Overview

• Johannes Roberts’ animal-attack horror premiered as Fantastic Fest’s opening-night film in Austin on Sept. 18, drawing strong crowd reactions.
• The film follows a family pet chimp that turns violent after contracting rabies, with Johnny Sequoyah and Oscar winner Troy Kotsur leading the cast.
• Critics praise the gory set pieces, lean runtime, and nostalgic ‘old-school’ creature-feature vibe, while noting some tonal and continuity hiccups.
• Ben the chimp is largely realized through on-set performance by Miguel Torres Umba with prosthetics, puppetry, and animatronics, minimizing CGI.
• Paramount plans a wide theatrical rollout in early January 2026, with most outlets citing Jan. 9 and some listings indicating Jan. 6.