Skip to Content
Podcasts

Podcast: ‘The Monkey’ Gets Uncertified

The Monkey

NEON

For years, the only thing that Certified Forgotten founders Matt Donato and Matt Monagle could agree on was that they would never agree on Osgood Perkins as a filmmaker. But after finding common ground with Longlegs, it may just be that the winds of change are upon our hosts. Will The Monkey break the curse forever? The answer is yes, but go ahead and listen to our new podcast episode anyways.

As a boy, Hal Shelburn (Christian Convery) and his brother came face-to-face with evil, and his life has never been the same. What started with two brothers rummaging through the junk closet of their runaway father turns deadly when Hal and twin brother Bill stumble upon an unbreakable wind-up monkey. Turn the key and the monkey springs to life, picking a person seemingly at random to die. Now, 30 years later, adult Hal (Theo James) must once again stop The Monkey before it kills everyone he loves. An equal mix of Osgood Perkins and Stephen King, The Monkey is a shining example of black humor done right.

In this short excerpt from the episode, Matt Donato explains why The Monkey is a shining example of horror-comedy done right:

"It is brutal and disguesting and the gore is great, and that is all true, but it's in the delivery. I think a horror comedy is more about the vibe. It's more about what you're feeling, because Oz Perkins absolutely could have made the Oz Perkins-coated The Monkey if he wanted to. But because of the approach he takes, and how he carries the film, he lifts it up and makes it lighter despite it being such a fucking dark, dark piece."

Our very special The Monkey episode of the Certified Forgotten podcast is now available to stream on SpotifyApple PodcastsYouTube, or the podcast platform of your choice.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Certified Forgotten

‘HIM’ Review: Maybe, Just Maybe, Football Has Always Been Body Horror

Justin Tipping's 'HIM' proves that every sports biopic has a secret horror movie that's just dying to get out.

October 2, 2025

Subscribe for $1 During Our Halloween Pledge Drive

Get your first month of Certified Forgotten for just $1 when you register during our first-ever Halloween pledge drive.

October 2, 2025

‘The Vile’ Review: Two Families Are One Family Too Many

Majid Al Ansari returns to Fantastic Fest with 'The Vile,' a mashup of melodrama and horror that examines the cruelty of polygamy.

September 20, 2025

’13 Days Till Summer’ Review: Meet Your New Feel-Bad Slasher

Polish filmmaker Bartosz M. Kowalski's '13 Days Till Summer' is the feel-bad slasher of Fantastic Fest. It's also kind of great.

September 20, 2025

‘Coyotes’ Review: The Timeless Battle Between Man and Midjourney

Colin Minihan's 'Coyoytes' shines yet another horror spotlight on Justin Long, but is ultimately let down by its special effects.

September 20, 2025
See all posts