It seems directorOsgood Perkinscan do no wrong these days, as after his 2024 low budget smash hitLonglegsthrilled audiences to the tune of $126 million at the box office,The Monkeyis garnering rave reviews ahead of its release this weekend. Starring Theo James, the latestStephen King adaptationis being heralded as a can’t-miss horror-comedy hybrid,but apparently there’s another aspect of the film you should stay seated for: a post-credits scene.
According to Total Film (viaGamesradar)The Monkey’s post-credits scene is not one that expands or adds anything to the film you just saw,but is rather a preview of Perkins' next horror offering,Keeper. There’s no word on if it’s a full trailer or just a tease, but regardless, it’s definitely something worth staying seated for, as Perkins has easily solidified himself as one of the hottest genre directors around following the release ofLonglegs, but also his prior standout films likeThe Blackcoat’s Daughter, andI Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House.
Set to hit theaters on Jun 20, 2025,KeeperstarsThe Monkey’s Tatiana Maslany andOrphan: First Kill’s Rossif Sutherland as a couple who head out to a remote cabin to have a romantic getaway. Based on the setting alone,you already know things are going to turn out badly, as nothing good has ever come from visiting a cabin in the woods – especially in a horror movie. As such, when Sutherland’s character, Malcolm, has to make a quick exit, Maslany’s Liz is left alone to battle a malevolent force all by herself, and uncover the disturbing secrets hidden within the cabin.
‘Keeper’ Was Born Out of Necessity During the WGA/SAG-AFTRA Strikes
ThoughThe Monkeyis coming out beforeKeeper, it’s not the film that was shot first following the end of production onLonglegsin early 2023. The King adaptation wassupposedto be next, but as luck would have it, Hollywood went on strike later that year, putting a stop to everything.“We madeLonglegs, and then we’re like ‘Let’s makeThe Monkeyright away’ because we loved everybody that we just worked with in Vancouver,“Perkinssaid in a recent interview.“We got the script, we got the money, we got the people, but then ‘Ah, there’s a strike. F**k.’ Couldn’t do it. So I kind of cried for a minute because I was really invested in doingThe Monkey.”
‘The Monkey’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Reveals if It’s a Worthy Follow-up to ‘Longlegs’
The reviews are in for the newest Stephen King adaptation.
You can’t keep a good auteur down, though, and once Perkins was able to get over his disappointment at not being able to filmThe Monkeyright away, he got to work figuring out a way to get around the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes. Thus,Keeperwas born out of necessity, as he was eager to keep working.“We discovered we could get a guy, Nick Lepard, who’s Canadian and not in the Writer’s Guild. He can write a movie for us. And, oh, I can get Canadian actors who don’t want to work for SAG but can work for the Canadian union and get them,“he said, adding:
“Cut to: we found a house, we found a script – I didn’t touch it, I’m a member of the Writer’s Guild. He [Lepard] wrote a script, we found the actors, we got a house, we did a thing […] and from the moment I had gotten up from crying and called my producer Chris to wrapping the picture, it was something like 14 weeks.”
That’s obviously not a lot of time, but to be honest, some of the best horror films have been made on a short schedule,including the likes ofHalloween,Paranormal Activity, andThe Blair Witch Project. WillKeeperbe in the same conversation as those? You can find out for yourself when it hits theaters on Oct. 3. In the meantime, be sure to check outThe Monkeywhen it opens nationwide on Feb. 21 from Neon.
The Monkey
