What is a primate?
Over the years we’ve had numerous stories about our nearest primates. Communicating through grunts, able to use sticks to knock fruit from branches and often defecating from trees as they forage these primates come in all shapes whether it be baboons, monkeys or Brooklyn Beckham. But the primate in writer-director’s horror film, ‘Primate’ is a chimpanzee named Ben that has been kept in a conveniently isolated Hawaiian clifftop home by its linguistics owner who has passed away leaving the chimp with her deaf husband and young son whilst their eldest daughter Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) has been on the mainland still struggling to cope with the loss of her mother. But Lucy returns home along with several of her friends for the weekend whilst her dad is away promoting his new book. What could go wrong?
Primate on the prowl!
A scene setter at the start of the film shows that all is not well with Ben and a pre-titles card explaining that rabies has the most catastrophic effect causing severe anxiety, aggression and confusion meaning that some sort of test is surely required for Prince Harry. Rabies is also associated with a fear of water and when it’s clear that Ben has contracted the virus Johnny, her friends and young brother find sanctuary in the middle of the pool. So from here the film unfolds as the group try to figure out how to keep themselves safe whilst Ben sits at the poolside watching them and waiting to pounce should any of them get out
When chimps go ape!
Horror films rarely get an 18 certificate these days but right from the start when a character gets his face ripped off in visceral fashion the film sets out its stall as a gore-fest with some extremely gnarly gross out moments that wholly warrants its certificate. Helmed by Johannes Roberts who has a back catalogue of varying horror films but this is one of his best films to date with a CGI chimp played by movement specialist Miguel Torres Umba unleashing bloody carnage in every kill. It’s just a shame that we never really get a good look at Ben forever in the dimly lit night light. Roberts previous films have included the superior shark thriller ‘47 Metres Down’ (or ‘47 Meters Down’ in the US) and its sequel both of which had excellent set pieces and her deaf father is a character that is clearly lined up for such a set piece. Adhering to the template of ‘Guess the order the characters will meet their maker’ the tension is not as on point as might have been in what is otherwise a decent genre film in an enjoyably lean 90 minutes of mayhem.
related feature : ’47 Metres Down : Uncaged’ – reviewed here
related feature : Machine gunning dinosaurs – Jeremy Piven talks ‘Primitive War’ !
We chatted to director Johannes Roberts about his career in horror films …..
Here’s the Primate trailer….
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