Black BearWhile Oz Perkins’ new release The Monkey is currently causing a scene, the filmmaker also has another horror movie slated for 2025: Keeper.
The Monkey is a far cry from his 2024 hit, Longlegs. Based on the Stephen King short story, the new movie is a bloody display of inventive kills and dark comedy.
Whereas Longlegs might have been closer to Silence of the Lambs in nature, The Monkey is far more of a Final Destination-style outing. So, Perkins has proven he can be a versatile horror director, but what about his upcoming project?
The Monkey star Tatiana Maslany – who also stars in Keeper – spoke to Dexerto about the upcoming movie and what fans should expect.
Tatiana Maslany says Oz Perkins’ new horror is very different
When Dexerto asked if Keeper was more Longlegs or The Monkey adjacent, she teased a huge switch-up.
“I think neither, and that’s what I love about this trio coming out,” she said. “They aren’t alike in many ways, except maybe thematically. I’m sure people could find links between them, but tonally and stylistically and the size of the films, they’re so different.
Black Bear“You never want to be an artist that does the same thing over and over again and just repeats what worked. It’s so cool to me that he has made these huge swings that are so completely different. And that’s why I want to work with him. We’re in such a world of rehashing stuff and it’s so fun to be part of original pieces.”
If you stuck around for The Monkey’s post-credits scene, you would have seen a sneak peek for Keeper, which Perkins shot between Longlegs and The Monkey.
Releasing in October, Perkins describes Keeper as a “relationship film” [via IndieWire]. The official synopsis reads: “During an anniversary getaway at a remote cabin, a wife is left alone after her husband departs, only to confront a sinister presence that exposes the cabin’s chilling past.”
Maslany also expanded on her experience of working with Perkins on two tonally different movies.
“Even when we’re doing Keeper, and it’s a tonally more serious film, he has such joy at work,” she explained. “He has collected a group who love making movies, who are excited by practical effects and pulling off certain scares or images. The feeling is never, ‘We’re going a serious movie.’ It’s like, ‘Let’s get in the sandbox and play. Let’s see what weird sh*t we can come up with.'”
The Monkey is playing in theaters now. For more, check out our list of The Monkey kills ranked and the ending explained. Or, check out our list of the best Stephen King movies of all time.