Primate

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2:26

Primate

R

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1h 29m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

98 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

100+ Verified Ratings

In PRIMATE, a group of friends' tropical vacation turns into a terrifying, primal tale of horror and survival.

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Critics Consensus

That's one bad ape, and Primate is one lean, mean, effective chiller.

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Brandon Yu

New York Times

5h

It’s a B-movie with a budget, but surrendering yourself to its cheap thrills with the right crowd can make wincing its own kind of fun.

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Bilge Ebiri

New York Magazine/Vulture

5h

Primate lacks in terms of narrative complication, it makes up for with cinematic smarts, as director Roberts ably uses form to build suspense, conveying plot points via images instead of dialogue and refreshingly avoiding the usual jump-scare clichés.

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Amy Nicholson

Los Angeles Times

9h

One chimpanzee with a typewriter could pound out the script for "Primate" in an hour.

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Patrick McDonald

WBGR-FM (93.7 FM - Monroe, WI)

2h

3/5

If you have a horror itch, this film will scratch it, but it's not very fair to its predator ... a rabid monkey. He's a relentless and gory killer, he's got a constant rabies drool and big sharp monkey teeth in close up! Run away! I love u, Dr Zaius!

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

5h

3/4

Primate may have benefited from another draft of the screenplay to give the material some substance and the characters some depth, but, regardless, Roberts achieves a blood-curdling, efficient B-movie. It’s simple, straightforward, and effective.

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Lee McCoy

DrumDums

5h

8/10

It's simple in it's plot and intension. Ben the chimp is so fun to watch, and literally steals the show in every scene, picking off the house occupants one by one slasher style. It boasts some gnarly kills as well.

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42m

Ben was a menace! Great movie

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47m

Was not excited to see this movie. But it was GOOD! Plenty of jumpy moments lol

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1h

Good pacing, kept me interested the whole time. Worth seeing if you’re looking for something good tonight.

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1h

Felt a little drug out but overall worth the watch. The primate version of Cujo.

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1h

Amazing movie the gore and horror truly leaves you at the edge of your seat eager to see what happens next even with certain parts having you debate whether you should cover your eyes or laugh with the slight humor my only complaint is certain missing details besides that truly a must watch.

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1h

10/10, brutally cool

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Johannes Roberts

Director

Johnny Sequoyah

Lucy

Jessica Alexander

Hannah

Troy Kotsur

Adam

Victoria Wyant

Kate

Gia Hunter

Erin

Primate: Movie Clip - Lucy, Bad

0:20

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Primate: Featurette - Silence

0:34

Primate: Featurette - They Thought He Was Family

1:27

Primate: Trailer 1

2:26

Primate: Teaser Trailer

0:42

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Synopsis

In PRIMATE, a group of friends' tropical vacation turns into a terrifying, primal tale of horror and survival.

Director: Johannes Roberts
Producer: Walter Hamada, John Hodges, Bradley Pilz
Screenwriter: Johannes Roberts, Ernest Riera
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: 18hz production
Rating: R (Some Drug Use|Language|Gore|Strong Violent Content)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 9, 2026, Wide
Runtime: 1h 29m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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