Primate is an inarguably silly movie, and yet it leans into that silliness in exactly the right way. Though it never actually turns into overt meta commentary or winking self-parody, you still get the unmistakable feeling that all involved—starting with director and co-writer Johannes Roberts—knew this should be a goofy good time. And crucially, Roberts also understood it would be best served as a goofy gory good time, delivering a movie far more brutal and graphic than the trailers have indicated, which helps make it an even more satisfyingly over-the-top experience. Seriously, they really should have gone with a redband trailer for this one to more properly sell what it has to offer! For fans of creature features and horror mayhem, you’re in for an absolute treat.
An Opening That Sets the Tone Perfectly
Roberts sets the bar high with the film’s in medias res opening, which includes a rather fantastic and genuinely attention-getting moment of killer chimp violence that elicited unexpected early applause from the audience I saw it with. I wouldn’t be shocked if the decision to begin with this flash-forward was made in the editing room, because the actual story set-up that follows feels a bit too drawn out for this type of unpretentious B-movie. And yet the promise of that explosive opening lingers over everything like a dark cloud, serving as an assurance that we shouldn’t worry—the reason we’re all here is definitely on its way and it’s absolutely going to deliver.
The eventual killer in question is Ben, a domesticated chimpanzee living alongside popular author Adam (Troy Kotsur) and his daughters, Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) and Erin (Gia Hunter), in their beautiful cliffside Hawaiian home that’s about to become ground zero for carnage. Lucy is just returning home after a long absence in the wake of her mother’s tragic death, with a bit of backstory about her mom being a linguistics expert to explain how Ben came to live with them in the first place.
If Primate is trying to suggest why you shouldn’t domesticate a wild animal like Ben, it’s only there as background texture rather than anything overt, preachy, or particularly meaningful—but that’s perfectly fine for this type of gleefully trashy entertainment. Ben is a loving part of the family until he very suddenly isn’t, and though we get a quick glimpse of the chimp as the sweet-natured guy he always was until now, the movie’s tone ultimately goes to such entertaining extremes that it doesn’t ask us to cry about the tragedy of what’s happening so much as cheer on the mayhem like we would in a classic slasher film. If you sometimes end up still feeling Team Ben despite everything, well, that makes sense too, because he’s just giving the bloodthirsty crowd exactly what they want.
If you sometimes end up still feeling Team Ben, well, that makes sense too, because he’s just giving the crowd what they want.
Lean, Mean, and Brutally Efficient
Once we get through the necessary family drama backstory and the somewhat unnecessary inclusion of a brewing competition between Lucy and her pseudo-friend Hannah (Jessica Alexander) over the affections of Lucy’s longtime crush Nick (Benjamin Cheng)—which feels like filler that could have been trimmed—Primate becomes commendably lean and mean. The story takes place over one long, nightmarish night as Lucy, her younger sister, and her friends try desperately to fend off Ben after he snaps and begins brutally killing anyone who crosses his path with increasing savagery.
At that point, the film thankfully concentrates on delivering the goods in terms of genuine tension and exciting, creative kills versus too many unnecessary dramatic elements for a story of this gleefully B-movie nature. My only big distraction? Trying to figure out why the book signing Adam has traveled to Honolulu for seems to be happening pretty damn late at night for such an event. But that’s an incredibly minor quibble in what’s otherwise a tightly constructed thriller.
This story streamlining—Ernest Riera wrote the script with Roberts—includes smartly skipping past some of the potentially tedious specifics for the how and why of what’s happened to Ben. We know from the start that it’s an oldie but goodie horror set-up: rabies. That classic disease will make Ben turn homicidal, as Primate kicks off with a helpful block of informative text to give us some rabies history and set up the stakes. At one point, one character incredulously notes that rabies isn’t found in Hawaii, but that line simply serves the practical purpose of acknowledging this geographical fact rather than leading to some bigger conspiracy reveal.
We never get the expected scenes showing how, say, someone smuggled an animal they shouldn’t have into Hawaii that turned out to be carrying rabies…and yet we really don’t need to see that. It’s enough to know that somehow rabies got to the Hawaiian islands, a mongoose with rabies bit Ben, and now we’re enjoying the spectacularly bloody results. The film understands its priorities and doesn’t waste time on exposition we don’t need.
Roberts Knows Exactly What He’s Doing
Roberts, whose previous credits include The Strangers: Prey at Night and 47 Meters Down, does a very good job of expertly mixing the straightforward, visceral thrills of his gruesome kill scenes with some genuinely effective moments of sustained tension. He probably has Ben suddenly appear right next to someone a couple times too many—it becomes a bit predictable—but it works like a charm more often than not, eliciting screams and nervous laughter from the audience. You can also often feel that Roberts is completely in on the joke, most especially when two horny, drunken douchebag bros (Tienne Simon and Charlie Mann) who are absolutely begging to be massacred by a killer chimp turn up for precisely that purpose. It’s self-aware without being obnoxiously meta.
The cast, including Sequoyah and Victoria Wyant (as Lucy’s loyal best friend), do solid, committed work in the midst of this innately wacky scenario, selling the terror without ever winking at the camera. Yes, it’s admittedly funny to see the charming and talented Kotsur in this type of unpretentious popcorn movie just a few years after winning an Oscar for CODA, but hey, that’s life in Hollywood—and good for him for having fun with his career choices. Roberts incorporates the deafness of both Kotsur and his character Adam into the story using effective cinematic methods we’ve certainly seen before, including powerful moments of complete silence when we cut to Adam’s perspective, which adds unexpected layers to the suspense.
Also providing a crucial element is composer Adrian Johnston, who gives the film a wonderfully retro 1980s-style synth score that has a cool and genuinely creepy vibe perfectly suited to this kind of creature feature throwback. It’s the kind of score that John Carpenter would approve of.
Ben Is a Practical Effects Marvel
As for Ben himself, huge kudos to everyone involved in the creation of this terrifyingly believable character. Rather than using CGI like you might automatically expect these days—and which would have been considerably cheaper—Ben was brought to impressively realistic life using a remarkably complex animatronic suit created by the legendary Millennium FX, with actor and movement specialist Miguel Torres Umba actually wearing the costume and physically playing Ben in every scene. The end result of the creative partnership between Millennium FX’s technical wizardry and Umba’s committed physical performance is that Ben truly looks great on screen; you can easily buy into him as a full-fledged and increasingly angry and deranged character as he first stalks and hunts his prey and then bashes, smashes, and tears them apart in various creative and wince-inducing ways.
The practical effects work here is genuinely impressive and represents exactly the kind of craftsmanship that horror fans appreciate and crave. Ben moves like a real chimpanzee—which, let’s remember, are terrifyingly strong animals in reality—and the suit allows for the kind of tactile, physical interactions with actors and environments that CGI still struggles to match. Every swipe, grab, and violent action feels weighty and real, which makes the horror that much more effective.
Gloriously Gory Kills
The kill scenes themselves deserve special mention because Roberts and his effects team don’t hold back in the slightest. This isn’t a PG-13 creature feature that cuts away from the violence—this is a hard-R gore-fest that gives horror fans exactly what they’re hoping for. The creativity on display in how Ben dispatches his victims is impressively varied, and the practical effects work makes every kill land with visceral impact. This is the kind of movie where you’ll find yourself both cringing and cheering, sometimes simultaneously.
For fans of practical gore effects, Primate is an absolute must-see. The film understands that in this type of creature feature, the kills need to be memorable, and it delivers on that promise repeatedly. Without spoiling specific moments, let’s just say that the film earns its R-rating multiple times over.
Embracing B-Movie Roots With Pride
What makes Primate work so well is that it completely understands what kind of movie it is and never apologizes for it. This is unabashedly B-movie entertainment executed with A-level craft in key areas like practical effects and cinematography. Roberts never tries to elevate the material beyond what it should be—there are no pretentious thematic statements about humanity or heavy-handed environmental messages. This is simply a well-made killer animal movie that delivers exactly what it promises.
The pacing, once we get past the setup, is relentless. The night of terror unfolds in increasingly intense waves, with characters making the kinds of decisions that feel authentic to panicked people rather than the frustratingly stupid choices that plague lesser horror films. Sure, not every decision is brilliant, but when you’re being hunted by a rabid chimpanzee in the dark, perfection isn’t exactly achievable.
Minor Flaws Don’t Diminish the Fun
Are there issues? Sure. The romantic subplot feels somewhat underdeveloped and could have been trimmed. The setup takes slightly longer than ideal to get to the good stuff. A few jump scares feel repetitive. But these are minor complaints in what is otherwise a thoroughly entertaining piece of horror cinema that knows exactly what its audience wants and delivers it with gleeful enthusiasm.
The film also wisely keeps its runtime tight, never overstaying its welcome. At a brisk runtime that doesn’t drag, Primate understands that this kind of high-concept horror works best when it’s efficient and focused. Get in, deliver the goods, get out—and leave the audience wanting more rather than checking their watches.
The Verdict
Primate doesn’t transcend its material or offer anything in the way of true surprises on a plot level—you pretty much know what you’re getting from the premise. But look, if you buy a ticket for one killer chimpanzee movie this year (or ever), this one absolutely delivers the goods with style and substance. It has genuinely fun and well-executed set pieces, a great-looking and believably terrifying animatronic costumed killer chimp, and applause-worthy gore for those of us who like when our horror gets wonderfully messy.
This is the kind of movie that reminds you why we go to theaters for horror films—to experience that communal reaction, to hear the audience gasp and cheer and laugh nervously together. Primate is pure entertainment executed with skill and genuine affection for the creature feature genre. Johannes Roberts has crafted something that horror fans will absolutely eat up, a film that respects the intelligence of its audience while never taking itself too seriously.
For fans of practical effects, creature features, survival horror, or just gloriously over-the-top B-movie entertainment done right, Primate is essential viewing. It’s the kind of movie that will play fantastically at midnight screenings and horror festivals, building a devoted cult following among those who appreciate well-crafted genre filmmaking that isn’t afraid to get its hands (or paws) dirty.
Grab some popcorn, turn off your brain’s serious mode, and prepare for a wild ride. Ben is waiting, and he’s got some serious anger management issues to work through—preferably on anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path. You’re going to have a blast watching the carnage unfold.
