‘The Jolly Monkey’ Review: Cheap Fun in a Mockbuster Style
The Jolly Monkey is different enough from the more popular toy-monkey horror film released around the same time, but is it any good?
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What is The Jolly Monkey About?
The Jolly Monkey is an ultra-low-budget slasher released in time to capitalize on the popularity of the much more well-known toy monkey horror film, The Monkey (though they are in no way related to each other).
The story begins a long time ago as a family of three decides to stay the night at the Jolly Monkey Motel, an isolated motel with a theme based on cymbal-banging monkey toys. The family, like many others who chose to stay at the Jolly Monkey, is never heard from again. Years later, the owners of the Jolly Monkey have passed away. Their two daughters and their daughters’ families arrive at the motel to decide what to do with the property. As they quarrel about whether to restore it or sell it, someone in a jolly monkey costume is killing people one by one.
The Jolly Monkey was written and directed by Ryan Ebert (co-writer of films including Shark Side of the Moon and Megalodon: The Frenzy). The movie stars Courtney Fulk (General Hospital), Neirin Winter, Jane Hajduk, Lisa Cole, Landon Jacob Lee, Anthony Jensen, and Dominic Keating (Lt. Reed in Star Trek: Enterprise).
The Jolly Monkey Review
As far as mockbusters go, The Jolly Monkey isn’t too bad. The story in The Jolly Monkey is nothing like the story of The Monkey, and the experiences are totally different. So, if you happen to watch both movies on the same day (like I might have), then there’s no basis for comparison between the two. Which is a good thing. The Jolly Monkey comes from The Asylum, a company that is well-known for producing and distributing mockbusters and other genre fare for about two decades. They appear to have perfected their formula for knock-offs that don’t necessarily feel like knock-offs.
Well, “perfected” might be too strong of a word. The Jolly Monkey isn’t perfect. And saying it “isn’t too bad” doesn’t mean it’s good. The Jolly Monkey is an okay slasher film that clearly had to make do with a tiny budget and limited time for polishing things like the script.
Speaking of the script, it did make me laugh more than a few times. Some of the laughs were intentional, but others maybe not. For example, a moment when a few of the characters are searching through an attic, and they look behind some clutter while proclaiming that they found a secret passage. We don’t see what they see (and we never see any secret passages in the movie), and it’s clear they’re just looking at a wall. But we’re told there’s a secret passage as a way of excusing the fact that the jolly monkey killer can pop up anywhere, at any time. This kind of thing happens a lot, and it works in a silly, low-budget sort of way.
There’s also some laughable character moments scattered throughout, such as the recurring instance of someone staying something like “we all need to stick together,” and then deciding to split up immediately after. That happens multiple times, and it feels like a running gag. It’s all in good fun though. When you sit down to watch a mockbuster titled The Jolly Monkey, you should know what you’re getting yourself into. Cheapness and silliness are part of the charm.
Some things don’t work as well though. The faces of the toy monkeys look strange, and we don’t get an explanation about why until the very end of the movie. When we are finally told what’s wrong with them, it’s an unnecessary extra layer to an already lengthy explanation about what’s been happening at the motel. There’s also a supernatural element to the story that just makes certain parts of the story slightly confusing for a long while. Mysteries are good, but confusion often isn’t. I can understand the desire to add more substance to the story, but sometimes all you need is an interesting killer and a bunch of victims. That’s all that was really needed here.
The Jolly Monkey Rating and Recommendation
Star Rating: 2 out of 5
The Jolly Monkey isn’t “good,” but it’s not bad. If you’re like me and often crave cheap slashers, this will fulfill that need. Plus, watching a killer in a monkey suit sneak up on people with a knife is more fun than I expected it to be.
Further Reading
- Mouse of Horrors Review: Better Than You Might Expect for a Steamboat Willie Slasher
- Blades in the Darkness Review: A Captivating Killer Makes This Slasher Worth Watching
- Heart Eyes Review: A Romantic Comedy Slasher That Works Fine in 2 Out of 3 of Its Genres
- Funny Slasher Movies
- New/Upcoming Horror Movies
- Best and Worst Horror Movies of 2025
