Due to being known as the dumping ground month for movies, especially within the horror genre, January release dates often come with a sigh and plenty of trepidation for cinema goers. Unfortunately for Primate, a creature feature seems like the type of movie that would fall directly into this trap. Directed by Johannes Roberts (The Strangers: Prey at Night), the story follows Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) as she reunites with her family, including pet chimpanzee Ben, as she visits home from college during the summer. However, Ben contracts rabies during a pool party, becoming aggressive and forcing Lucy and friends to be barricaded in a pool, devising ways to survive the vicious chimp. Defying the odds by providing gory and grotesque horror, a snappy run-time, well-timed humor, and clever sound design, Primate is an absolute blast.
From the get-go, the horror offered up by Primate is top-notch. The film opens with a grizzly, no-holds-barred kill sequence, setting the tone for the rest of the movie. The kills definitely hit high on the gore scale, with plenty of blood, guts, and creativity to be enjoyed. Those who already have a fear of monkeys are in for a rough time, as the practical effects ensure Ben is as terrifying as he can be. The physical performance from actor Miguel Hernando Torres Umba is fantastic, adding a layer of realism to Ben that increases the fear factor even more. Seeing a feral chimp lingering in the back of many shots is definitely a unique change-up, and there are many playful methods utilised that ensure Ben is scary throughout the entire run-time. Whether he’s descending from the ceiling or staring menacingly at the characters through glass doors, there’s a level of fear factor at play that feels as fresh as it does haunting. Even our younger characters aren’t safe, giving Primate a mean streak that many films still shy away from today. At times, it does feel a little bit reliant on jump scares as much of the run-time is spent nervously anticipating Ben’s sudden arrival, but they are certainly effective.
The filmmaking on display also helps Primate excel, delivering more than just gore and frights. There’s a playful nature surrounding everything that ensures you don’t take the movie too seriously, even if what you’re seeing is pretty disgusting. The comedy within the script works a treat, is well-timed, and creates a layered watch. The filmmaking team understands that there’s an absurdity to a killer chimp movie, so they do their best to add in some moments of much-needed levity and silliness. There are a couple of physical gags, and perhaps the biggest laugh of all is offered up by a set of car keys. The reasoning behind Ben’s descent into madness is well explained, as is the reasoning for the family owning a chimp, meaning what you’re witnessing feels as believable as it can. The way Ben can communicate with both sign language and an iPad feels natural, hammering home the idea that monkeys are very intelligent creatures. Adding deaf actor Troy Kotsur (CODA) into the mix as Lucy’s father, Adam, not only gives us a great performance and explains the monkey’s aptitude for sign, but also allows the team to try something with the sound design, too. There are plenty of sequences following Adam’s perspective, meaning the film is completely silent. This allows for visual scares to take centre stage, and even delivers some laughs, too. Primate has a lot more up its sleeve than just horror, and the cherry on top is that it clocks in at just 89 minutes.
Like many creature features, Primate does struggle to hit a complete home run due to a couple of shortcomings. It isn’t perfect. Credit where it’s due, our group of teens definitely does try to survive, and has to be given props for attempting to come up with some survival methods. However, their slew of dumb decisions, annoying personalities, and inability to keep quiet often hinder the viewing experience. Our lead, Lucy, is definitely the most palatable character of all, but the supporting characters surrounding her are both generic and dull. They fall into the tropes of bestie, crush, and nemesis, failing to offer much else outside of that. The performances behind them are just okay, doing their best with the material. Some of the dialogue they’re given isn’t the most witty or engaging, so it’s hard to tell whether the fault is down to the acting or writing. Kotsur is expectedly innocent – he’s great. All of this being said, the rest of the flick offers enough scares and entertainment value to make Primate flourish regardless of the faults. Plus, the more unlikeable the characters, the more satisfying it is to see them meet their demise.
Despite a cast of characters that don’t feel fleshed out or particularly likable, Primate proves that January releases can often surprise and impress us. Balancing humor with horror perfectly whilst delivering lashings of gore, a unique villain in chimpanzee Ben, and surprisingly impressive filmmaking attributes, Primate is a horror movie more than worth your time. Whether you’re frightened, amused, or an odd mixture of both, you’re bound to be having a great time.
Grade: B-
Follow us on MSN for more content like this.
