Overview

• The opening-night screening in Austin drew generally positive notices praising the throwback energy, crowd-pleasing gore, and tight sub-90-minute pacing.
• The story follows a family’s pet chimp, Ben, after a rabies infection turns him violent, with much of the survival action staged around a swimming pool.
• Director Johannes Roberts leaned on mostly practical effects to realize Ben, with on-set performer Miguel Torres Umba and prosthetics work cited as key to the creature’s impact.
• Roberts openly cites Stephen King’s Cujo as a touchstone and told the festival audience he rewrote the script a week before filming to change character outcomes.
• The cast includes Johnny Sequoyah and Oscar-winner Troy Kotsur as a Deaf father, and outlets report a wide theatrical rollout in early January 2026, variously listed as January 6 or January 9.