Festivals - Fantastic Fest 2025: Primate roars to life with a bloody and memorable premiere in Austin

By Mulder, Texas, Austin, Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar , 18 september 2025

The opening night of Fantastic Fest 2025 at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas, set the tone for an already highly anticipated edition, with all eyes on the world premiere of Primate, the latest horror film from director and co-writer Johannes Roberts. The September 18 event was charged with palpable electricity, with stars Johnny Sequoyah and Troy Kotsur walking the red carpet alongside Johannes Roberts and producers Walter Hamada and John Hodges, a sign of Paramount's confidence in positioning this title as one of the standout horror releases of the coming year. The decision to unveil the film four months before its official theatrical release on January 9, 2026, was a bold one, but it allowed Fantastic Fest to once again cement its reputation as a springboard for daring, visceral genre films that thrive on the big screen and in the collective roar of a midnight audience.

Primate tells the story of a tropical vacation that turns into a gruesome fight for survival when a beloved pet chimpanzee named Ben contracts rabies and violently turns on his human companions. While the premise itself may seem to belong to the pulpier corners of horror history, Johannes Roberts and co-writer Ernest Riera reframe the narrative into something much more primal, stripping away the irony and embracing raw fear. The film was produced by Walter Hamada, John Hodges, and Bradley Pilz, with support from Paramount Pictures and 18Hz Productions, and shot on a tight schedule between September and November 2024. Johannes Roberts himself teased the project's progress throughout production on his social media accounts, and by the end of filming, word was already spreading that this could be a retro monster movie with modern ferocity.

On screen, the actors throw themselves into this nightmare, anchoring the terror with solid character work. Johnny Sequoyah, known for her versatility in television and film, described the deaths in the film as “perhaps some of the worst deaths I've ever seen in a movie,” a frightening statement that hints at how far the film pushes the boundaries. Troy Kotsur, whose Oscar-winning performance in CODA remains a benchmark for representation, brings depth to the role of a father initially written without consideration for deafness, before Johannes Roberts and the team adapted the character to authentically reflect Kotsur. This adjustment not only enriches the story, but also allows for a new dynamic in the narrative of survival, with communication and silence becoming tools of suspense. Alongside them, the ensemble cast—Jessica Alexander, Victoria Wyant, Gia Hunter, Benjamin Cheng, Charlie Mann, Tienne Simon, Miguel Torres Umba, Kae Alexander, Amina Abdi, and Albert Magashi—fleshes out the story with performances that keep the audience emotionally invested even when the blood starts flowing.

One of the main topics of discussion at the premiere was the film's commitment to practical effects. In an era where digital enhancements dominate horror, Roberts chose to keep the creature work grounded in physicality. The role of Ben was played by Miguel Torres Umba in costume, supplemented by animatronics and puppetry. This creative choice gives the chimpanzee a terrifying presence on screen, blurring the line between performance and predator. Critics have pointed out how this realism allows sequences set in confined spaces (a glass house perched on a cliff or an infinity pool glistening in the sun) to become arenas of relentless tension. The rabies infection at the center of the plot also introduces hydrophobia as a frightening motif, making water itself a barrier and a threat, a detail that many critics have highlighted as one of the film's most intelligent uses of the environment as a narrative weapon.

Reactions from festival audiences and early critics paint a complex but overall positive picture of Primate. The film's pacing, punctuated by moments of explosive violence, kept viewers on the edge of their seats, while its willingness to embrace old-school horror techniques gave it the feel of a midnight movie designed to be cheered and applauded in the theater. Some critics admitted that the film was probably not perfect, pointing to a drawn-out middle section and a shift in tone that could unsettle viewers expecting a smoother transition between family drama and savage horror. Yet even these critics acknowledged that the film's climax, with its uncompromising brutality, delivers exactly what horror fans crave at the dawn of a new cinematic year.

For Johannes Roberts, who has already made a name for himself in the horror genre with films such as 47 Meters Down and Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, Primate seems to be a continuation of his fascination with survival horror told through claustrophobic settings and primal fears. His collaboration with Ernest Riera once again demonstrates their ability to take simple concepts and turn them into thrilling experiences. Producer Walter Hamada, now working under a first-look deal with Paramount, clearly identified this project as the perfect vehicle for a new wave of genre films: bold enough to shock, streamlined enough to succeed in the January release schedule, traditionally a testing ground for horror films that can break the winter slump.

The premiere at Fantastic Fest also brought the energy of an event film, which is what horror thrives on. Anecdotes from attendees reflect an atmosphere of joyful unease: laughter mingles with screams, whispers echo through the lobby. Johnny Sequoyah and Troy Kotsur were warmly welcomed by fans, many of whom praised the festival's choice to open with a film that doesn't shy away from intensity. For Fantastic Fest, known for showcasing some of the most daring and gory films on the circuit, Primate was the perfect curtain raiser, its blend of traditional horror craft and sheer audacity embodying the spirit of Austin's most famous film gathering.

By the end of the credits, one thing was clear: Primate may not be trying to redefine horror, but it succeeds in sharpening the genre's teeth at a time when audiences are hungry for something raw and uncompromising. With its release scheduled for January 9, 2026, in the United States, Paramount Pictures now finds itself with a potential hit that could dominate conversations in the horror community and beyond. Early reactions suggest that fans should prepare for a cinematic experience to be shared in the dark, surrounded by the muffled screams and nervous laughter of strangers. Fantastic Fest 2025 has once again delivered a premiere worthy of its reputation, and Primate looks set to be the first major horror film of 2026.

Synopsis :
A group of friends’ tropical vacation turns into a terrifying, primal tale of horror and survival.

Primate
Directed by Johannes Roberts
Written by Johannes Roberts, Ernest Riera
Produced by Walter Hamada, John Hodges, Bradley Pilz
Starring Johnny Sequoyah, Jessica Alexander, Troy Kotsur
Cinematography : Stephen Murphy
Production company : 18hz Productions
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release dates : September 18, 2025 (Fantastic Fest), January 9, 2026 (United States)
Running time : 89 minutes