Shocking Monkey Rampage: Gruesome Stunt Horrifies Onlookers in Real-World Spectacle!

Caution: Spoilers for The Monkey are included below.

In a bold marketing move in Hollywood, a bus featuring a scene from The Monkey shows the main character’s final act of violence, complete with blood-drenched cheerleaders, startling many who see it. This stunt is part of the advertisement for Osgood Perkins’ new horror-comedy, The Monkey, based on a short story by Stephen King. The film, following Nicolas Cage’s horror movie Longlegs, tells the tale of twin brothers, Hal and Bill Shelburn, who come into possession of a mechanical monkey that causes deadly events to occur each time it is wound up. The film stars Theo James as both Hal and Bill, with Tatiana Maslany, Colin O’Brien, and Elijah Wood also joining the cast.

NEON has recently released a video featuring their newest marketing gimmick: a school bus outfitted with realistic models of beheaded cheerleaders, recreating the film’s intense moment when a semi-truck hits a bus filled with cheerleaders. As the bus drove through the streets of Hollywood, bystanders were horrified yet intrigued by the gruesome display. The full video can be watched below:

The Significance Behind The Monkey’s Publicity Stunt

A Disturbing Death Scene That Captures The Essence of The Film

Perkins is known for his ability to craft chilling and unsettling horror films, and The Monkey follows suit. The bus decapitation scene stands out as one of the most violent in the movie. This mix of horror and humor fits well with the movie’s theme of blending sudden death with laughs, a point noted by ScreenRant‘s Mae Abdulbaki in her review, where she rated the film a 6 out of 10:

Death is portrayed as both an inevitable part of life and a subject of dark humor, adding a layer of absurdity to the events of the film.

Despite receiving mixed reviews, The Monkey‘s striking and grotesque nature has made it a commercial hit, earning nearly $24 million worldwide against a budget of $10 million. This continues the trend of low-budget horror films achieving significant box office success, as seen with Perkins’ earlier film Longlegs, which made $126 million on the same budget, and Damien Leone’s Terrifer 3, which grossed $90.2 million on a $2 million budget. It appears that horror films that lean into shocking scenes with a clear style are financially rewarding.

Our Perspective on The Monkey’s Publicity Strategy

Bloody, Bold, and Memorable

The controversial yet effective marketing ploy by NEON has certainly cemented The Monkey‘s reputation, ensuring that its most horrific scene remains etched in viewers’ minds. This strategy is reminiscent of a recent stunt for the much-anticipated second season of Severance, which featured the main characters displayed in a glass box at Grand Central Station. Following The Monkey, we might see more of such innovative promotional tactics as filmmakers push the limits of how they advertise their creations.