Hey, check out David Finniss' series of articles "Stephen King bibliography." (So far all I see is Skeleton Crew).
The articles are light, chatty and fun. Finniss notes on the mist that he likes the film version better, and with each story takes a moment to explain its position within Skeleton Crew. I never thought about this! Of course the stories are put in a certain order for a reason.
I like his over-thinking The Monkey:
This is one of those stories where you find yourself armchair quarterbacking, imagining what you would do in such a scenario. My first thought was just to light the thing on fire. Fire can be pretty effective, even against supernatural elements. Heck, even shooting the thing with a gun might be effective as the bullet damage would disable the internal mechanisms. Maybe smashing it with a hammer?
There are options, but at the same time, a direct assault is tricky as the monkey can drop you instantly if it wanted to. It's made clear that simply muffling the cymbals isn't enough. Much like Pinhead, it isn't the hands that summon death, it's desire. That doesn't mean that you couldn't cut off its arms though, right? It's an interesting hypothetical to ponder.Skeleton Crew part 1: The Mist
Skeleton Crew part 2: Here There Be Tygers
Skeleton Crew part 3: The Monkey
Skeleton Crew part 4: Cain Rose Up
Skeleton Crew part 5: Mrs. Todd's Shortcut
Skeleton Crew part 6: The Jaunt
