Anticipated Chimpanzee Horror Film “Primate” Receives Rave Reviews, Drawing Comparisons to “Cujo” and “Nope”

January is shaping up to be an exciting month for horror enthusiasts. Alongside the anticipated sequel to 28 Years Later, titled The Bone Temple, a new chimp-themed horror flick is set to make its debut, and early reactions are already buzzing with excitement.

Primate boasts an impressive 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a notable achievement for an original horror film. This positive reception follows enthusiastic responses from early screenings, with many viewers praising the film’s intense scares, particularly from its antagonist, Ben the Chimp.

“Primate is a lean, mean, rabid-chimp chiller that delivers nonstop tension and gloriously gruesome kills!!,” exclaimed critic Andre Saint-Albin. Writer Jordan Bolding adds, “If you imagined how an animal attack movie could go, it goes there and then some. Plenty of violence, and Ben is one mean sonofabitch.”

Ben is already being compared to other iconic horror animals, such as Cujo, the infamous killer dog from a Stephen King adaptation, and the menacing simian from Jordan Peele’s Nope. “Cujo has nothing on Ben the Chimp!” declared Junior Felix, while Courtney Howard noted, “Johannes Roberts’ Primate is CUJO with a chimp – even lifts from its inspiration, copying the pan (but from in a pool).”

Directed by Johannes Roberts, known for The Strangers: Prey at Night, Primate follows a college student who invites friends to her tropical island home, where her pet chimp, Ben, awaits. However, when Ben turns rabid, their idyllic vacation spirals into a desperate struggle for survival against one of nature’s most cunning predators.

Roberts has previously found success with animal-themed horror, but fans seem to be embracing Primate even more than his shark attack films, 47 Meters Down and its sequel, which hold ratings of 53% and 44% on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively.

Primate is set to hit theaters in the US on January 9, with a UK release following on January 30.