There's something wrong with Ben.

And there's something right with "Primate," the killer monkey horror entry kicking off January's box-office sweepstakes. It's a time of year well-suited to horror movies, action titles and Gerard Butler thrillers, and when the weather outside gets cold, there's something warming about the prospect of watching an out-of-control chimp wreaking havoc on a bunch of teenagers.

That's Ben, the simian at the center of "Primate," who turns on his human friends after he's bitten by a rabies-infected mongoose. We don't spend too much time getting to know Ben before the inciting incident, as director and co-writer Johannes Roberts ("47 Meters Down," "The Strangers: Prey at Night") prefers to get right down to business. Monkey see, monkey kill.

The humans in question include Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah), a college student returning home to Hawaii for the summer with her friends Kate (Victoria Wyant) and Hannah (Jessica Alexander), and Lucy's father Adam ("CODA" Oscar winner Troy Kotsur), who is deaf. Adam is an author of what seems to be a wildly popular series of deaf-themed thrillers ("A Silent Scream," "A Silent Cry"), so he's able to afford a cliffside home and a pet chimp with its own enclosure on the grounds.

Ah, but Ben's not acting right, and he has already removed one unlucky caretaker's face before the opening credits start rolling. The gruesome sequence — heavy on gore and practical effects — is a good indicator of what's to come, as "Primate" essentially becomes a slasher movie, with Ben stalking his victims one by one. (Ben is played by Miguel Torres Umba performing inside an animatronic suit, work usually reserved for the likes of Andy Serkis.)

Like in any slasher worth its mettle, the character development is thin as the genre mechanics take over, and Roberts stages several tense, impressively staged sequences that pit man vs. monkey. Ben has the upper hand over his human counterparts, and the sound department does their part by giving him a heaving, menacing snort and growl that makes him sound somewhere between a grizzly bear and the Predator.

They also give Ben, so seemingly cute and cuddly in his red T-shirt, a finishing move of sorts, as he's particularly fond of removing the lower jaws of his victims. Unlike 2024's neutered January horror entry "Night Swim," "Primate" delivers its share of grown-up gore.

None of it is to be taken too seriously, but Roberts sells the fear of the story by delivering it with a straight face and never winking at the audience. "Primate" is an old-school horror thriller that uses craft and technique to deliver a face-ripping good time.

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'PRIMATE'

Grade: B

MPA rating: R (for strong bloody violent content, gore, language, and some drug use)

Running time: 1:29

How to watch: In theaters Jan. 9

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