Fantastic Fest 2025 Review: Primate

Director Johannes Roberts with stars Johnny Sequoyah and Troy Kotsur at the Fantastic Fest 2025 premiere of Primate, a feral new animal-attack thriller.

Fantastic Fest 2025 opened with Johannes Roberts’ Primate, a vicious animal-attack feature that wastes no time reminding audiences why we should never try to tame the wild.

Roberts, known for 47 Meters Down and Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, teams with writer Takashi Shimizu (One Missed Call) to craft a survival tale rooted in domestic dread. Johnny Sequoyah stars as Lucy, a college student caught in a nightmare when her family chimpanzee becomes the center of escalating violence. She’s joined by Troy Kotsur, whose presence adds both gravitas and vulnerability to the unfolding chaos.

The film’s core theme is simple but resonant: nature always wins. Echoing the lessons of Jordan Peele’s Nope, Primate leans into the dangers of trying to contain what cannot be controlled. The results are brutal, often unnerving, and occasionally playful in their nods to genre classics. At times, the film channels Cujo in its relentless ferocity and Halloween in its claustrophobic tension.

While the gore and suspense land effectively, the pacing feels uneven in spots, keeping the film from hitting the upper tier of creature-horror. Still, the crowd energy was undeniable—screams, jumps, and nervous laughter filled the room. Practical effects and animal-handling work show through, grounding the spectacle even when the story strains.

Primate isn’t the most brutal entry in the animal-attack canon, but it’s a strong, crowd-pleasing opener with teeth.

Rating: ★★★½☆ (3.5/5)

A bloody, feral, popcorn-ready creature feature that sets the tone for a wild week at Fantastic Fest.

Stay tuned for our red carpet interviews with Johannes Roberts, Johnny Sequoyah, and Troy Kotsur as Primate claws its way toward theaters this January.