REVIEW: “Primate” (2026)

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After weeks of watching serious, critically acclaimed films for awards season, it’s refreshing to just relax and enjoy a fun, over-the-top horror movie like “Primate.” This film doesn’t try to be anything it’s not, and director Johannes Roberts largely succeeds in delivering exactly the kind of scares horror fans want.

Okay, so “Primate” is a really interesting mix. Imagine taking the intense, animal-attack horror of “Cujo” and then throwing in the classic tropes of an 80s slasher film – that’s pretty close to what you get. The villain is a chimpanzee named Ben, and honestly, once things go south, he feels less like an animal and more like a relentless killer like Michael Myers or Jason. But what’s clever is that the filmmakers, Roberts and Riera, really make you believe Ben is a genuine threat. And they don’t just make him scary – they also manage to make you feel for him, which adds a surprising emotional weight, especially as the movie comes to a close.

After her first year of college, Lucy invites her best friend Kate and Kate’s brother Nick to spend time with her at her father’s luxurious Hawaiian beach house. Her father, Adam, is a busy writer. Things get complicated when Kate brings along Hannah, who immediately clashes with Lucy and the others, especially when Hannah starts showing interest in Nick, whom Lucy has a long-time crush on.

When Lucy returns home, she’s met with frustration from her younger sister, Erin. It’s revealed Lucy has been away for a while, leaving Erin and their father to cope with the loss of their mother on their own. We also meet Ben, a chimpanzee convincingly portrayed by Miguel Torres Umba, who was brought home by their mother, a linguistics professor, years ago. Ben serves as a poignant reminder of their mother, adding emotional weight to the family’s situation.

It’s funny how the initial conflicts and character dynamics, carefully set up in the first fifteen minutes, are completely dropped and never mentioned again. The film, “Primate,” quickly becomes a straightforward horror movie, diving right into the action. The single, central location works well and adds to the suspense. Importantly, the characters are well-developed enough that we genuinely care about their survival – except for the two annoying college students (Charlie Mann and Tienne Simon) who arrive at the worst possible moment, and whom we’re happy to see meet their demise.

What really stands out is the film’s commitment to real, practical effects – everything from the incredible performance capturing Ben to the film’s intense and graphic violence. Even though the story is somewhat ridiculous, these effects make Ben genuinely frightening. There’s no obvious computer trickery used on him or during the violent scenes. And those scenes are both incredibly imaginative and shockingly brutal, delivering the kind of gore that horror fans will love to kick off the year with a bang.

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2026-01-12 18:57