Entertainment
This Sleeper Hit Thriller Is Now Officially a Prime Video Streaming Smash
If you’re a horror movie fan who loves creature features, you know well that the subgenre can provide both terrifying classics and B-movie schlock. For every Jaws, The Birds, or Tremors, there’s a Grizzly II or Sharknado. When done right, however, creature features thrill audiences and make the impossible feel all too real. Late last year, when the trailer premiered for Paramount‘s Primate, you’d be forgiven for assuming this was going to be one of the former types of creature features — another forgettable, unintentionally hilarious disaster. How could a horror movie about a rabid chimpanzee be any good? What followed was one of the most surprising horror films of 2026 and the best new creature feature you’ll find on streaming. Primate is no joke. It’s scary as hell. And it’s now one of the top 10 most-streamed films on Prime Video.
‘Primate’s Plot Is Helped by Director Johannes Roberts
Movies about killer chimps and similar animals are nothing new. Over the years, there have been horror movies like Shakma, Monkey Shines, and Phenomena, which tapped into our fears that a creature so close to human could turn against us. In a way, even King Kong falls into this category (although in that one, humans are the true monsters). A killer chimp can also seem silly — their faces are odd, and even the name “chimpanzee” is kind of silly. But if you’ve seen Jordan Peele‘s Nope, and its scene where Gordy goes on a rampage through the set of a sitcom, then you know these majestic animals can turn brutal and horrifying.
In fact, if you imagine that scene from Nope turned into a feature film, you’re not far off from Primate. The premise is simple: Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) has lost her mom, a bright woman who raised a chimpanzee named Ben and taught it how to communicate. Ben is part of the family now, a way for Lucy to hang onto what she has lost. Ben is a sweet chimp, loved by Lucy, and her friends are fascinated. In true horror movie fashion, Lucy lives in a big house set on a cliff, far from any help should all hell break loose. And that’s exactly what happens. Just as with Stephen King‘s Cujo, the lovable Ben is bitten and infected with rabies, turning the chimp into a killer who seems like he can’t be stopped.
Although not anything original, Primate‘s premise still gets your attention. An idea alone is not enough, and something like this could still easily become B-level trash. Thankfully, the movie is in good hands because it’s co-written and directed by Johannes Roberts. More than once, Roberts has overcome the horror odds: 2017’s 47 Meters Down is better-than-average shark horror, while his follow-up, The Strangers: Prey at Night, is a sequel which had its share of well-crafted terror. He also deserves to be commended for Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, which doesn’t deserve the hate it gets. With Roberts at the helm, Primate is primed to be good. But it’s what the movie does with its monster that puts it among the best modern creature features.
Jaw-Dropping Practical Effects Make ‘Primate’ an Instant Creature Feature Classic
There’s seemingly two ways a modern creature feature can approach having a murderous chimp as its antagonist. The first route is to use a real chimpanzee, which isn’t safe. Another option is motion capture and CGI. That’s what Nope did, but as great as those effects look, the viewer can still tell it’s just a bit off and Gordy isn’t real. Primate solves this dilemma with a third option: going retro with a man in a suit. However, instead of being hokey, Ben looks astoundingly lifelike. This is achieved with a suit made of yak hair and an animatronic face. Under it all is Miguel Torres Umba, who is able to contort his body and move just like a real chimpanzee. That added dimension of realism brings Ben and the movie itself to life.
Without this, Primate would probably fail. The human characters are mostly horror tropes of young, pretty people who’d rather have fun than pay attention. They are forgettable fodder for a slasher. What you can’t forget is Ben and the scenes of carnage he creates. But Primate isn’t just built on gore; it’s also full of tension. This is clear in the film’s many nail-biting moments, like one where attacked survivors are in a pool, doing their best to stay away from Ben, who’s afraid of water, but willing to wait as long as it takes for his prey to come to him. The most uncomfortable and nerve-racking moment occurs in the third act with a bedroom scene as a character watches Ben slowly approach, his features distorted through a thin curtain. Roberts is great at crafting tension and waiting until the audience can’t handle the suspense any longer. When Ben strikes, it’s worth it. The gore effects in the bedroom scene especially will make your jaw drop.
Primate isn’t anything new. And it doesn’t need to be. It’s old-school, creature feature madness done right. It takes its subject matter seriously and is made with passion. The practical effects are amazing to behold. Sure, the human characters could be more fleshed out, but Ben handles that for them, turning gore effects into art. If you skipped Primate because you expected a joke, check it out now. You’ll be too busy screaming to laugh.
Primate
- Release Date
-
January 9, 2026
- Runtime
-
92 minutes
- Director
-
Johannes Roberts
- Writers
-
Johannes Roberts, Ernest Riera
You must be logged in to post a comment Login