427 - Primate

In this three-part episode of The Horror Virgin, hosts Paige and Todd deliver a gripping and multifaceted analysis of the 2026 horror film *Primate* (originally titled *Prime Age*), a tense thriller centered on a rabies-infected chimpanzee named Benji who escapes its enclosure in a remote Hawaiian home. The film follows a group of college friends celebrating summer, unaware of the danger lurking in the house—once home to a linguistics scientist and her primate research. As Benji’s violent, rabid behavior escalates, the hosts dissect the film’s strengths, including its masterful atmosphere, practical effects, and the chilling realism of chimp behavior, particularly its tool use and intelligence. However, they critique the film’s implausible character decisions, such as the lack of basic safety protocols and the underutilization of narrative potential—like the deaf father’s visual-only awareness of the threat. The discussion also explores real-world implications, emphasizing the dangers of exotic pet ownership, the deadly nature of primate rabies, and the ethical and legal issues surrounding keeping wild animals in domestic settings. In the final segment, the hosts reflect on the film’s climax, praising Miguel Torres Umba’s performance and the creature design, while suggesting Oklahoma as a more plausible setting than Hawaii due to its actual rabies risks. They rate *Primate* a 6/10 on their scary scale—effective but not deeply unsettling—and conclude with a spirited debate on the Predator franchise, favoring odd-numbered entries and praising *Predators* as a superior sequel. The episode wraps with promotional content for their sister podcast *Romancing the Pod* and a new show, *That Was Us*, hosted by Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, and Chris Sullivan, which explores emotional storytelling from *This Is Us*.