Primate (2025) Review – Enormously Fun Killer Chimp B-Movie

Welcome to Knockout Horror. It’s a bit quiet on the horror release front, at the moment (our review of Evil Dead Burn pending, of course), so I am revisiting a few movies I missed. Hence why I am taking a look at the January creature feature Primate. We’ve already explained the ending to this one months ago so check that out if you are looking for answers. Primate is probably the most fun killer animal horror of 2026 so read on to find out why you should add it to your watch-list.

A Really Belated Review

I’ll make this one fairly brief as most of you have probably already watched Primate. It has been streaming on Paramount+ for a little while so you should be able to catch it as part of your subscription, as I write this.

“There’s nothing too complex about Primate but that’s why it works really well.”

2026 has been a bit of a noteworthy year for killer creature horror. We’ve had some pretty watchable films including Hungry and Deep Water which I quite enjoyed. We’ve also had some absolute stinkers like Chum and Killer Whale that I absolutely hated. Primate probably stands out as the best of the bunch, in my humble opinion.

The story follows a group of friends as they chill out on vacation at the house of one of their parents. What starts as a fun weekend of lounging in the sun and partying quickly turns catastrophic as the family’s helper chimp, Ben (Miguel Torres Umba, yes Ben is played, in part, by a person) is infected with a mysterious disease which makes him violently angry.

As you can probably see from that synopsis, this is a very basic, paint-by-numbers creature feature. You have a sprawling cliff-side mansion in a beautiful location, a bevy of unsuspecting teens just trying to have a good time, and a killer chimp hell bent on chewing on people’s fingers.

There’s nothing too complex about Primate but that’s why it works really well.

It’s just simple killer chimpanzee fun

Primate is at its best when it is as a simple, killer creature movie. When Ben is running rampage, chomping away on people’s arms and faces, it’s a lot of fun. Chimpanzees are, naturally, rather violent creatures with a unique ability to maim using their hands, teeth, and claws and Primate leans into that in just about every way possible.

Ben’s attacks are horribly nasty and surprisingly violent. Most killer animal horror films simply feature a large creature biting someone in half, making for a brief and altogether unremarkable struggle. That’s not the case here as Ben rips and tears at his victims in a horribly brutal way.

Primate is almost a splatter horror when it comes to blood and guts. There’s a lot of gore and some really very nasty moments. One kill later in the movie is one of the most brutal I have ever seen in a creature feature.

Nobody is safe, either. Sure, we have a little plot armour for a couple of characters but don’t expect the cast to be saved by having a very slightly developed personality and backstory. Ben is an equal opportunities mauler and literally anyone can get it.

“When Ben is running rampage, chomping away on people’s arms and faces, it’s a lot of fun.”

It’s a proper b-movie so don’t expect too much in the way of story but you might be surprised by how good it looks, in parts, and how competent the special effects work is. Ben is motion captured by actor Miguel Torres Umba and he does a really nice job with the movements. It’s not Andy Serkis levels but Ben doesn’t have that uncanny valley vibe. The gore looks absolutely fantastic, too.

It’s occasionally quite tense, too

Director Johannes Roberts is a bit of a purveyor of mid horror with movies like The Strangers: Prey at Night and The Other Side of the Door being pretty unremarkable. He seems to have a knack for crafting genuinely enjoyable creature features, though.

47 Meters Down was a lot of fun and Roberts taps into that same kind of tension here to create some effective moments in Primate. There’s a lot of scenes where characters are forced to hide out from Ben and these do a nice job of allowing the anxiety levels to climb.

One of the characters is deaf which adds an interesting element of panic inducing tension as they are completely unaware of what is going on. It’s effective stuff, given what it is, and it all adds to the enjoyment.

It’s obviously not perfect

Obviously, there are issues. As I mentioned earlier, this is a proper b-movie so you should expect some of the usual b-movie silliness. Characters make bafflingly stupid, shout-at-the-screen decisions that will probably frustrate you a bit. The plot often makes little sense and it even manages to be a little confusing in parts thanks to some vague scripting.

“Primate is one of those movies that you need to go into with perspective. If you expect to see people being mauled by a killer chimp with tons of gore, you will probably have a great time.”

Scripting, as a whole, is a bit of a problem. Dialogue is laughable in parts and the characters are utterly unlikable. Good luck finding someone that you don’t want to see sans-nose at the end of the movie. They are all quite obnoxious. To be perfectly honest, though, it almost feels deliberate. We are supposed to root for the chimp here and that’s very easy to do.

Early parts of the movie are a bit of a drag, too. It takes awhile for the action to get going and entirely too much focused is placed on the aforementioned annoying young adults as they party and experience pointless drama. Once things get going, however, that’s quickly forgotten. Aesthetically, this is a very dark picture. Some scenes may have you squinting if you are watching in a brightly lit room, something which deserves mention.

Primate is one of those movies that you need to go into with perspective. If you expect a serious meditation on the horrifying reality of dangerous wild animals being kept as pets, you will be disappointed. If you expect to see people being mauled by a killer chimp with tons of gore, you will probably have a great time.

Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight

Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.