This critic doesn’t endorse talking in movie theaters.
But…
Sometimes a horror film is so gonzo, so full of jaw-dropping kills, that a quip from the crowd can’t hurt. “Primate” is that kind of movie.
Director Johannes Roberts knows this material isn’t Shakespeare. Or even “Jackass.” So he leans into the task at hand with glee.
The result? A lean, and very mean B-movie that leaves a discernible mark.
The setup is Generic Horror Movie 101, albeit with a stunning backdrop. Young, beautiful people gather to swim, flirt and fight over the same dude.
The affable Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) is back from college, along with her best gal pal Kate (Victoria Wyant) and Hannah (Jessica Alexander). Lucy’s father (Tony Kotsur) is glad to have his daughter alongside her younger sister (Gia Hunter) again in their luxurious Hawaiian home.
What a backdrop!
Oh, and this particular clan has a very smart chimp named Ben for a pet. When Ben acts strangely in Hannah’s presence, she’s told that the monkey takes time to adjust to strangers.
Seems an important detail to share with house guests, right?
But “Primate” is that kind of movie. It’s deeply silly at times, but the opening sequence sets the macabre tone. Turns out poor Ben’s odd behavior isn’t just a stranger-danger vibe but a sudden case of rabies. The animal’s adorable nature will soon be replaced by rage.
Buckle in.
Roberts, who cowrote the film with Ernest Riera, sketches out some mildly dramatic conflicts within the main character group. It’s perfunctory at best, but once ol’ Ben loses his cool, the melodrama gets shoved to the background.
This is a creature feature, and the effects used to make Ben go postal are flat-out terrific. No CGI, thank you, but a slick combination of puppetry and stunt work that gives the film a tangible charge.
Those looking for a message within “Primate” will come away empty. This is adrenaline theater, expertly arranged for our amusement. Some plot twists seem forced, while others flow beautifully into the overarching narrative.
One example?
Casting a deaf performer like Kotsur as the patriarch allows the film to ratchet up the tension at the perfect time. One scene recalls the Netflix original “Hush,” which also featured a deaf protagonist.
Some recent horror films have tried to split the difference, delivering cheap jump scares within a PG:13 framework. Not “Primate.” This film gets nasty, and Ben’s handiwork has a sizable body count.
“Primate” offers some laugh-out-loud tension breaks. The kills also deliver a queasy laugh quotient, akin to a “Terrifier” film where we know what happens next but the anticipation is darkly comic.
And we can’t look away.
Give some credit to Kotsur (always stellar) and the youthful cast. They do more than merely hit their marks. They take wafer-thin characters and make us root for their survival.
Ben does the rest.
HiT or Miss: “Primate” is an adrenaline rush of a horror movie that isn’t afraid to spill some blood.
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