Blood, guts, and a cursed monkey — ”The Monkey” is a gore-filled dark comedy that doesn’t shy away from death.

Several months after the release of critically acclaimed thriller “Longlegs,” director Osgood Perkins is back with his latest film “The Monkey.”

Adapted from a short story by American author Stephen King, “The Monkey” follows single father Hal Shelburn as his entire life is uprooted with the return of a cursed drum-beating monkey toy. Whenever the toy is activated, people start dying in mysterious and gruesome ways. To protect his son, Hal needs to find and lock the toy away.

The film carries Perkins’ signature visual ambiance but still maintains the stylistic identity of a Stephen King story. The meshing of these two distinct identities is exuberant, crafting a well-rounded film with an entertaining story.

Despite being adapted from a short story, Perkins manages to develop it into a feature-length film, adding too much narrative fluff. Up until the end, the plot carries a sense of intrigue that keeps the viewer hooked. 

Although it’s advertised as a horror film, “The Monkey” is entirely a dark comedy with splotches of gore and suspense. The standout quality of the movie is its extreme use of gore. There are dozens of deaths and they all are abrupt, bloody and hilarious. 

In one scene, an overzealous real estate agent is blown to bits with a shotgun after opening a closet door, dowsing Hal in blood. Despite the absurdity, it’s hard not to laugh.

Dialogue falls short consistently. Characters will crack jokes that either aren’t funny or don’t sound like something the characters would say. Moments like these break immersion in the film, and unfortunately, they occur pretty regularly.

Toward the last third of the film, the story loses its momentum, ending on a stale note. The same thing happened with “Longlegs.” Given the two released so closely together, it’s difficult to not compare and contrast. Perkins does not know how to end a story in a satisfying manner.

His shortcomings as a director and storyteller lie in his focus on style over substance. While it stands out stylistically, the director’s latest film failed to keep audiences engaged with its misdirected plot. King’s inclusion mostly mitigates this since it provides an already established tone and story structure that Perkins can build upon. 

Actor Theo James plays the lead character and his twin brother. James provides the best performance of the film. He portrays Hal as a sympathetic but flawed character who has lived his entire life dodging the guilt of his mother’s death. 

The other performances are good, but don’t provide too much depth. Almost every character is one-dimensional (because they’re going to die horrifically in the next scene).

What really makes the film feel like a Stephen King story is its production design. Besides the gore, the locations and environments are visually interesting. Other films that adapt King’s work (i.e. “IT”) are similar in design.

Despite its flaws, “The Monkey” is a fun film that’s undeniably entertaining, with interesting deaths and pretty set design. 

“The Monkey” released Feb. 21 and is in theaters now.