The Monkey
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- For the dance, see Monkey (dance).
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| Author | Stephen King |
|---|---|
| Country |  USA |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Horror short story |
| Released in | Skeleton Crew |
| Publication type | Magazine |
| Media Type | Print (Periodical) |
| Released | November 1980 |
"The Monkey" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in Gallery magazine in 1980 It was significantly revised and published in King's anthology Skeleton Crew (1985).
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[edit] Plot summary
The story centers on a wind-up toy monkey that is apparently possessed by evil. Every time it claps its cymbals, someone dies. The monkey is found by a group of children, unknowing that their father was tormented by the monkey. It comes into motion, seemingly on its own, predicting the death of a person, years before when it worked its lethal magic on his family and friends.
[edit] References
The X-Files episode Chinga, scripted by Stephen King, deals with a cursed doll and bears similarities to The Monkey. This doll, which deals out suffering in much the same way as the monkey, also finds itself sinking to the bottom of a lake at the end of the episode.
The film Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders is very similar to "The Monkey".
