Stephen King’s ‘The Monkey’ Trailer Banned for ‘Excessive Violence’

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Summary

  • The Monkey movie adaptation of Stephen King’s short story features gore and violence.
  • TV networks have rejected The Monkey’s promo trailer due to “excessive violence“.
  • NEON’s promotional campaign for The Monkey may replicate the success of a previous film by Longlegs.

The eagerly awaited film adaptation of Stephen King’s spine-tingling horror tale, The Monkey, has been grabbing attention as fans anxiously look forward to watching director Longlegs’ Osgood Perkins bring the 1980 short story to life later this month. Consistent with many of King’s novels, violence and grisly scenes are a significant element, and it appears that not all TV stations have been comfortable highlighting this aspect when promoting the upcoming movie.

In various adaptations such as Brian De Palma’s 1976 version of Carrie, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, and Mike Flanagan’s Gerald’s Game, Stephen King’s works often revolve around blood and violence, forming a crucial element in many scenes. This penchant for the macabre is something that King himself openly admires, contributing to the enduring appeal of his stories that draws legions of fans to their screen adaptations.

While King hasn’t always been overly pleased with every adaptation throughout his career, he did express fondness for Perkins’ interpretation, describing it as “insanely crazy” and encouraging viewers to expect “Something like The Monkey.” However, the upcoming release of this movie has sparked concerns among some TV broadcasters who have rejected the final version of its trailer.

Stephen King’s Horror Movie Receives Ban for ‘Excessive Violence’

NEON, a U.S. movie distribution company, recently posted on their social media platform some emails they received from television executives who rejected showing the trailer for an upcoming horror film titled The Monkey. Apparently, four broadcasters declined to play the gory promo due to its “excessive violence”, as stated in the emails. The networks explained that the trailer was not suitable for their viewers, even with limitations, while another expressed that the movie/concept was too violent to be aired on their platform.

The comments below the company’s Twitter post appear to have had a muted impact on eager horror fans who can’t wait to watch the movie. One spectator declared they were “all set,” while another simply said, “Too bad for them.” However, numerous commenters praised this as an outstanding marketing effort for the upcoming film by NEON. A fan chimed in with a laugh, saying they loved the promotional strategy, and an impressed observer stated, “I love this type of marketing! They hit it out of the park with Longlegs, and now it’s the same director & studios!

If NEON is using these emails to generate buzz about how gruesome and intensely violent the movie “The Monkey” will be, they’re definitely doing an impressive job at it. As demonstrated by Oz Perkins’ “Longlegs”, NEON broke the usual marketing norms and launched a phenomenal promotional campaign which led to the film earning $22 million on its debut and over $100 million globally. Consequently, “Longlegs” became the most successful independent horror film in a decade. Judging by these trends, it seems that “The Monkey” might be following in those footsteps towards similar success.

The Monkey will be released in theaters on February 21.

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2025-02-04 16:11