‘The Monkey’ Filmmakker Oz Perkins’ Terrifying First Horror Movie is Now on Hulu
For years, Osgood Perkins was a champion of quiet, indie horror. While Longlegs and The Monkey have been remarkable critical and commercial successes, they’re not exactly the kind of titles Perkins, son of Psycho actor Anthony Perkins, was originally known for. Of course, fans can see the development and trajectory, but audiences of his recent fare might be surprised to find his first few titles are conspicuously introspective. All I’m saying is 2020’s Gretel and Hansel isn’t the blockbuster fairytale you might be thinking it. Now Hulu has what we need.
Perkins’ Netflix sleeper hit I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House was divisive upon release. In our own review, we wrote, “The film is best described as Shirley Jackson adapted by David Lynch. In a surreal, dreamlike way, the very Jackson-esque tale of a haunted house and a terrified woman plays out slowly, deliberately.” Audience reviews weren’t nearly as kind, and you’d have been forgiven pre-Longlegs for doubting Perkins could ever break into the mainstream. Now that he has, why not check out his fantastic, incredible directorial debut, now streaming on Hulu. It’s a doozy.
Per Hulu: A troubled young woman travels to an isolated prep school where two stranded students are being menaced by a mysterious evil force.
Structurally and temporally unsound (in the best way), The Blackcoat’s Daughter follows three different, intercut timelines starring Emma Roberts, Kiernan Shipka, and Lucy Boynton. I hesitate to say too much for fear of ruining some of the surprises in store, but suffice it to say, The Blackcoat’s Daughter is as confident a debut as I’ve ever seen.
In our own review of the film following its VOD release, we wrote, “While The Blackcoat’s Daughter is intriguing and seductive at the start, in the end it doesn’t quite live up to the insinuations it made in the beginning.” Reception has warmed considerably since then, especially accounting for his growth as a filmmaker from where he was then to where he is now. In a more recent editorial, Anya Stanley wrote, “The Blackcoat’s Daughter does have a bonkers third act, true enough. But the subversion isn’t in the non-linear plot, nor is it in the lack of holy water and backbends. Perkins tells a story about a girl who loses agency, but the struggle and the story is hers alone.”
With The Blackcoat’s Daughter streaming on Hulu (and The Monkey lighting up the box office), now’s the perfect time to give Perkins’ feature debut a shot. When you do, let me know what you think over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
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