Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) has just returned home to Hawaii for the summer after being away for a long time—ever since her mother passed away from cancer. Her family—deaf father Adam (Troy Kostur, CODA) and younger sister Erin (Gia Hunter)—lives in a secluded clifftop home in the middle of a tropical forest. Lucy’s mother was a linguistics professor, and much of her work involved communicating with chimpanzees. She had even brought her work home with her, welcoming chimpanzee Ben as a part of the family. Ben is a strong, highly intelligent primate who is able to communicate with others via sign language and a tablet device. Ben lives in an enclosure on the property, but also spends much of his time outside of his cage, and inside the family home. The Pinboroughs think of Ben as just another member of the family, a kind, hug-loving animal that wouldn’t hurt a fly.

Just before Adam leaves for the weekend to go to a work conference, Ben is bitten by a wild mongoose in his enclosure, and is infected with hydrophobia, aka rabies. However, the family is unaware of this. Spending the weekend at the house with Lucy and Erin are Lucy’s best friend Kate (Victoria Wyant), her brother Nick (Benjamin Cheng), and Kate’s friend Hannah (Jessica Alexander). After a night of partying, the young adults discover that Ben is not his usual friendly self, and that he has taken on some very violent tendencies. As the primate starts to attack them, they seek refuge in the clifftop pool on the home’s veranda, since Ben cannot swim. However, they now find themselves trapped, without a working phone, and with an unpredictable animal trying to kill them. Can they find a way to get away to call for help?

Primate cmes from co-writer/director Johannes Roberts (Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, 47 Meters Down), who is no stranger to both a horror movie and water-based suspense. The film is very reminiscent of Cujo, where the family pet goes rabid and the family members are trapped in a hot car with no way to call for help. Here the enclosed space is the pool—though even if they do manage to make it into the home to call for help, Ben is a highly intelligent creature, who knows the layout of the house, and is able to open doors. He’s also incredibly strong and no match for these young adults. Ben is no longer the peaceful, fun loving family member they once knew, and any doubts about that are quickly dashed as bodies start piling up. He has effectively become the villain of a slasher movie, stalking his prey.

I first saw this film in the theater, going into it blind, and was thoroughly entertained. Ben makes for quite the terrifying and believable villain, thanks in large part to the fact that the performance was done practically, with actor Miguel Torres Umba bringing the animal to life in a costume and animatronic mask. While watching the film, it never once even occurred to me that this could be an actor—it feels like an actual chimpanzee the whole time, which adds to to the horror and believability. Ben is so lifelike, that it also gives the actors something real to act against, and it definitely makes a difference versus playing against a green screen. The single location of this house also adds a sense of claustrophobia and danger. It also provides a nice contrast between the beautiful home and setting and the violent and gruesome actions of Ben.

Primate is a really tense and exciting thriller that at under 90 minutes feels quite tight and never overstays its welcome. The kills rival any slasher movie and can be quite brutal and gruesome. It does resort to some of the common slasher film tropes and clichés, such as when a couple of the characters are trying to silently move through the house but step on a TV remote or on a shard of glass. But these are the kind of tried and true elements of a horror movie that still work and make you jump every time. A couple moments can be a bit ridiculous—Ben sometimes gives off supervillain vibes, engaging in some pretty well-planned out attacks—but I found these moments added fun than annoyance. Brining in the deaf character of Adam also adds a very unique element, especially when the viewer gets to experience some moments from his perspective. So often in horror film’s the characters rely on hearing screams or chaos to alert them to a situation, but what if you walk into this mayhem blissfully unaware that a killer is on the loose?!

Paramount has released Primate on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital. We were sent the Blu-ray release for review, and even in HD, the presentation looks and sounds excellent. The picture looks clean and detailed, even in the film’s darker sequences. Much of the effects are done practically and look quite realistic. The Dolby Atmos audio track provides clear dialogue and an immersive viewing experience.

The Blu-ray disc is packed in a standard HD keepcase along with a glossy cardboard slipcover and an insert with instructions on how to redeem an HD digital copy of the movie (Note, if you choose to redeem via Apple, it will redeem in 4K!). The disc also contains an audio commentary track and about 40 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast/filmmakers.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:28:47)

Blu-ray:

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Audio Description, Czech 5.1 Dolby Digital, German 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish (Spain) 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish (Latin America) 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, French (Canadian) 5.1 Dolby Digital, Italian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital, Hungarian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Polish 5.1 Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, Cantonese, Czech, Danish, German, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), French, French (Canadian), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Hungarian, Mandarin, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Slovak, Finnish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish

Digital:

• Digital Copy redeemable via Apple TV (4K) or Fandango at Home (HD). This is not Movies Anywhere compatible.
• Code subject to expiration, may not be valid after 4/21/2028

Extras :

• Commentary by Director Johannes Roberts and Producer Walter Hamada (1:28:47)
  Director/Co-Writer Johannes Roberts and Producer Walter Hamada provide a fun, interesting and informative commentary throughout the film. They talk about the genesis of the movie, the cast, the filming locations/set, and more. They share a lot of behind-the-scenes stories about the production, and discuss the previous iterations of the script, and some of the various reshoots. Subtitles offered in English, German, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), French, French (Canadian), Italian, Japanese & Korean.
• Primal Terror: Directing Primate (9:29)
  The cast and crew discuss the inspirations for the film, using practical effects and minimal VFX, the tone on set, filming in the water, the different perspective of a deaf character in a horror movie, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer Johannes Roberts, producers Walter Hamada & John Hodges, and stars Johnny Sequoyah (“Lucy”) & Troy Kostur (“Adam”).
• New Blood: The Faces of Primate (10:01)
  The filmmakers discuss the casting of the film, while the actors talk about the their roles and what it was like filming the movie. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer Johannes Roberts, producers Walter Hamada & John Hodges, and stars Johnny Sequoyah, Jessica Alexander (“Hannah”), Victoria Wyant (“Kate”), Gia Hunter (“Erin”), Benjamin Cheng (“Nick”), Miguel Torres Umba (“Ben”) & Troy Kostur.
• Creating Ben (11:22)
  The filmmakers discuss using practical effects and the actor that bring chimpanzee Ben to life, while the cast discuss what it was like working with the actor playing Ben. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer Johannes Roberts, producers Walter Hamada & John Hodges, creature FX designer Kate Walshe, and stars Miguel Torres Umba, Troy Kostur, Johnny Sequoyah & Jessica Alexander.
• Designing Paradise (7:01)
  The cast and crew talk about the film’s set and shooting in the UK. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer Johannes Roberts, producer John Hodges, and production designer Simon Bowles, and stars Victoria Wyant, Jessica Alexander & Troy Kostur.

Final Thoughts:

Primate is an engaging thriller/horror movie, turning Cujo into an intelligent chimpanzee slasher villain. It’s tense and exciting throughout, the kills are graphic and gruesome, and the film never overstays its welcome. There are some typical horror film clichés, but the use of practical effects really sells the terror, and I enjoyed this movie just as much the second time around via this Bu-ray. Paramount’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, and contains some entertaining bonus material, including a wonderful director commentary track. This release comes highly recommended, but for those on the fence before a blind buy, the film is currently streaming on Paramount+.