A genuinely unsettling creature-horror film about a family at a remote farmhouse attacked by something that might once have been an animal � but has evolved into something considerably worse. Josh Ruben's best film.
Something in the Dark
Josh Ruben has been one of horror's more interesting emerging directors (Scare Me, Werewolves Within), and Primate is a significant leap forward in scale and ambition. The premise � a family at a remote farmhouse is attacked by an unseen animal that, as the night stretches on, the father begins to suspect might not be an animal at all � sounds familiar but is executed with a control and dread that separates it from the pack entirely. Naomi Watts grounds the film in recognizable human terror, while Tom Pelphrey's transformation (psychological and potentially literal) provides the film's central unease.
"Primate builds dread with the patience of classic Spielberg � the attack sequences are terrifying precisely because of how long Ruben waits to show you what's doing the attacking."
� Bloody DisgustingThe Verdict
A strong, efficient, deeply unsettling horror film that delivers on its premise without exhausting it. An $11M opening weekend on modest budget confirms horror audiences find the goods when they're delivered with craft and restraint.
A genuinely unsettling creature-horror film about a family at a remote farmhouse attacked by something that might once have been an animal � but has evolved into something considerably worse. Josh Ruben's best film.