Review by Quin
After doing a little research, I was shocked to find out that before this year there hadn’t ever been a proper full length film adaptation of the classic short story The Monkey’s Paw. There were a couple of filmed productions of the stage play from the 1920’s through the 40’s, but each one only runs about an hour in length and features the usual limitations of a stage play. Since its first publication in England in 1902, W.W. Jacobs short story The Monkey’s Paw has become a staple of horror. Which makes it all the more interesting that Jacobs was known for his comedic stories and wrote no other tales dealing with the macabre. Along with becoming a stage play, there are audio recordings of the short story read by both Christopher Lee and John Lithgow. The story was included in the 1972 anthology film Tales From the Crypt in the segment titled Wish You Were Here. It’s been referenced in everything from The X Files to Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Bob Clark’s 1972 film Deathdream is based on it. The most famous retelling of the story is probably on the third season of The Simpsons in their annual Treehouse of Horror episodes.
The new 2013 version of The Monkey’s Paw was directed by Brett Simmons. He’s previously only done a film called Husk (it’s about killer scarecrows) which was actually based on his own short film. So, he’s already got a ton of experience turning shorter stories into longer ones. Luckily, he’s figured out it’s best to not stretch these things out too long. At around 90 minutes, this movie moves along really well. The Monkey’s Paw is set in the deep southern United States. As the movie goes along, it becomes more evident that it’s New Orleans- there are swamps and alligators, we see above ground crypts in the cemeteries, there are psychics and there is voodoo.
Moving the original location of the short story from London to Louisiana was a great choice. The local history really makes the premise all the more believable. How the paw made it to the south is up for discussion, but that hardly matters. We do get the back story on the paw and how it has been handed over from one man to the next. Early in the film via flashback comes the warning, “Don’t play with fate. Nothing good will come.” Flash forward to a man being fired – he’s drinking in a bar and pulls out the paw. He tells his buddies about it and asks if one of them wants to try it out. He informs them that whatever they wish for will come true. So one of them wishes that a sports car he saw in the parking lot belonged to him. After laughing it off, he tries to hand the paw back to the man, only to be told that once you start your wishes you have to make all three. He seems relieved to be free of this curse, as the other man’s curse is just beginning.
If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Just like in the original story, each wish comes with a bad result. Something awful happens to the new wisher’s buddy. He winds up undead and goes on a slasher film-esque killing spree. Much of this is played with manic, comedic glee from actor Stephen Lang. He is one of maybe two familiar faces in the film. You might remember him as Col. Miles Quaritch in the 2009 mega hit Avatar. The other guy you’ll recognize is Charles S. Dutton who played Dillon in Alien 3. American audiences may also remember his 90’s sitcom Roc. In The Monkey’s Paw, he plays the sheriff. He’s really good in that role, but I feel like he’s one of those actors who always plays a cop. He also barely gets enough screen time here for his character to matter.
For a low budget film, this one is done really well. The cinematography is great. The New Orleans scenery is a nice backdrop, and the visual style of the film combines dark shadowy images with bright, warmly lit backgrounds. It makes the whole thing great to look at. The only problem I had was the version shown On Demand was full screen. On my wide screen television, this made the actors look squished. As of now, you can only get the film On Demand or from iTunes or Amazon. It also has a limited theatrical release that started October 8th – so that’s likely over. Hopefully when it’s released on DVD it will be widescreen. If you’re reading this, Brett Simmons, please make it so. But overall, this film is absolutely worth watching. If you are unfamiliar with The Monkey’s Paw, it’s a great introduction to the story I call The Gift of the Magi of horror. And if you haven’t seen it already, please take the time to find the Freddie Francis film Tales From the Crypt from 1972 with Ralph Richardson as The Crypt Keeper. It features the absolute best version of The Monkey’s Paw there is ever likely to be.
The Monkey’s Paw is available now from Chiller Films.