Primate is an original horror movie written and directed by Johannes Roberts. The film premiered at the Fantastic Fest on September 18, 2025, and received generally positive reviews from critics. Primate stars Johnny Sequoyah, Gia Hunter, Lucy Jessica Alexander, Victoria Wyant, and Troy Kotsur and is set to rampage in theatres on January 9th 2026.

After returning home to Hawaii for the summer break, Lucy is reunited with her father, Adam, her sister, Erin, and their pet chimpanzee, Ben. Lucy and her friends Hannah, Kate and her older brother Nick decide to throw a pool party to take advantage of an empty house after Lucy’s father is called away for work.

Unbeknownst to them, Ben is bitten by a mongoose and contracts rabies and the gentle chimpanzee they once knew is now a rampaging beast. With their lives at risk and no means of calling for help, they must work together to figure out how to outsmart the now ferocious Ben and survive their ordeal.

The main stars of the film are Johnny Sequoyah, Gia Hunter, Lucy Jessica Alexander, and Victoria Wyant as Lucy, Erin, Hannah, and Kate, respectively. The film focuses more on Johnny’s character, but overall, there isn’t much to say about each character, even with their different personalities.

The film feels like a typical teen drama, while a murdering chimpanzee is lurking around the house they’re trapped in. Despite this, they each play their roles well and serve their purpose in the overall plot. Their fear feels genuine when confronted by Ben, even though audiences will just be waiting for them to meet the inevitable.

Multi-award-winning deaf actor Troy Kotsur is the most notable of the cast. He plays Adam, a deaf character who had the strongest bond with Ben before he went berserk. It’s easy to see why Troy has won various awards, as he even stands out as a supporting character in this film.

It’s a shame that he’s not in the film more than he is because he has the best chemistry with Ben, and you’d want to see more of that. It’s likely the film would’ve been taken more seriously if it had made Troy the main star, with everyone else playing supporting roles.

The whole point of the film is to have a raging chimpanzee killing unsuspecting people, and the basic plot is just to set up the premise. The film uses practical effects, with Miguel Torres Umba as the body actor for Ben, and animatronics for Ben’s facial expressions.

Ben looks and acts like a real-life chimpanzee, and seeing him go from an innocent chimp to a raging ape is certainly a scary sight. Adding to this, chimpanzees are deceptively strong for their size, and this one is more intelligent than you’d expect, which the characters quickly realise, making their situation even more complicated.

The practical effects also apply to all the kill scenes, which, early on, aren’t all that exciting because they purposely don’t show what’s happening, but it isn’t long before the film shows more and more with each kill scene. They’re the main reason to watch this horror film, and it’s interesting to see how this unassuming monkey ends the lives of each victim.

Whether he’s clubbing them with a blunt heavy object or literally tearing them apart, the film doesn’t shy away from the gory violence. Audiences will hear all the blood spilling and bones crunching, which adds to the film’s gruesomeness. Even with a basic plot and a main cast you could barely care for, the horror scenes are where the film truly shines.

The movie primarily takes place in a large house with many rooms and hiding spots that Ben uses to his advantage. He also knows the whole layout of the house and how to switch off the lights, using the darkness to stay out of sight. This creates a lot of suspense, making the characters cautious, nervous, and unsure about where it is safe to go. Even when it seems the main characters have the upper hand, Ben quickly figures out a solution and turns it to his advantage.

With an 89-minute runtime, Primate has just enough to keep audiences interested, even if they’re only waiting for the kill scenes. It may not have the most original concept, but it still has some creative ideas. A chimpanzee who’s physically strong for his size, intelligent, unassuming, and

unpredictable, and is on a murderous rampage, is a scary concept that the film does quite well. The plot is basic, and the pacing can feel slow, but it’s easy to follow. It seems that it’s self-aware, because the main reason to watch this film is, of course, for the kill scenes, and it doesn’t shy away from the violence.

Primate may not win any awards or be a memorable horror film in the long term. Overall, it’s an okay horror flick for anyone in the mood to see some bodies being dismembered.

Written by: Sammy Hanson