Two young siblings, Peter and Dennis, find a clapping monkey toy in the basement of their great uncle’s home.
There’s a story behind this toy. In the past, their father Hal had found that monkey in his father’s cupboard without knowing the toy was cursed. Hal’s father disappeared under unusual circumstances, and the monkey was connected to it. It’s revealed that whenever the monkey claps, someone from Hal’s family dies -- his relatives dying one after the other until he figured out the connection with the monkey.
Oppressed by the monkey’s devilish enchantment, Hal threw it into a deep well until it was found again by his kids. When Peter and Dennis find the monkey again, Hal shoves it deep down in a lake to avoid a new death. He hopes the problem is solved forever. A couple of days later, the local newspaper ran a story about the mysterious death of all the fish in the lake.