New Chimp Horror Film Gets Stellar Reviews, Beats Cujo Comparisons
Johannes Roberts' latest animal thriller earns an impressive 84% on Rotten Tomatoes as critics praise its relentless scares and terrifying primate antagonist that rivals classic horror villains.
January's horror lineup just got more exciting. While audiences wait for 28 Years Later sequel The Bone Temple, another creature feature is making waves with early viewers. The chimp-centered thriller has earned an impressive 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which stands out for an original horror release.
Early screening reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. Critics can't stop talking about how genuinely frightening the movie is, particularly when Ben the Chimp takes center stage.
Critics Praise Intense Scares
Movie critic Andre Saint-Albin called the film "a lean, mean, rabid-chimp chiller that delivers nonstop tension and gloriously gruesome kills!" That Hashtag Show writer Jordan Bolding agrees, saying "If you imagined how an animal attack movie could go, it goes there and then some. Plenty of violence, and Ben is one mean sonofabitch."
The comparisons to classic animal horror are inevitable. Critics are putting Ben alongside legendary creatures like Cujo from Stephen King's adaptation and the menacing simian from Jordan Peele's Nope.
Drawing Comparisons to Horror Icons
"Cujo has nothing on Ben the Chimp!" declared That Hashtag Show's Junior Felix. Variety's Courtney Howard went further, writing "Johannes Roberts' Primate is CUJO with a chimp - even lifts from its inspiration, copying the pan (but from in a pool)."
Johannes Roberts, who directed The Strangers: Prey at Night, crafted a story about a college student bringing friends to her tropical island home. Her pet chimp Ben awaits their arrival. When Ben contracts rabies, their vacation becomes a deadly survival game against one of nature's smartest predators.
Roberts Returns to Animal Terror
This isn't Roberts' first venture into animal-themed horror. His previous shark attack films 47 Meters Down and 47 Meters Down: Uncaged received mixed reception, earning 53% and 44% on Rotten Tomatoes respectively. Horror fans seem much more enthusiastic about his latest creature feature.
The film opens in US theaters January 9, with UK audiences getting their first look January 30. Based on early reactions, this chimp thriller might just become the next big animal horror sensation.