Directed by: Johannes Roberts
Written by: Johannes Roberts and Ernest Riera
Run Time: 1 hour 29 mins

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Arguably, the scariest scene in Jordan Peele’s sci-fi horror, Nope (2022) isn’t anything from the film’s main plot, but rather the ‘Gordy’s Home’ flashback sequence. It depicts the traumatic experience of Steven Yuen’s character as a child actor on a family sitcom in which a chimpanzee, playing the titular Gordy, suddenly turns violent, mauling most of the cast and crew. It’s a relatively brief scene, but one that still manages to strike considerable fear into the audience. It’s likely no coincidence then that now, only a few years later, we have Primate, a feature length, killer chimp creature feature, from director Johannes Roberts.

His film follows Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah), a young college student returning to her remote family home in Hawaii. Here she reunites with her Dad Adam (Troy Kotsur), younger sister Erin (Gia Hunter) and pet chimp Ben. However, when Ben is bitten by a rabid animal that gets into his enclosure he quickly departs all domestication, going wild and brutally attacking his family and the friends they have staying for the summer.

The details of any given set-up are generally unimportant in these kinds of films, but what is crucial is the concept: chimp gets rabies and goes on a killing spree. It is just Cujo (1983) with the dog swapped out for an ape, but honestly, say no more. There’s no monkeying around from Ben either, as Primate starts with a shocking burst of violence. It’s a graphic promise, or perhaps, threat, of what’s to come, but one that audiences must cling on to as despite this bloody beginning it does take a while for the main rampage to commence. And with so few likeable characters for company (college kids with cringey dialogue) the wait risks becoming tedious.

However, what the film lacks for in its character writing, it makes up for with its collection of gnarly kills. The level of violence here is quite shocking and cements Roberts’ film as a true horror, confidently assisted by its evocative and synthy score that gives it the feel of a John Carpenter classic. Coupled with this gruesome action comes a taut tension, one that refreshingly provides several genuine surprises along the way. Together, they create an unnerving but entertaining atmosphere that makes Primate, well, bananas, but in the best way possible.

See, the problem with most creature features is that despite often having really exciting premises they fail to deliver on the visuals. You only have to look at the amount of shoddy shark films for evidence of this. Ultimately, if the threat isn’t, for lack of a better word, threatening, it won’t be taken seriously by the audience. This isn’t something that Primate ever needed to worry about though, because Ben looks brilliant. The mixture of superb practical effects – there’s literally a man, Miguel Torres Umba, in a monkey costume – and seamless VFX ensure that there’s never any doubt that Ben is real, and maybe more importantly, a real danger.

It’s his character, as well as his appearance that makes him such a menacing antagonist though, and he truly is destined to become a horror fan favourite. Originally brought home by Lucy’s mother, a linguistics expert, Ben’s intelligence has slowly been nurtured, allowing him to develop a higher level of communication through the use of soundboard software. But once a tool for scientific advancement, is now – in the hands of a rabid Ben – a weapon to taunt his prey with before he strikes. It’s a measured dose of camp, affording Ben some additional personality that aligns him closer with the likes of playful slasher killers like Ghostface and Chucky, rather than just a characterless animal gone wild.

This addition of humour also allows Primate to take a breath before the next bang of Ben’s chest and barrage of brutality swiftly silences the audience again, with only sharp winces and expletives of disbelief then to be heard. And sound, or the lack of, is something else that Roberts has carefully considered to his and the film’s advantage. In moments putting viewers in the position of Troy Kotsur’s character, who here, like the actor, is deaf. While utilised in the aid of creating suspense, it’s also included naturally throughout the film, with both daughters using sign language to talk to each other and their dad. It’s not Coda (2021), but it is worth noting how easily it’s integrated into the story.

And while a stronger family narrative would have been welcome to make this animal attack thriller even more involved, the presence of an Oscar-winner punching a chimpanzee in the face offers abundant reason to deem Primate a creature feature cult classic in the making.

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Star Rating: ★ ★ ★

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