Why Fans of ‘The Monkey’ Must Watch Anthony Hopkins’ Chilling Classic ‘Magic’

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For someone who only started directing 10 years ago, Osgood Perkins has done incredibly well for himself. Longlegs was one of the best movies of 2024 and in 2025, the actor-filmmaker is once again ruling the world with The Monkey. The film has been received well by critics and is set to push the collective gross for Stephen King adaptations past the 3 billion dollar mark. But Perkins’ brilliance shouldn’t come as a surprise. The horror gene has always been in his family. His dad, Anthony Perkins, will forever be appreciated for his performance in Psycho.

The Monkey, adapted from King’s 1980 short story of the same name, follows twin brothers Hal and Bill Shelburn (both portrayed by Theo James) whose lives are changed forever when they chance upon their father’s old toy monkey in the attic. Little do they know that it has dark powers. Whenever it beats its drums, someone ends up dead. They thus attempt to get rid of it, but this only leads to a series of comical, absurd, and horrific events. Well, once you are done with the film, we’d recommend Magic, a ‘70s horror gem starring Anthony Hopkins.

A Puppet Is Pulling the Strings in ‘Magic’

Directed by Richard Attenborough, Magic stars Anthony Hopkins as Charles “Corky” Withers, who figures his only chance at success is by working as a magician. Unfortunately, his efforts are consistently stymied by his lack of confidence and creativity. After being treated to endless “You suck!” chants from audiences, he gets an epiphany.

Corky introduces a ventriloquist act featuring a foul-mouthed dummy named Fats and immediately becomes successful, entertaining and enchanting fans like the great Houdini. Impressed, Corky’s agent, Ben Greene (Burgess Meredith), tries to secure him a television deal, only for the magician to bail for his hometown in the Catskills.

Corky flees because he knows that he’ll be required to take a psychological examination before signing the contract, and the network will find out that he is mentally ill. In the countryside, he reconnects with his high school crush, Peggy Ann Snow (Ann-Margret), who is leading a bland, monotonous existence and trapped in an arid marriage. Given his shyness and current psychological state, how will the besotted magician ever win her hand? Well, he performs a magic trick on her, impressing her and prompting her to sleep with him. This later, ends up being one of the costliest engagements in his already sad and downward-spiraling life.

Soon, we learn that Fats isn’t just a dummy. He has supernatural powers and is the one who controls Corky rather than the other way around. With time, the two have been drawn into an odd and dangerously sticky alliance geared at eliminating anyone that comes between them. Now Fats is jealous because Corky is putting all his attention on Peggy instead of focusing on him. Peggy’s husband also learns about the affair and begins acting erratically.

And as if these aren’t enough problems, Green shows up in the Catskills, looking to convince his client to seek help and get back to his old job. From there, you’ll love how Richard Attenborough masterfully transitions from optimistic drama to pathos. And the conclusion is wholly surprising and unexpected, considering the Hollywood norms of the 1970s.

‘The Monkey’ and ‘Magic’ Tell the Same Story Using Different Approaches

Both films feature inanimate objects that control humans and are eager to kill because morality doesn’t exist for them. Plenty of damage also gets done before the humans figure out how to solve the problem. There are only a few differences. While Fats’ activities border on obsession, at least he harbors genuine feelings for his owner. The monkey’s pursuits are purely selfish.

Then there are themes. Looking closely, one notes that the film sets up homogenous oppositions — desperation and relief, courage and cowardice, love and hate — only to explode them at some point.

As for humans, the initial intentions of the main characters in both productions align. In The Monkey, the brothers want something to play with, something that will erase boredom. Instead, they get a killer. Corky too, wants something that will help him change the course of his career. Instead, he gets a murderous dummy. Additionally, there are fallouts of former close characters in both movies. Corky falls out with Greene for neither pursuing his career nor medical help, whereas Bill falls out with Hal because one is a bully.

Like Bill and Hal, The Monkey and Magic can be labeled twins with different personalities. Each of the two horror flicks is an adaptation, with the former’s plot originating from William Goldman’s novel of the same name. The similarities don’t end there. The directors of both projects happen to be related to another famous person. Osgood Perkins is Anthony Perkins’ son and Richard Attenborough was the brother of popular nature presenter, Sir David Attenborough (better known for Planet Earth).

Various Hollywood Heavyweights Were Attached to ‘Magic’ at Some Point

The Monkey is an indie hit. The same cannot be said of Magic, which was a highly coveted project. Given how well Goldman’s novel was received, various parties showed interest before producer Joseph E. Levine purchased the film rights for $1 million. Goldman was also hired to write the script and the great Norman Jewison was tapped to direct the film.

Jewison wanted Jack Nicholson to star as he saw potential in him as a deranged killer. The documentary Magic: Fats and Friends reveals that Nicholson turned down the role because he wasn’t willing to wear a hairpiece. A petty reason, but it worked out for the better. If Nicholson had taken on the role, he’d have been unwilling to sign the contract with Stanley Kubrick for The Shining since Corky and Jack Torrance are similar characters who both turn murderous after becoming possessed. And what would that iconic horror movie be without Nicholson?

The book Casting Might-Have-Beens: A Film by Film Directory of Actors Considered for Roles Given to Others further reveals that Steven Spielberg wanted to direct the film with Robert De Niro as Corky. Unfortunately, deals couldn’t be made. Richard Attenborough, who had worked with Goldman before on A Bridge Too Far, then took over the wheel. Laurence Olivier was also offered the role of Greene but couldn’t fit the project into his schedule, so Burgess Meredith was cast as the jaunty agent who loves his cocktails and breezes through life with a devil-may-care attitude.

Hopkins, who wasn’t as big then as he is now, gladly took the role of Corky when it was offered to him. Wise choice! If he had been lucky enough to have had three or more movies of this caliber in the 1970s, that era of his chapter would now be viewed far more favorably than it is. Unfortunately, it was not to be. The turkeys kept on coming for a few years. Now most people think of Hopkins as a late bloomer when he isn’t.

Interestingly, he is also remembered more for Silence of the Lambs when it comes to horror, but this gem sure counts as essential viewing today, not just for lovers of The Monkey but for all genre fans. And not just because of Hopkins but because its commentary on professional struggles makes it eternally relevant.

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2025-03-15 23:41