Johannes Roberts' 'Primate' transforms a family pet chimpanzee into a terrifying slasher villain in a Hawaii-set thriller. Starring Johnny Sequoyah and Troy Kotsur, the film draws on practical effects for its rabid chimp's mayhem. Critics praise its slick execution despite formulaic elements.
Johannes Roberts, known for '47 Meters Down,' directs 'Primate,' a slasher movie that reimagines a family chimpanzee as a rabies-afflicted killer. The story unfolds in a palatial cliffside home in Hawaii, where college student Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) returns for a reunion with her teenage sister Erin (Gia Hunter) and their deaf father Adam (Troy Kotsur, from 'CODA'). Their mother has recently died of cancer, and the family includes Ben, a pet chimp brought home as part of a linguistics experiment.
Ben, who communicates cutely via a vocal digital keypad—saying things like 'Lucy back. Ben missed'—is bitten by a rabid mongoose and quickly devolves into a murderous simian. He traps Lucy, Erin, and two friends in the home's swimming pool, where they are safe in the water but unable to escape. The film showcases Ben's rampage with practical effects, featuring actor Miguel Torres Umba in an ape suit that delivers a realistic chimp grin turning into a gnashing leer.
Roberts cites Stephen King's 'Cujo' as key inspiration, emphasizing the chimp's primal strength rather than evil intent, akin to the shark in 'Jaws.' The movie riffs on the TV-chimp-gone-wild sequence in Jordan Peele's 'Nope,' leaving nothing to the imagination with graphic bites, mauls, and a jaw-tearing kill. Though characters start with potential depth, they become fodder in the exploitation-style horror.
Reviewed at AMC Empire in New York on January 7, 2026, 'Primate' earns an R rating and runs 89 minutes. Produced by Paramount Pictures with Walter Hamada and others, the screenplay is by Roberts and Ernest Riera. Critics call it slick slaughterhouse schlock with a minor triumph in effects, blending grisly comedy and simian terror.
