The Monkey: parents' guide
Best for ages 16 and up. Rated R for strong bloody violent content, gore, language throughout and some sexual references.
A gory, pitch-black horror-comedy for older teens, based on a Stephen King story, about twin brothers haunted by a wind-up toy monkey that causes a freak death whenever it drums. The deaths are deliberately over the top, from a harpoon through the stomach to an exploding swimmer and a beheading at a hibachi grill. The boys' mother dies suddenly in front of one of them, and one twin bullies the other relentlessly. Expect constant f-words and some crude sexual jokes. For the gore and grief, we suggest 16.
What's in it
Violence
StrongGraphic and frequent: a man is disemboweled by a harpoon, a babysitter is beheaded, a man is trampled by horses, a swimmer explodes in an electrified pool, wasps swarm a man to death, and a bowling ball takes off a head. Played for shock laughs.
Language
StrongConstant: one count found 62 obscenities including 46 f-words, plus motherf----r, s-words, a--hole, whore and misuses of Jesus' name.
Sex and nudity
ModerateNo sex scenes or nudity. Masturbation is implied and joked about, there are crude jokes about hookers and swingers, a brief strip-club scene, a woman in a bikini, and a man briefly seen without pants, nothing graphic.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateBrief: someone drinks beer from a can, a character vapes, a few people smoke cigarettes, and a question about being high is answered with a deadpan warning not to do drugs.
Scary or intense scenes
StrongA creepy, grinning toy that seems to pick its victims, nightmare sequences, ghosts and the constant sense that anyone could die without warning. A boy watches his mother collapse and die, followed by a funeral.
Sensitive topics
- Death of a parent
- Bullying
Worth talking about
Hal fears his bad luck will hurt his own son and keeps him at a distance. How does the film use dark comedy to explore grief, absent fathers and what families pass down?
On our lists
Similar picks around 16+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, movieguide.org, Wikipedia, the MPA. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.