The Monkey
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| "The Monkey" | |
| Author | Stephen King |
|---|---|
| Country |  USA |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Horror short story |
| Published in | Skeleton Crew |
| Publication type | Magazine |
| Media type | Print (Periodical) |
| Publication date | 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 in 1985.
Contents |
[edit] Plot Summary
The story centers on a cymbal banging monkey toy that is possessed by an evil spirit. Every time the monkey claps its little cymbals together, a nearby living thing dies. The monkey is found in a family's attic in an old toy chest by a group of children, unknowing that their father was tormented by the monkey years ago, when it worked its lethal magic on his family and friends. The father takes the monkey and throws it in the lake in his backyard. At the end of the story is an excerpt of a newspaper article, which talks about hundreds of dead fish floating in the lake.
[edit] Similar stories
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 The Devil’s Gift is very similar to "The Monkey," leading many to believe that the filmmakers plagiarized the story.[1] The Devil's Gift was later re-edited as the second story in the film Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders, which was featured on the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000.
In Supernatural episode Home the monkey is shown and makes noise when something bad is happening
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Reviews of The Devil's Gift. The Cold Spot. Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
[edit] External links
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