Primate (2026)

​“Primate” stars Johnny Sequoyah, Jessica Alexander, Troy Kotsur, Victoria Wyant, Gia Hunter, Benjamin Cheng, and Charlie Mann.  Released on January 9, 2026, the film has a family surviving against their savage pet chimp.

The film is directed by Johannes Roberts, who also directed films such as “Hellbreeder”, “Storage 24”, “47 Meters Down”, and “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City”.  Having a pet around can make a huge difference in one’s life.  Whether it’s a dog, cat, bird, or even a fish, pets can make us feel at ease regarding their support and companionship.  But in some cases, your pet could unexpectedly become the thing that inspires fear rather than love, especially if it's a chimpanzee with rabies.  As is tradition, we’re starting the new year with a scare-your-fur-off horror film that would either be surprisingly good or a giant piece of monkey poop.  This time, we have a human-vs-monkey horror movie from Johannes Roberts, featuring a group of teens facing the deadly wrath of their own pet chimp.  The rise of Planet of the Apes has to start somewhere.  Is this simple, chilling premise bananas enough to deliver the first good movie of 2026, or will it make audiences go apeshit for the wrong reasons?  Let’s find out.

The story follows Lucy (Sequoyah), a young woman who returns home to Hawaii and reunites with her family, including her father, Adam (Kotsur), her sister, Erin (Hunter), and their pet chimpanzee, Ben (Miguel Torres Umba).  After Adam is called away for work, Lucy and her friends Kate (Wyant), Hannah (Alexander), and Nick (Cheng) throw themselves a pool party at Lucy’s house.  Unfortunately, the special occasion between friends suddenly turns into a bloody nightmare when Ben is bitten by a rabid animal, causing him to go savage and attack his unsuspecting owners.  Lucy and the others must now work together to escape the ferocious monkey they once saw as family.  

If there’s one thing I know about these kinds of horror movies, it’s that nature is just as terrifying and deadly as the supernatural, maybe even more, especially when confronting wild animals.  Regardless of the quality, there is no doubt that confronting these ferocious creatures is nerve-wracking enough to make me steer clear of their natural habitats.  It doesn’t matter if they’re wolves, sharks, lions, or even monkeys; interfering with nature is one of the major death flags that’s worth avoiding.  That alone is what got me interested in this latest film from that subgenre.  On the other hand, the film’s director, Johannes Roberts, hasn’t been impressing me with the previous movies I’ve seen from him so far.  “47 Meters Down” was his only film that I mostly enjoyed because sharks terrify me to no end.  As for his take on “Resident Evil”, that reboot failed to invigorate the video game franchise for both fans and general audiences.  Let’s hope Zach Cregger can give us a “Resident Evil” film that’s actually worth our time surviving a zombie apocalypse.

However, I found myself surprised when I heard good things about “Primate” leading up to its release.  So, it seems that Roberts may have found his gory spark regarding his approach to low-budget horror.  But is it really as good as the word-of-mouth suggests?  After viewing it for myself, I would say it’ll depend on your horror needs.  If you’re seeking a straightforward, brutally savage horror experience about a chimp with rabies, “Primate” delivers a suitable amount of bloodshed and entertainment that’ll make you go bananas.  Given its simple premise, suspense, and atmospheric paranoia, the film used these elements to deliver old-fashioned animal-horror fun.  However, if you wanted a horror film with a bit more beef in its story and characters, you probably won’t find any monkey business lying around in this film.

To be fair, “Primate” does have a story underneath its savagery, in which Lucy attempts to reconnect with her sister Erin after returning home from college.  But then their adopted pet chimp decided to go full-on “Planet of the Apes” on them and Lucy’s friends because of every pet’s number one enemy: rabies.  Most modern horror movies can be hit-or-miss when it comes to character development, as they often drive their plots by making their characters one-dimensional victims of their grisly kills.  While they’re excused by the entertainment value of their premises on some occasions, there’s a reasonable chance that the characters, whether dumb, annoying, or both, can negatively impact the experience.  “Primate” is that one occasion where the characters aren’t entirely memorable with their depth, but are bearable enough for me to tolerate their scenes between Ben’s rampage.

Johannes Roberts and co-writer Ernest Riera tapped into the potential of Lucy and Erin’s sisterly bond in the first act, emphasizing the film’s heart amid its bloody banana pile.  After that, though, it was tossed aside to make room for the film’s horror-genre blueprint.  The best way I would describe “Primate” is that it’s sort of like a combination of every slasher film in existence and “Planet of the Apes”.  But instead of a traditional machete or fishing hook, Ben, the chimpanzee, uses his ape-like strength to rip a person’s skin off.  It’s not something we haven’t seen before in regards to animals attacking people, but what really matters is whether its seemingly gonzo plot is fun enough to warrant a recommendation.  In my eyes, I can definitely say that I had a decent time with “Primate”.  Yes, it is far from original and lacks much substance to transcend beyond its “chimp killing people” concept.  However, it boasts a pretty healthy mixture of suspense, horror, and dark humor to highlight its breezy, squeamish, and consistently engaging 90-minute trip through monkey hell.

As I mentioned earlier, I wasn’t much of a fan of some of the movies I’ve seen from Johannes Roberts.  But, I do admire “47 Meters Down” for underscoring the genuine terror of being in shark-infested waters amid its micro-budget thrills.  This gave Roberts the mindset to make a seemingly harmless chimpanzee as murderous as the Great White Shark, and he played to that strength pretty well.  It’s not just because of the jump scares that are actually frightening rather than annoying.  It’s also because of how he handled the tension of avoiding the vicious monkey.  Sure, getting your butt whooped by a crazy chimp is scary enough, but the process of having to sneak past it without creating too much noise or making any sudden movements?  Oh boy…  That’s something you don’t want to do during your next game of “Truth or Dare”.  Those sequences somehow reminded me of “A Quiet Place”, where a single loud noise can lead to your death.  Although that movie did this concept better, “Primate” used this tense element to evoke terror from confronting a rabid monkey.  With how well he handled the movie’s tension, darkly lit atmosphere, and some convincing frights, I’m surprised to see that Johannes Roberts may have stepped up his game regarding the horror genre.

Another element I admired was the film’s practical effects, which were used for the gore effects and the creation of Ben.  Most times, I give filmmakers credit for not blowing their budgets with CGI effects, instead relying on the creativity and realism of practical effects.  I usually find it satisfying to see the effort put into these types of effects, even though some of them can be goofy-looking, and “Primate” is unsurprisingly no exception.  Granted, there were some scenes where “Primate” took some shortcuts with CGI for understandable reasons.  But most of the time, I was treated with some pretty disgusting stuff, especially the kills that were occasionally far-fetched.  The gore effects are solid enough to make me squirm, even if the lighting sometimes obscures them.  However, that also means I can’t recommend this movie to those who aren’t fans of gore.  But if you can handle it, you might find yourself having fun getting grossed out by Ben’s brutalities.

Additionally, I found the actors' performances suitable, but nothing to write home about.  Johnny Sequoyah, known for her roles in “Believe” and “Dexter: New Blood”, was pretty decent in conveying Lucy’s genuine fear towards a rampaging chimpanzee.  It’s not the best performance I’ve seen from her, but she does show potential in her talents, especially in the horror genre.  As for the rest of the cast, I recognized only two actors from previous projects, including Jessica Alexander.  Chances are, you might have recognized her for her role as Vanessa in the live-action “Little Mermaid” remake.  Her performance as Hannah was fine, which is pretty much all I could say about it.  The other is Troy Kotsur, who’s best known for making history as the first male deaf actor to win an Oscar for his role in “CODA”.  I didn’t expect him to show up in another movie after that, but here he is, playing a father in a horror movie about a killer chimp.  But, in all seriousness, I thought Kotsur was good in the film, particularly for his shining moment in its climax.

Overall, “Primate” goes bananas for the right reasons, delivering a simple, brutal, and effectively chilling horror experience involving a killer monkey.  This is one of the few modern horror films that offers enough merits from its straightforward yet occasionally insane concept to excuse some of its shortcomings, whether through entertainment value, filmmaking craft, or both.  In this movie’s case, it takes advantage of its short runtime, suspense, and premise to deliver the enjoyment of watching a rabid chimp go psycho on its human owners.  Its screenplay doesn’t pack much protein into this blood-soaked banana to highlight the heart of its characters, nor does it transcend its traditional genre tropes.  However, it's enough of an entertaining animal chiller to make fans of killer-animal movies want to monkey around.  From its suitable cast to Johannes Roberts’ approach to its old-school thrills and practical effects, the film is another horror movie that avoids the dreaded tradition of subpar January horror slop that’s as stinky as a monkey’s “business.”

B-