Movie Review: ‘Primate’ January 13, 2026By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews NEW YORK (OSV News) – In the opening sequence of the horror film “Primate” (Paramount), a minor character has one of his eyes gouged out and his entire face ripped off his skull. That moment, unfortunately, typifies the excessive gore that mars this otherwise taut and cleverly tense chiller, preventing endorsement of it for any age group. The plot’s primary victims-in-waiting are the relatives of a recently deceased linguistics expert. Following her death, the family — dad Adam Pinborough (Troy Kotsur) and his two daughters, college student Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) and teen Erin (Gia Hunter) — have adopted Ben, the chimp mom was working to communicate with, as a family pet. This comes as a surprise to at least some of the friends Lucy has invited over for a weekend party in successful author Adam’s absence on one of his many book tours. But Ben is initially personable, shaking hands and hugging the teddy bear Lucy has just bought him. So the ensemble settles down to drink, smoke pot and neck. Ben, however, has been bitten by a mongoose and has contracted rabies. As a result, he rapidly goes insane and embarks on a deadly rampage. Director and co-writer Johannes Roberts effectively deploys the isolation of the clan’s luxurious seaside home in Hawaii as well as darkness and silence — Adam is deaf — to build up a mood of dread. Yet, as charted in the script Roberts penned with Ernest Riera, the mayhem exacted by the mad monkey, which might merely have been implied, is instead depicted in sickening detail. The film contains hideous bloody violence, numerous gruesome images, drug use, some sexual humor, at least one profanity, several instances each of milder swearing and rough language and a few crude and crass terms. The OSV News classification is O – morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. Read More Movie & TV Reviews Meet the Catholic filmmaker behind a new series on ‘Women of the Bible’ Movie Review: ‘Reminders of Him’ Movie Review: ‘Project Hail Mary’ Home viewing roundup: What’s available to stream and what’s on horizon ‘The Optimist’ tells story of Holocaust survivor helped by Catholic family St. Patrick’s Day celebration twist: Catholic Irish actress brings pro-life message to Oscars stage Copyright © 2026 OSV News Print
