It's Still 2025, But We Just Saw The First Great Horror Movie Of 2026 [Fantastic Fest]

We're still in the final stretch of 2025, firmly in the midst of the fall movie season. That means we've still got awards season to get through, as well as the rush of horror movies headed our way in time for Halloween. That's already started to some degree with the release of "The Conjuring: Last Rites," but the spooky season has room for far more than one horror movie. But hey, it's never too early to start looking ahead. To that end, lovers of the genre should know that 2026 will be kicking off with a bang in this department.

The 20th edition of Fantastic Fest got underway in Austin, Texas recently, and the opening night film was "Primate," a new creature feature from director Johannes Roberts of "47 Meters Down" fame. Paramount won't be releasing this movie until the first week of January, but, generally speaking, if a studio is willing to show a film to the public this far in advance, it's a good sign. Dear reader, I am here to tell you that it was, in this case, a very good sign. Nearly four months ahead of its theatrical release, I'm here to inform you that "Primate" is going to be the first great horror movie of 2026. Mark down January 9, 2026, on your calendars and plan accordingly.

Without getting too far into details since there isn't even a trailer for this one online yet (as of this writing), the film follows a young woman named Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) as she reunites with her family in Hawaii alongside some friends. It's only when they're home that they meet Ben, the family's very smart and charming pet chimp. Unfortunately for them, Ben doesn't stay loveable forever, as he ends up going, well, apes**t, leaving Lucy and the others to fight for their lives across a hellish night of survival.

The film also stars Oscar-winner Troy Kotsur ("CODA"), who is one of the best things about it. Kotsur is deaf, and, during the Q&A, he revealed that the role of Lucy's father was originally written for a hearing person. The film's creatives changed that for Kotsur, and, without diving into the nitty-gritty of it all, it was a major plus for the movie.

Having an Oscar-caliber actor in a creature feature such as this never, ever hurts, no matter how one manages to squeeze them in. It's not unlike Robert Forster leading the cast of the 1980 giant alligator horror flick "Alligator." One could also point to Samuel L. Jackson's inclusion in "Deep Blue Sea" as an example.

More than any of the human actors on screen, though, this movie really comes down to the creature at the center of it all. It pleases me to say that Ben absolutely rules. A big part of that is because Roberts and the producers opted to have the chimp be fully practical, with Miguel Torres Umba playing him on set. Don't get me wrong, I find the CGI/motion-capture apes in the modern "Planet of the Apes" films astounding. That said, there's something about tangible, practical effects that just hits different. This movie goes hard in that department.

It's not just Ben either, as Roberts pulls zero punches with the execution of "Primate." The film is loaded down with wildly clever, applause-worthy, gasp-inducing kills. I'll allow viewers to witness it all for themselves come time, but just understand that this movie goes for it. Whenever another film might pull away, Roberts decides to linger, packing that extra punch we rarely see from such a mainstream, studio-backed horror movie. It all makes for a final product that feels like it's punching way above its weight class.

Roberts quipped ahead of the screening, "I hope you'll forgive me for 'Resident Evil.'" Roberts demonstrated some self-awareness there, acknowledging that his 2021 video game movie reboot "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City" didn't pan out as he had hoped. To whatever degree Roberts needs forgiveness from the moviegoing public, this delightfully wild, unflinching horror flick makes a very strong case that he's earned it. Put it on your radar. Don't sleep on it. 

"Primate" hits theaters on January 9, 2026.