Johannes Roberts’ Primate delivers gnarly kills and jaw-dropping practical effects; while the movie isn’t perfect, it’s still a great time.
Director: Johannes Roberts
Genre: Horror
Run Time: 89′
Fantastic Fest Screening: September 18-25, 2025
U.S. Release Date: January 9, 2026
U.K. Release Date: TBA
Where to Watch: In U.S. theaters
After returning home to Hawaii for summer break, Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah, Dexter: New Blood) reunites with her father Adam (Troy Kotsur, Coda), her sister Erin (Gia Hunter), and their unusual family pet: a chimpanzee named Ben. When Lucy and her friends Kate (Victoria Wyant), Hannah (Jessica Alexander, The Little Mermaid), and Kate’s older brother Nick (Benjamin Cheng) throw a pool party, disaster strikes. Ben, having been bitten by a rabid mongoose, transforms from the family’s gentle companion into a violent predator.
Trapped in the pool with no way to call for help, Lucy and her friends must use every ounce of wit and willpower to survive the rampage.
Movies like Primate thrive on high-concept premises, and Johannes Roberts leans all the way into the chaos of “pet chimp goes rabid on family.” It’s as crazy as it sounds, and the film knows it. From its opening, where a veterinarian entering Ben’s enclosure to give him a shot only to have his face shredded apart before the title card slams on screen, Primate wastes no time setting the tone. Roberts then rewinds the clock 36 hours, giving us a quick introduction to Lucy, her family, and her friends before the carnage begins.
Once Ben turns, the movie finds its rhythm. The kills are gnarly and bloody, with practical effects that Roberts and his crew clearly take pride in. Faces are torn apart, limbs are crushed, and every attack is staged with the kind of grim glee horror fans will eat up. The poolside setting adds a fun twist, limiting the characters’ mobility while also forcing some creativity in how they try to fight back or hide. It moves at a brisk pace, never letting the audience feel like it’s stuck waiting for the next outburst.
But while the bloodletting entertains, the writing doesn’t do its characters the same favors. Beyond Lucy and her “bond” with Ben, the rest of the group feels like they were sketched in just to increase the body count. Dialogue is thin, motivations are barely present, and when deaths happen, it’s hard to feel anything besides a quick jolt of shock. It’s a shame, because with Troy Kotsur in the cast and Johnny Sequoyah as the lead, there’s real talent here that could have added more depth. Instead, most of the human side of the story gets pushed aside in favor of chimp mayhem.
Still, the true undercurrent of the film is clear: no matter how domesticated they may seem, chimps should never be pets. Roberts underlines this idea without being heavy-handed, and it adds just enough weight to make the story resonate beyond its spectacle. By the time the credits roll, Primate has delivered exactly what it promised: a fast, nasty creature feature with jaw-dropping practical effects. It may not have well-rounded characters or memorable dialogue, but if you came for carnage, it more than delivers.
Primate: Movie Plot & Recap
Synopsis:
A chimpanzee contracts rabies and turns on the family that raised him, leaving Lucy and her friends trapped in a deadly fight for survival at a pool party.
Pros:
- Gnarly, bloody kills that keep the tension high
- Practical effects are top-notch and gleefully gruesome
- Fast pace that keeps the story moving
- A clear underlying message about the dangers of keeping chimps as pets
Cons:
- Characters are thinly written, serving mostly as fodder
- Dialogue feels shallow and unmemorable
- Emotional weight is overshadowed by spectacle
Primate was screened at Fantastic Fest on September 18-25, 2025 and will be released in U.S. theaters on January 9, 2026.
