Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders

The film opens by presenting Merlin's interventions as generally helpful. A subtle, eerie undertone hints that magic may carry hidden risks. These opening moments set the stage for magical meddling with consequences.

The couple goes to Merlin's shop, where Jonathan belittles Merlin and threatens a negative newspaper article to hurt the store. Merlin lends Jonathan his spellbook as proof he is the legendary wizard. This loan marks the start of Jonathan's dangerous flirtation with magical power.

Jonathan takes the book home and begins experimenting with several of the spells. He becomes convinced of the book's authenticity when a failed spirit-summoning results in a vision of Satan and a breath of fire. This marks his turn toward obsession with the book's powers.

As he uses more spells, Jonathan rapidly ages, his hair whitening and receding. The life-force drain makes him desperate to push further into magical power. The aging process visually underscores the price of his greed.

He attempts to transform his cat into a mystical servant, but the creature becomes demonic. In a panic, Jonathan uses another spell to incinerate the demonically altered cat, burning it alive. The horrifying act accelerates his downward spiral.

Jonathan retrieves the rejuvenation spell and prepares a potion using Madeline's blood. He drinks the potion, but the spell backfires, regressing him to infancy. Madeline is left to cope with the unexpected reversal and the fragile reunion of husband and wife.

A thief steals the cymbal-banging monkey from Merlin's shop and sells it to a novelty store. It is purchased by a woman as a birthday present for her young son Michael. The toy's ominous power remains hidden until it enters the family's life.

Whenever the monkey's cymbals strike, nearby living things die, starting with the family's pets. The first victims prompt concern and suspicion about the toy's malign influence. The family begins to realize the monkey is more than a harmless toy.

David consults a psychic friend who warns him to throw the monkey away. He does discard it, but Michael finds it in the trash and brings it back into the home. The cycle of danger resumes as the toy remains in the house.

The monkey tries to drive the boy into harm by summoning a car accident, but David manages to prevent the cymbals from striking. Desperate, he carries the toy to a remote field to bury it, hoping to end the nightmare. The burial marks a brief respite from the malevolent force.

A fierce storm and an earthquake are summoned by the monkey to stop him from burying the toy. David finishes burying the monkey but is injured when a tree falls. The attempt to be rid of the object seems to backfire in the physical world.

Some time later, David's mother visits bearing a present for Michael—the monkey, unharmed. The family tries to flee as the cymbals go into motion again, but Merlin suddenly appears and takes the toy back to his shop, promising to deal with it later. The threat is left unresolved, and Merlin's control over the object remains uncertain.