Chiller and SyFy’s latest entry into the TV horror film bracket is The Monkey’s Paw a made-for-TV remake of the classic 1933 film adaption of the book of the same name. As far as most SyFy and Chiller films go, this one isn’t all that bad.

The Monkey’s Paw is a 2013 horror film based on the book of the same name b y W.W.  Jacobs. It is available via VOD services and will air exclusively on Chiller on January 24, 2014.

Why so glum?

THE GOOD: First of all I’m not very much of a fan of TV movies, unless it’s canon for a TV show I’m a fan of, but with that said The Monkey’s Paw took me by surprised. The one thing I take early notice of is the production value compared to most of SyFy and Chiller’s original films, and it’s pretty excellent, especially for something with this kind of budget. Another thing, although I haven’t seen the original film nor read the book the story came out pretty well. The cast was kind of a delightful looking group of characters as well.

Jack Tilton and  Olivia.

Jack Tilton and crew were an interesting bunch of characters, at least interesting enough to warrant my full attention to the film. Speaking of the cast, Stephen Lang was especially hilarious as Toby Cobb, even more so when Toby became undead, oh how much hilarity ensued after that occurred, and for those wondering, it was an intentional kind of funny. I normally don’t like comedy with my horror films unless it tells you to your face that it’s intentional, or if it’s something like Child’s Play, but the comedy used for The Monkey’s Paw was a nice and welcomed surprise.

Toby Cobb in one of the more hilarious scenes of The Monkey’s Paw.

THE BAD: When people watch this they have to go in with low expectations. It obviously won’t appeal to some, and some of the effects aren’t all that great, but as long as you don’t take it too seriously then this movie can be pretty entertaining for what it is.

One of the best kills in the film, again featuring Toby.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: While a made for TV, The Monkey’s Paw comes off pretty nicely production wise. The cast was pretty strong for the most past, and the comedy was actually funny. The fact is people who don’t take this seriously will enjoy it, even if only for a few moments, but some noticeably bad scenes and some poor effects due to a limited budget will definite annoy a lot of people. Otaku Dome gives The Monkey’s Paw an 68 out of 100.