| The Monkey's Paw | |
|---|---|
 film poster | |
| Directed by | Brett Simmons |
| Screenplay by | Macon Blair |
| Based on | The Monkey's Paw by W. W. Jacobs |
| Produced by | Ross Otterman |
| Starring | |
Production company | TMP Films |
| Distributed by | Chiller Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $694,068[2] |
The Monkey's Paw is a 2013 American horror film based on the 1902 short story by author W. W. Jacobs.[3] The film revolves around Jake Tilton, who receives a mysterious monkey's paw talisman that grants him three wishes.[4] The film was directed by Brett Simmons, written by Macon Blair, and produced by Ross Otterman for TMP Films. It is a Chiller Films presentation.
The film was released in theaters and video on demand on October 8, 2013.[5]
Plot
Jake Tilton (C. J. Thomason) is a working stiff down on his luck. He is still in love with his ex-wife Olivia, though she has remarried to his boss. Further, his mom is dying of cancer. His co-worker Tony Cobb (Stephen Lang) has problems too, with an ex-wife who prevents him from seeing his son.
When Jake and Tony go out drinking after work to forget their problems, Jake runs into another co-worker, Gillespie, who had been fired from their workplace that day. He shows them a monkey's paw, which he claims will work magic. Allegedly, the paw can move a man's life around and bend fate via 3 wishes for each person who owns it. Jake rubs the paw and jokingly wishes for the cherry Plymouth GT they noticed earlier outside the bar. Gillespie, who blames Jake for being let go, refuses to return the talisman and says it is now Jake’s problem.
As they leave to go home, Tony notices that not only is the GT unlocked, but the keys are in the ignition. They decide to drive to Jake’s ex-wife’s house to reconcile with her. However, she rejects him, and the two men return to the car.
As they speed down the street talking, they fail to notice an alligator in the road, and Jake is forced to swerve at the last moment, crashing into a tree and throwing Tony through the windshield.
Jake attempts to revive Tony but dies after saying a few words. Jake decides to use the monkey's paw to bring him back to life; when it doesn't work, he sees a truck approaching in the distance and runs panicked into the dark.
The truck turns out to be driven by a young, blonde woman who gets out and calls for an ambulance. In the meantime, Tony has seemingly recovered and stands up to ask her, "Am I still dead?"
Jake runs among some derelict buildings, and upon seeing graffiti of a trio of monkey skull, he angrily throws the paw away.
Back at the young woman's house, she patches up the terrible wounds on Tony's face and attempts to have sex with him. She suddenly notices his ex-wife’s name, Abby, tattooed on his arm and decides to question him about it; Tony seems to recover from his fugue state and rejects her. As he starts to leave, she confronts him about taking her hoodie and, in a moment of anger, he uses it to strangle her.
In the morning, Jake rides a bus to the police station where he sits outside until he is noticed by a detective (Charles Dutton).
Tony goes to his ex-wife Abby's house where he attempts to visit his son, but his wife is disturbed by the wounds on his face and calls the police about him violating the restraining order.
When Tony does not show up for work, Jake frantically calls all the hospitals in the area but has no luck locating him. On his walk home from work, Jake hears Tony calling to him from the graveyard and proceeds to look for him. Among the crypts, Tony assumes Jake believed he was dead and wished him back alive. Tony tells Jake he wants the third wish, and Jake need not use it to wish for his ex-wife back; he guarantees she will be his soon.
That night, Jake's boss Kevin - also his ex-wife's current husband - sends his mistress home and then notices noises in the work area. Tony confronts him and knocks him out with a wrench. Kevin finds himself tied up with his head under an industrial press when he comes to. Tony turns it on, and Kevin's head explodes.
The next day, Jake looks for the monkey's paw but cannot find it. He gets a call from his brother and goes to his house to have breakfast and discuss their terminal mother.
Olivia (Michelle Pierce) calls him to tell him Kevin is missing, revealing their marriage is failing.
Together they visit a fortune teller who tells Jake she knows he has willingly entered into evil and is responsible for the man with no soul.
When Jake returns home, Tony is waiting for him, telling him that Olivia is now Jake's and he wants the last wish. Jake tells him he can't find it and tells Tony he has problems of his own, as he cannot pay his dying mother's medical bills.
Tony visits Jake's mother and smothers her. Jake arrives at the hospital to find his mother has died, apparently of natural causes.
Jake realizes Tony is responsible and arranges to meet him in the graveyard that night. Tony admits to murdering Jake's mother, which elicits a violent response from Jake as he strikes Tony. Tony fights back, ultimately beating Jake, and demands the monkey’s paw in hopes of wishing for his son to be in his life.
Jake visits his brother Charlie (Grayson Berry) and sister-in-law Sandy (Sabrina Gennarino) and tells them the entire story, but they do not completely believe him. They do believe Tony may be dangerous and agree to leave town for a couple of days for safety as Jake goes to the police.
He talks to Detective Margolis, who noticed him earlier, telling him only that Tony has threatened him and his family. He informs Jake of his boss' death and mentions he saw Jake the other day looking depressed. He releases Jake, telling him to stay in town.
Jake visits Gillespie, who says while he never had the guts to use the paw, his father did. A passing sailor gave it to his father and told him the tale. Gillespie's father used the paw to wish for money, and then (like in the original story) his son died, and he received money in compensation. He hints that his father may have played out the rest of the story, wishing his brother alive and dead again. He warns Jake that he cannot unwish what has happened and that any more wishes are likely only to bring more trouble.
Jake visits Abby to warn her about Tony. Meanwhile, Tony visits Gillespie and murders him with a machete. Detective Margolis figures out Tony must be responsible for the murders and sends his men out to find him. Jake buys a gun from his co-worker Catfish and hears Gillespie has been murdered.
Jake's brother and sister-in-law leave town but are followed by Tony. He follows them to an abandoned warehouse after ramming their car while Jake hurries to the scene. Tony's physical state deteriorates as he spits up blood while murdering Charlie and Sandy. Detective Margolis visits Olivia to take her to a safe house for protection but is immediately murdered by Tony.
Tony kidnaps Olivia and takes her to Abby's house; however, Jake rescues her, and they hear Tony assaulting Abby inside. Jake has found the monkey's paw and goes inside to deliver it to Tony. Bleeding from every orifice, he grabs Olivia while Jake offers him the paw. Jake takes the blame for everything that has transpired and wishes Tony had his soul. He screams with pain, stabs Olivia, and beats Jake nearly to death. He tries to get into the room with his son while Abby tries to stop him. He says he just wanted to take his boy fishing, then commits suicide with Jake's gun. Olivia crawls painfully to Jake to ask him to hold on. He awakens in an ambulance, panicking about the paw and is restrained by EMT personnel. The next scene is of Abby packing a truck to move. The camera zooms in to show the boy with the monkey's paw.
Cast
- Stephen Lang as Tony Cobb
- C. J. Thomason as Jake Tilton
- Daniel Hugh Kelly as Gillespie
- Corbin Bleu as Catfish
- Charles S. Dutton as Detective Margolis
- Michelle Pierce as Olivia
- Tauvia Dawn as Abby
Production
The film was shot on location in New Orleans and faced difficulties filming in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.[6]
Home video
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray by Shout! Factory on their Scream Factory label on June 17, 2014.[7]
References
- ↑ "The Monkey's Paw". August 20, 2013.
- ↑ "Fastlane NextGen: Initial Certification Search" (Type "The Monkey's Paw" in the search box). Louisiana Economic Development. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ↑ "The Monkey's Paw Blu-ray".
- ↑ "The Monkey's Paw (2013) - Brett Simmons - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ↑ Willmore, Alison (August 23, 2013). "Exclusive: Trailer and Poster for Chiller Films' Take on the Classic Horror Story 'The Monkey's Paw'". IndieWire. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ↑ The Monkey's Paw, Blu-Ray directors commentary
- ↑ "The Monkey's Paw - Blu-ray - Shout! Factory". Shout! Factory.