Primate [2025]

April 30, 2026

Primate is a classic killer monkey slasher horror, and if you don’t take it too seriously, it will be a fun watch. I mean, what can you expect from a movie with this premise? However, that claim might be a bit more wrong than you think. We will talk about that a bit later. For now, let’s focus on the task at hand. Primate is set in a swanky Hawaiian mansion overlooking the ocean. It follows Lucy, the daughter of a famous novelist, coming home after a long time away, following the death of her mother. In that home is an enclosure holding Ben, a friendly chimpanzee with no violent history. One thing leads to another, and we find ourselves watching several young and good-looking people trying to survive vicious chimp attacks.

So, the story is as formulaic as they come, with a couple of pretty lame quirks trying to make it feel more authentic. But hey, at least the whole thing visually looks very sleek and tight. The same goes for a short running time of just eighty minutes. Primate opens with one hell of a scene, but then we’ll have to wait another thirty minutes for things to get going. That opener shows us what the infamous Travis the chimp attack might’ve looked like. After that, we’ll get some gore and decent practical effects, but nothing too crazy. Still, I appreciate the full R rating. When it comes to the suspense, there won’t be much. We all know how this is going to play out, and it plays out exactly like that. I wouldn’t mind a couple of surprises, but I guess that’s the charm of these movies.

You know exactly what you’re getting yourself into and are willing to have some fun. With that being said, it’s a real shame they didn’t take advantage of the Hawaiian setting. I think that people underestimate just how much this type of setting makes a difference. Especially for us, living in busy cities, far away from the coast or any type of exotic nature. And it makes no difference that Primate was actually filmed in Portugal, on Madeira Island. Just go to some fucking beach and point the camera at everything. Including one of your main selling points, a young and attractive cast. Did someone say nudity? Now that would make this movie more like an eighties slasher. Something they were actually trying to do.

Director Johannes Roberts states that Cujo was the biggest inspiration. He actually went on to say that Primate is basically: “Cujo with a chimp instead of a dog.” This is why the lighting is a bit darker than we’re used to in these modern slashers. I guess now is the perfect time to go over some other notable killer monkey movies. Of course, the gold standard is the little-known Shakma. It’s everything you would want a B slasher horror to be. If you’re looking for something slightly more sophisticated, Link is the right choice. This 1986 horror stars Terence Stamp, Elisabeth Shue, and a lot of killer monkeys. I also want to make something clear, The Monkey, released back in 2025, does not feature “real” monkeys but a cursed toy.

Finally, it’s time to mention the greatest of them all, the best killer monkey movie to date: Monkey Shines. Written and directed by none other than the legend himself, George Romero, it’s so outlandish, creative, and engaging that you won’t forget it. Just dive into its glorious bizarreness and enjoy the best things the eighties have to offer. A seemingly ordinary B slasher that quickly turns into a perplexing psychological horror. With that being said, there’s one movie I’m yet to see, and that’s 1985’s In the Shadow of Kilimanjaro. Starring John Rhys-Davies, it’s supposedly based on true events about a legion of hungry monkeys destroying everything in their path. Will report back on that one. Finally, it’s time to talk about the star of the show, chimpanzee Ben.

To my great pleasure, the production opted for practical effects instead of that fake-ass CGI. By using complex animatronic modules for almost all of his body parts. However, most of the scenes feature Miguel Torres Umba wearing a prosthetic suit. And I have to say he was excellent. I wonder if they could’ve used a real chimpanzee for some of the shots. I guess that’s the discussion they had and decided against it. Perhaps it was too dangerous or costly, or it just didn’t look right. Johnny Sequoyah was good in the lead role, along with Troy Kotsur (who’s deaf in real life), who plays her father. You might remember from the 2021 Oscar-winning movie CODA.