That’s what we’re here to talk about—because The Monkey isn’t just another horror flick with jump scares. It comes with roots planted deep in literature, fear, and the human imagination. So, let’s peel back the curtain and explore whether The Monkey movie is based on a true story, what inspired it, and why it hits so close to home for so many viewers.
No, The Monkey Is Not a True Story But It Feels Uncomfortably Real
No, The Monkey is not a true story. The film is based on a short horror story written by Stephen King, first published in 1980. It doesn’t come from a real-life haunting, unsolved murder, or cursed toy but it’s crafted so well that it feels like it could be.
King has a knack for making the unreal feel real. In The Monkey, he taps into something we all understand our childhood fears. That clapping toy monkey? It’s something many of us have seen sitting on a shelf. And that’s where the magic and the horror start.
Where the Story of The Monkey Comes From
Stephen King’s Original Story
The idea of The Monkey came straight from Stephen King’s imagination. It first appeared in a 1980 issue of Gallery magazine and later in his short story collection Skeleton Crew (1985). King described a wind-up monkey toy that causes people to die every time it claps its cymbals.
Sounds simple, right? But in true King fashion, the story runs much deeper. It’s not just about a haunted object it’s about trauma, fear, and the things we carry with us from childhood into adulthood.
“What scared you when you were eight will scare you when you’re eighty.”
Stephen King
King’s short story was a metaphor for unresolved family trauma, guilt, and the horrifying idea that evil doesn’t always leave you alone when you grow up.
What Happens in the Movie The Monkey?
The 2025 film adaptation of The Monkey, directed by Osgood Perkins, brings Stephen King’s eerie tale to the screen with a modern twist. The movie stars Theo James (from The White Lotus) and centers around two brothers who discover their father’s old toy monkey after his mysterious death.
Soon, strange deaths begin to happen around them. As they dig deeper into the mystery, they realize this isn’t just a coincidence, it’s something dark, supernatural, and unstoppable. The monkey doesn’t just sit there it claps, and someone dies.
The film captures the original short story’s chilling essence while adding layers of psychological horror and family tension.
Is The Monkey Movie Based on Real Events?
No, there’s no real-life event or person that inspired the story. But it does tap into several real-world fears and experiences that feel familiar:
The fear of cursed objects: Cultures around the world have stories of objects that bring misfortune. From haunted dolls to cursed jewelry, the idea of something innocent turning deadly is a common human fear.
Childhood trauma: Many of us carry hidden fears from our younger years some so deeply buried we don’t even realize they’re still with us. That’s the real horror in The Monkey.
Family secrets and grief: The film’s emotional core deals with grief, loss, and the secrets families try to bury. Those are very real, very human experiences.
What About The Monkey Man? Is That a Real Story?
You might have heard about Monkey Man, the upcoming film by Dev Patel, or the urban legend of the “Monkey Man of Delhi.” While the two stories sound similar, they’re completely unrelated.
The Monkey Man of Delhi was a strange mass panic in India around 2001, where residents reported sightings of a mysterious creature attacking people at night. No proof ever surfaced, but the fear spread quickly.
Dev Patel’s Monkey Man is a separate action-thriller story involving underground fighting and revenge. Again, not based on a true story—but it borrows from myth and culture.
So while The Monkey and Monkey Man may both sound like they’re drawn from real tales, neither is actually based on true events. They just use very human fears and myths to drive their stories.
What About The Monkey King?
The Monkey King is based on the Chinese literary classic Journey to the West, which features a legendary trickster hero named Sun Wukong. This story has been around for centuries and is part myth, part folklore, and part fantasy.
While The Monkey King isn’t based on a specific historical figure, it’s deeply rooted in Chinese culture, religion (Taoism and Buddhism), and traditional storytelling. So no, it’s not a true story either but it’s packed with spiritual symbolism and lessons.
Why The Monkey Feels So Believable
Here’s the thing: horror doesn’t have to be real to feel real. And that’s what Stephen King does best. He doesn’t write about monsters from other planets—he writes about the monsters inside us. The fears we don’t talk about. The nightmares that come from within our own homes.
Some reasons why The Monkey strikes such a chord:
We all had weird toys growing up: Whether it was a doll with glassy eyes or a jack-in-the-box that popped out just a little too fast, toys have always had a strange connection to childhood fears.
Death feels random and unexplained sometimes: When someone we love dies suddenly, it’s natural to look for a cause—even a supernatural one.
Family trauma lingers: The movie explores how pain doesn’t disappear when you get older. Sometimes, it follows you—like a wind-up monkey clapping cymbals in the dark.
Final Thoughts: Is The Monkey a True Story?
No, The Monkey is not a true story. But it is a powerful one. It’s a tale born from the mind of one of the greatest horror writers of our time, brought to life by a director who understands how fear lives in silence, memory, and the slow tick of something terrible approaching.
And sometimes, that’s scarier than anything real.
Because the Monkey is not about whether the toy is haunted. It’s about the ghosts we carry inside us—the ones we try to bury, but who come clapping back when we least expect them.
So if you ever see one of those old toy monkeys staring back at you from a shelf, just remember: it’s fiction. Probably.
Jessica Savitch, with a deep passion for journalism, brings her expertise to istruestory.com as a dedicated author. MA in Arts & Journalism.
