10 Best Horror Movies Of 2026 (So Far)

10. Primate

Whether the one being hurt or the one doing the hurting, or possibly even both, throwing an animal into the thick of a horror film can add a whole new layer of unease and discomfort for an audience.

This was largely the effect that Primate banked on. Ben, the titular rabid chimpanzee, was for all intents and purposes an unstoppable killing machine, while at the same time being inherently and upsettingly innocent. None of his actions were his own fault, leaving audiences to try and reconcile both sympathy and terror simultaneously.

Primate wasted no time at all in getting down to its gnarly monkey antics, showcasing the eponymous ape as a threat almost from the beginning. Said opening also showed there would be no quarter given when it came to gory violence, something that continued through to the very end.

Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) and her friends were thrown into turmoil by Ben in something akin to a home invasion, only the intruder had no motive and inhuman physical power. The claustrophobic setting of first the house, and then the swimming pool, made Primate an early-in-the-year treat you may find hard to get out of your head.