Directed by Osgood Perkins, who broke out with the ominous 'Longlegs,' his follow-up is jokier and less effective, piercing the jugular with splatter gags.

The story, as changed by Perkins, is that the bug-eyed monkey, which comes in a box marked “Like life,” is the discovery of identical twin boys Hal and Bill (both played by Christian Convery ...