We’ve seen into the future. Each January, Hollywood provides a few horror movies to kick off the new year and, in 2026, one of those movies is Primate. It’s a down-and-dirty, sub-90-minute horror movie about a killer chimpanzee starring Oscar winner Troy Kotsur, which just had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2025. And, we think, slotting it in early January is perfect because the film meets, but doesn’t quite exceed, expectations.
Directed by Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City), Primate is an original story about a family who has a pet chimpanzee. Really, just saying that kind of tells you exactly what to expect because clearly it’s such a terrible idea (owning a chimp, not making a movie about it). Even so, things seem okay. The oldest daughter, Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah), comes home to Hawaii after being away and is excited to spend time with her father (Kotsur) and little sister. She also brings a few friends along for the trip and even meets a few party guys on the plane back. The stage is set for an epic return to the island.
That’s where Lucy reconnects with the family’s pet chimp, Ben (played at times in a suit by Miguel Torres Umba). For a wild animal who lives in their home, Ben seems nice enough. Thanks to their late mother, Ben has been with them for years. He’s loving, playful, and communicative. Just another member of the family. What they don’t count on, though, is Ben catching rabies, which is when all hell breaks loose.
By the time that happens, Primate has taken more than its fair share of time to set up these characters, Ben included. We know Mom died of cancer. We know Lucy cut herself off to deal with the grief. We know Dad threw himself into his work, etc. There’s a lot to explore there, but the movie takes such a drastic shift in tone and narrative that almost all of that is largely forgotten. It’s jarring, but thankfully, that drastic shift in tone from summer drama to intense, violent killer animal movie works because Roberts really puts all his attention into that second part.
To keep things focused, Primate keeps all of the action isolated to the family home. And, for a large part of that, it’s even more centralized around the pool area. Having those focal points makes the action feel very grounded and suspenseful. Just when you think there isn’t a new way for Ben to terrorize the characters, he finds one. The kills, of which there are many, are exceedingly gross and satisfying, too. Which, in turn, works to take the at-first sweet, cute, sympathetic Ben character and make him the monster he needs to be. At the start, it’s easy to feel bad for the sick animal, but once he starts ripping people’s faces off, all bets are off. It also helps a lot that the creature was brought to life using mostly physical effects. That gives the movie a nice, nostalgic feel, even though it’s clearly modern.
Plus, because chimpanzees are so smart—and Ben in particular, since he’s been largely domesticated—Primate has a welcome level of unpredictability. Now, it’s not hugely surprising at any point. It mostly follows basic horror movie tropes, such as characters making bad decisions, wild coincidences happening, etc., which can get a little frustrating and repetitive. But because the killer is this rabid, yet smart, animal, there are some fun and unique moments peppered throughout that keep things propulsive.
Ultimately, while Primate isn’t without flaws, it works more than it doesn’t. It’s a little basic, a little underbaked, but it keeps you engaged. It also helps that it’s paced well at under 90 minutes. No one is doing career-defining work here either, but they don’t have to. The performances fit the story, the kills are gory, and overall, you feel like you’re watching something that’s just fun enough. It’s an average horror movie, but coming out in that usually underwhelming January release window, average is good enough. It’ll be a fun way to kick off next year.
Primate had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2025 and will open wide on January 9, 2026.
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