“The Monkey” is a movie on the sillier end of the horror spectrum. It’s so silly that the catalyst for the many, many deaths that occur throughout its runtime is a literal toy. Granted, it’s a toy that I’ve never known anyone to actually like, and come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one referenced in popular culture without accompanying commentary about its creepiness. I’m speaking, of course, about the eponymous monkey: a wind-up primate that plays a drum. The monkey in this movie is indeed creepy, but it’s far from the scariest I’ve ever seen. In fact, I’d say this hard-R horror movie has a less freaky monkey than the one in the G-rated “Toy Story 3.” But the scares here don’t come from the monkey itself so much as the horrific (but again, very silly) violence that accompanies the monkey everywhere.

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The film follows twins Hal and Bill Shelburn, both played by Christian Covery as children and by Theo James as an adult. I’m a sucker for actors giving multi-character performances (I’ve always been nuts about Mike Myers in “Austin Powers”) and this movie gives us not one, but two solid entries into the tradition. As kids, Hal and Bill stumble across a toy monkey abandoned by their absentee father (Adam Scott). The bullying Bill is quick to dismiss the toy, but the meek Hal sees potential in it. He winds up the toy, it bashes its drum, and later that night someone in the vicinity of the boys dies.

Following one of the silliest funerals in movie history, Hal figures out that winding the monkey gives him power over life and death. He knows he shouldn’t use the power for evil, but maybe just one more time to fix a problem. The problem doesn’t get fixed as planned, and the boys’ dynamic with their jaded-but-loving mother (Tatiana Maslany) is changed forever. Hal confides with Bill about the monkey’s power, and the two try to destroy it to no avail. They imprison the monkey at the bottom of a well, and that works for a few decades, but this being a horror movie of course it’s going to come back to haunt them as adults.

Adult Hal is a mess, feeling guilt over the deaths he caused and allowing himself very little contact with his son Petey (Colin O’Brien) out of fear that the monkey may strike again. The two go on a road trip for some rare quality time, but monkey-influenced killings start up almost immediately. Hal wants answers, which can only be found at the site where the monkey was exiled. It turns out that the monkey has been on a sort of killing spree throughout the town, but of course the townspeople just chalk everything up to a series of accidents. The answers must lie with Bill, from whom Hal is estranged, having never even introduced him to Petey. In order to stop the killings, Hal and Bill are going to have to reconcile and face their past, at which time they can hopefully think of something to do about the killer monkey.

The story description of “The Monkey” doesn’t sound all that funny, but trust me, this is a movie with humor at almost every turn. I say “almost” because there are just enough serious scenes for the movie to suffer from tonal whiplash, especially in later stages. I know director Osgood Perkins wants us to enjoy the film while still considering the deep themes about the responsibilities one has to their family. It’s not that I mind the film attempting to balance the heavy with the light (to the extent that over-the-top violence can be considered “light”), but it never manages to pull off the balancing act as seamlessly as it wants. Still, I’m giving the movie a recommendation because its appeal lies in its dark humor, and on that front it manages to be roughly as fun as a barrel of monkeys.

Grade: B-

“The Monkey” is rated R for strong bloody violent content, gore, language throughout and some sexual references. Its running time is 98 minutes.

Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.