From Longlegs director Osgood Perkins and based on a short story by Stephen King, The Monkey tells the story of twin brothers Hal and Bill (both played by James) as they reunite to vanquish a cursed toy monkey from their childhood.
The movie, which sees people meet their death in mysterious and inventive ways at the hands of the titular toy monkey, has received praise with multiple critics comparing the film to the Final Destination franchise.
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Eric Goldman called the movie "a bloody blast", adding that the film took "a big shift away from Longlegs".
"'The Monkey' is a bloody blast. A big shift away from the feel of 'Longlegs,' the movie is a full on horror-comedy with Osgood Perkins having a ton of fun going into 'Final Destination' territory with one crazy-gory-twisted death after another," he wrote.
Russ Milheim from The Direct said that Final Destination fans "will feel right at home", writing: "'The Monkey' is an absolutely wild, brutal dark comedy filled with aggressively creative deaths that’ll keep audiences glued to their seats laughing the whole time. Fans of 'Final Destination' will feel right at home,"
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Meanwhile, Mama's Geeky critic Tessa Smith also compared the new horror movie to Final Destination, describing The Monkey as "over the top in the very best way".
"I can't stop thinking about 'The Monkey.' It's like 'Final Destination' on crack. Over the top in the very best way. I can't wait to watch my friends watch it..."
Collider's Perri Nemiroff added: "The Monkey' is a super bloody blast! A nearly non-stop series of gleefully violent kill scenes that well earn every 'holy sh*t' response they got out of me. Loved how quickly Oz Perkins cements that this is a version of the Stephen King short story that’s uniquely his own."
The Monkey will be released in cinemas on February 21.
