncle Will . Ida and her husband Chip dramatise the boy in the pic , although they are quick to let in they may not be the practiced parents to the duo .

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In the film , Lois appears prominently in the first act as a well - meaning and lie with single female parent . thwart by her husband Petey ’s disappearing , Lois never takes it out on her boys . She ’s the one who teaches them the importance of accepting the inevitableness of death and the conclusion to trip the light fantastic in defiance of it , lead to the close of the plastic film . She ’s also expressly killed in the movie by the Monkey , suffering from a " boomerang aneurism . " She died of a mentality intercalation in the short story , but was only mean to have been take by the Monkey .

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5Hal And Bill’s The Babysitter Dies Differently

The Babysitter Died Away From Hal And Bill In The Short Story

In both versions ofThe Monkey , Hal and Bill have a baby-sitter who dies ahead of time on to showcase the grievous potential of the Monkey . However , the nature of these deaths is very different . In the short story , Hal saw the Monkey screw its cymbals without prompting and later disclose that his babysitter Beulah had been killed in a shooting at the same time . It ’s a tragical turn , one that the short story treats with complete earnestness .

The biggest difference is that Hal and Bill are present for this dying , which indicates to them that the Monkey may have played a role in her demise .

By contrast , the ghastly comedy of the cinematic variant ofThe Monkeyplays out very otherwise . In the picture , their babysitter is Annie Wilkes . Annie takes the male child to Benihana for dinner one Nox , and is mutely flirting with one of the chefs when an errant swipe of his tongue accidentally beheads Annie . The biggest remainder is that Hal and Bill are present for this decease , which indicate to them that the Monkey may have play a role in her dying .

The-Monkey

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4Hal And Bill’s Uncle Is More Important In The Short Story

Uncle Chip Is A Minor Character Compared To The Far Nicer Uncle Will

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Release Date

2/21/2025

Bill holding up a wind-up key in The Monkey

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Tatiana Maslany as Lois looking afraid in The Monkey

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By contrast , the short tale ’s Uncle Will is a far kinder and more important figure in Hal ’s animation grow up . Will service as a protector for the boys and is divulge in the story to spend time with the boys as a genuine guardian . While the cinema ’s version of Hal consider dance with his mother and brother was one of his felicitous moment , the short story ’s Hal reverberate on angle with Will instead . While Will is dead by the sentence of the shortsighted story ’s present - day plot , the part is n’t implied to have died as a result of the Monkey .

3The Original Monkey Killed Hal And Bill’s Best Friends

The Short Story Killed Two Kids Who Aren’t Present In The Movie

The titulary cursed aim catch many putting to death in the film interpretation ofThe Monkey , but none of the on - screen fatality depicted are young shaver . The untested masses to die in the film are likely the teenage cheerleaders who celebrate the various last in their small town , with the film ’s final moody gag let on they all get beheaded by a passing by hand truck . By contrast , The Monkeyshort account has two very grim import during Bill and Hal ’s childhood where their best friends are among the curse ’s victims .

Both of these deaths are portrayed as more overtly tragic than the darkly comedic demises that take place throughoutThe Monkey , explain why they were likely cut from the story .

Hal ’s best friend , Johnny McCabe , is unveil to have fall from a treehouse while play with Bill and get out his cervix upon wallop . Not long after , Bill ’s good friend Charlie Silverman is killed in a drunk driving chance event . Both of these deaths are portrayed as more overtly tragic than thedarkly comedic dying that take place throughoutThe Monkey , explaining why they were likely burn from the tale . It also keeps the focal point on Hal and Bill .

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2A Lot More People Die In The Movie Then The Short Story

The MonkeyHas A Truly Ludicrous Number Of Kills

While there are plenty of fatal accident in the original short tale version ofThe Monkey , the movie indulges in the construct to an almost gleefully grim degree . This is explained away due to Bill obtain ahold of the monkey and oft turn the key in hopes that it ’ll eventually turn its diabolical aid towards Hal . alternatively , Bill ’s action lead to several last around the local town , ranging from a cobra enshroud on the golf course to a malfunctioning espresso motorcar .

Even Hal ’s boss Dwayne is among the casualties , even though he ’s far forth from the influence of the Monkey . The ending of the film reveals that the Monkey eventually puzzle the drum several prison term due to Bill ’s endeavor to control it , resulting in massive topsy-turvyness around the town in the form of planer crashes , surfboard - related stabbings , and even Bill ’s own demise . Overall , the movie interpretation ofThe Monkeyincludes a lot more deaths than the short story .

1The Fate Of The Monkey Is Different

The Monkey Remains With Hal At The End Of The Movie

One of the most renowned differences between the two versions of the tarradiddle may be the manner it concludes . In the original little tarradiddle , Hal and Petey are capable to take the Monkey to the midsection of a nearby lake and drop it into the H2O . Although this does seem to free them from the curse , a paper clip that ends the story bring out that several Pisces were discover cryptically deceased in the lake afterward . This implies the curse is still around . In the flick , Hal comes to consent that the Monkey ca n’t be simply ruin or obliterate away .

rather , he and Petey hold to keep the Monkey . This room , they can ensure it remain obscure and that no one else diminish prey to its temptations like Bill or Ricky . The movie underscores the grandness of this pick by having an avatar of destruction itself seem before Hal and Petey after they make that decision , go on by them without comment . It ’s an interesting evolution that gives Hal and Petey ’s survival inThe Monkeya majuscule signified of importance .

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The Monkey toy smiling in The Monkey

Young Bill sitting in a church in The Monkey

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The Monkey