Movie: Primate
Release Date: Jan. 9, 2026
Director: Johannes Roberts
Runtime: 1 hour, 29 minutes
Genre: Horror
Rating: B+
January movies have developed a bit of a negative reputation over the years. It’s not the ideal month for award-seeking dramas or superhero showdowns, but it just might be the perfect time to unleash a vicious killer chimpanzee into theaters.
Set in Hawaii, the primary human star of “Primate” is Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah), a college student coming home for the summer to her luxurious, secluded mountain home. She’s joined on the trip by childhood friends and sibling duo Kate (Victoria Wyant) and Nick (Benjamin Cheng), along with Kate’s party-girl friend Hannah (Jessica Alexander).
Waiting at the house are Lucy’s father Adam (Troy Kotsur), her younger sister Erin (Gia Hunter) and of course, their cherished, highly intelligent pet chimp, Ben, played by Miguel Torres Umba in an animatronic enhanced costume.
Things seem to be going great at first, but as the teens plan a party, Ben’s behavior becomes increasingly unnerving. After being bitten by a rabid mongoose, Ben goes from beloved to bloodthirsty.
Right from the opening, “Primate” is a film that puts bite over bloat. It’s a tightly constructed, focused experience, running at a brisk 89 minutes. Consequently, beyond the main character and her simplistic but reasonably effective arc, the movie's characters can feel undercooked.
Unfortunately Kate, Nick and Hannah aren’t much more than archetypes, but that’s more of a pragmatic decision than a glaring flaw. Many movies have the time and the need for thoughtful character development; this isn’t one of them.
Kotsur turns in one of the stronger performances as Lucy and Erin’s father, a novelist away at a conference when the carnage starts. The character is deaf, just like Kotsur in real life. The film doesn’t dwell on that, but he and the filmmakers don’t miss the opportunities for both horror and humor that the premise offers to a deaf character played by a skilled performer. Kotsur isn’t in the film much, but he shows up in some of its more memorable moments.
Whatever “Primate” lacks in character work and unexpected plot developments, it mostly makes up for with pure adrenaline and shock value. Most of the story’s twists and turns are predictable, a few from a mile away, but that’s not how this film wants to surprise you.
Smartly staged sequences provide the arena for Ben’s kills, which are visceral and creative while stopping just short of feeling excessively gruesome or gratuitous. Make no mistake, there’s heavy gore, but the film’s sense of heightened reality and twisted whimsy should keep things watchable for most viewers.
All the film’s characters, much like real people would in a ludicrous life-or-death situation, don’t always make the most intelligent decisions and sometimes survive off nothing more than dumb luck. Unless you’d prefer a depressing and unsatisfying short film, that’s a necessary part of the DNA of this kind of horror movie.
Understanding the ridiculous nature of the premise and situation, “Primate” isn’t taking itself too seriously. The emotional core of Lucy and Erin’s sibling bond is still there, but there’s also plenty of well-placed humor that not only avoids undercutting the tension but is key in ensuring the horror doesn’t feel mean-spirited.
Overall, “Primate” is technically sound, with solid direction, cinematography and especially inspired lighting. The script is standard and unambitious but works well enough.
The visual and practical effects, which had to be done well for this movie to succeed, are about as cartoonish as live-action can get. However, they avoid feeling overly unrealistic or cheap. The filmmakers recognize the importance of maintaining immersion and pull back just as things could potentially go too far.
Though a somewhat slight story and thin characters hold it back from going down as truly excellent, “Primate” wasn’t made to be a masterpiece. It set out to be a gleefully violent, funny, B-movie-style night at the movies, and that’s exactly what it accomplished.