Primate (2025)
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An intelligent pet chimpanzee becomes a deadly threat after contracting rabies in a remote Hawaiian home.
The story
At a house in a remote part of Hawaii, a group of friends and family gather, including a girl named Lucy who has returned home after years away. The household includes a highly intelligent, adopted chimpanzee named Ben, who is capable of using a soundboard to communicate. The situation turns dire when a veterinarian, tasked with checking on the primate, is attacked and killed by the animal after it contracts rabies from a mongoose. As the group remains at the secluded cliffside property, they are unaware that the infected chimpanzee has escaped its enclosure and is stalking the premises, creating a deadly and claustrophobic situation.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In a remote Hawaiian home, a veterinarian is brutally attacked and killed by Ben, an intelligent adopted chimpanzee that has contracted rabies from a mongoose. The chimpanzee escapes its enclosure and begins a violent rampage. Among the victims are the veterinarian and several guests, including friends of Lucy, a student returning home. The chimpanzee, Ben, stalks the group through the house and around a pool at the edge of a cliff. During the chaos, several people are killed: a girl named Kate is crushed by a rock, and two men, Drew and Brad, are killed by Ben. One man, Nick, falls to his death after being tossed off the cliff. The family—including Lucy's father, Adam, who is deaf and uses sign language—eventually confronts the beast. Adam and Lucy manage to fight Ben off with a wine bottle, and the animal is finally killed when it is impaled by a chair leg. In the aftermath, the survivors are left to deal with the trauma while the police arrive to collect evidence, including Ben's soundboard.
- First release year
- 2025
- Runtime (minutes)
- 89
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; American Sign Language
- Directors
- Johannes Roberts
- Writers
- Johannes Roberts · writer; Ernest Riera · writer
- Cast and characters
- Johnny Sequoyah; Jessica Alexander; Troy Kotsur
- Genres
- natural horror
- Themes
- animal behavior; isolation
- Tone and mood
- tense; violent
- Setting
- A remote house on a cliff in Hawaii.
- Premise and plot tags
- animal attack; survival
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed $41 million worldwide.
- Production trivia
- The film was shot on sound stages in London.; The chimpanzee was portrayed by a movement specialist using practical effects.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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