Writer/director Osgood Perkins is getting a rep as one of the hot new thriller directors. I didn’t like his last film, “Longlegs,” which featured a heavily-masked Nicolas Cage as a serial killer (my review). I’m not overly impressed by this one either. The plot revolves around twin brothers who find their father’s old windup monkey toy, which triggers gruesome deaths. (They’re played by Christian Convery as boys and Theo James as men). The film jumps forward to their estranged adult years, when the primate resurfaces causing more murders. Taken from a Stephen King short story, it sets up relationship issues to give them film “dramatic importance.” But the real reason to watch is the inventive ways that Perkins dispatches the victims with quick, usually-bloody results. These are fun for the genre, but it’s been done so many times before (the entire Final Destination series). Newer filmgoers may appreciate the dark humor and gruesome deaths, but Perkins just tries too hard to provide gory thrills but no genuine scares. BTW, he also plays Uncle Chip. NOTE: Sit thru the credits for a teaser of his next film. 
(2 / 5)
