The Monkeyis the firstStephen Kingmovie released in 2025, and while I enjoyed it a lot, the other two King movies coming out this year are even more exciting.The works of Stephen Kinghave been an endless source of entertainment for artists for decades. Many of his novels and short stories have been adapted to other media, but they have mostly succeeded on the big screen. At the time of writing, there are different filmadaptations of Stephen King’s stories, and 2025 is a big year for fans of the King of Horror with three movies based on his works.
First wasThe Monkey, directed by Osgood Perkins and based on the 1980 short story of the same name.The Monkeyfollows twin brothers, who find their father’s drum-playing toy monkey in the closet. What they aren’t aware of is that, once the monkey is activated and stops playing its drums, a chain reaction causes someone close to them to die in bizarre ways. Years later, when strange deaths begin to happen again, the twins reluctantly reunite to find the toy and destroy it.The Monkeyhas succeeded with critics and viewers, but the upcoming Stephen King movies are even more exciting.
What Happened To Hal & Bill’s Dad In The Monkey
Osgood Perkins' new movie focuses on twin boys Hal and Bill who are abandoned by their father at a young age, presumably because of The Monkey.
The Monkey Was A Really Entertaining But Flawed Stephen King Adaptation
The Monkey Succeeded In Different Things
The Monkeycurrently holds a 79% critics score onRotten Tomatoes, granting it a “fresh” certificate.The Monkeyhas been praised for its combination of horror and comedy, the latter being in the bizarre yet creative deaths caused by the toy and how Perkins portrayed these. That’s what I enjoyed the most aboutThe Monkey, along with how it addresses the topic of grief, trauma, and generational trauma, but that’s also where many have found it to be a bit flawed.
The Monkey Ending Explained
Osgood Perkins' latest film The Monkey is based on a short story by Stephen King. In this video, we delve into the movie’s ending and what it means.
Despite the core ofThe Monkeybeing generational trauma, it doesn’t fully go into it, andthe drama parts of the story feel underdeveloped.The Monkeyfavored gore and comedy with its shocking deaths, which isn’t bad as it ultimately became one of its strengths, but it definitely fell short on the emotionally heaviest parts of its story. Another flaw critics have pointed out is thatThe Monkeydoesn’t quite deliver as a horror movie, though I would argue that the movie’s scare factor is more psychological than graphic and gory.
Still, even with its flaws,The Monkeyis one of the most entertaining Stephen King movies in recent years, with its combination of comedy, gore, splatter, and a story and villain that could only originate in the imagination of the King of Horror himself. Perkins’ take onThe Monkeyworks well, and it will surely stand as one of the best horror movies of the year, but the next two Stephen King movies releasing this year have even bigger potential.
The Monkey’s Toy Explained: The Origin, Powers & How It Compares To The Book
The killer toy in Osgood Perkins’s The Monkey is a mysterious and powerful force like in Stephen King’s short story, albeit with some differences.
The Running Man & The Life Of Chuck Have The Potential To Be Great Stephen King Adaptations
They Both Have Very Exciting Casts & Directors
The other two Stephen King movies accompanyingThe Monkeyin 2025 areThe Running ManandThe Life of Chuck. Based on the 1982 novel of the same name,The Running Manis directed by Edgar Wright and stars Glen Powell as Ben Richards.The Running Manis set in a dystopian America, where there’s a popular but deadly TV show calledThe Running Man. It consists of the contestant being declared an enemy of the state and released with a 12-hour start before the TV network sends an elite team of hitmen, called Hunters, to kill him.
The Running Manwas published under Stephen King’s pseudonym Richard Bachman.
The contestant earns $100 for every hour he stays alive and avoids capture and $100 more for every Hunter or law enforcement officer he kills. If he manages to survive for 30 days, the contestant wins $1 billion, and there are rewards for viewers who tip the network on the contestant’s whereabouts.The Running Manwas adapted for the big screen in 1987 but with many changes to the source, butWright’s take promises to be a lot more faithful to the novel.
Then there’sThe Life of Chuck, based on the 2020 novella of the same name and directed by Mike Flanagan.The Life of Chucktells the story of Chuck Krantz (Tom Hiddleston), from his childhood as he was raised by his grandparents, who kept a disturbing secret in their house’s cupola, and his final days, which have a direct impact on the rest of the world. The novel is told in reverse chronological order, but it’s unknown if the movie will do the same.
Flanagan, in particular, has excelled in the horror genre.
While Osgood Perkins has shown his talent for horror withLonglegsandThe Monkey,Edgar Wright and Mike Flanagan are already well-established directors, with Flanagan, in particular, excelling in the horror genre, makingThe Running ManandThe Life of Chucksome of the most exciting Stephen King movies coming up.
The Running Man & The Life Of Chuck Offer Different Sides Of Stephen King Than The Monkey
Three Completely Different Stephen King Stories
What makesThe Running ManandThe Life of Chuckeven more exciting thanThe Monkeyis that they will show different sides of Stephen King. King has rightfully earned the title of “King of Horror”, but he has also shown he can write exciting (and scary) sci-fi, action, fantasy, and drama stories.The Running Manleans more towards sci-fi, with its horrors, at least in the novel, being not just in the game itself but how the media twists information to its benefit.
The Life of Chuck, on the other hand, is a drama instead of a horror story, though it’s still expected to have some horror elements, most likely psychological. 2025 is bringing three different styles ofStephen Kingstories to the big screen, and fans of the author (and those not familiar with his works) will surely find one or more that will appeal to them.
