The horror genre has gone through something of a transformation since the mid 90s. It doesn’t all have to be bloody dread that scares us down to the bones. We can enjoy a little awkward joke here and there.

Or in the fashion of “The Monkey” which arrives on Hulu this week, we can do it for the entire film.

Indeed, the story of a cursed toy organ grinder primate which kills someone in the accidental style of Final Destination everytime its wound up, manages to be mildly funny by way of gore.

We’ve got Hal and Bill, twin brothers who discover the monkey among their absent father’s things, and its not long before it starts to rack up a body count, including their mother which turns them into orphans. They banish the monkey, only to have it reappear when they’re adults just to start its deadly cursed ways all over again.

Whether you enjoy “The Monkey” depends on whether you want to be frightened or amused. If you’re looking for frights, look elsewhere. If you want to laugh, you’re in the right place.

What works are the performances. Theo James plays the adult twins and does just fine. Elijah Wood taps into his cooky side as the mean stepdad, and Tatiana Maslany is the MVP here playing the jaded mother to the twins.

The problem is that the movie isn’t scary. Aside from the blood, there isn’t much to frighten you at all. It’s ultimately up to you to decide if that’s what you want to invest your time in.

Me? I was okay with it. Just okay. And I laughed a couple of times. The cast manages to get this silliness “over the net” and if you know what you’re in for, you might enjoy “The Monkey”.

The Monkey

Grade: C