Primate Ending Explained: What Happens To Ben And Who Survives His Rampage

The following contains spoilers for PrimatePrimate is an absolutely brutal film, with a lot of the cast not surviving to the end of the night. The horror movie focuses on a small gathering of friends at a remote Hawaiian home, only for the family's adopted chimpanzee to go feral. From the film's first scene onwards, Primate is vicious with its portrayal of violence.

However, there is more to the film than just monkey murders and grisly sights. Underlying the entire story is a thematic focus on how united people are the best chance anyone has against the horrors of nature. Even in the face of loss and fear, Primate underscores how people need to come together to confront major threats.

Why Ben Goes Feral In Primate?

Ben is driven into a rage due to a rabies infection, explaining why the seemingly docile ape goes on a rampage. At the beginning of Primate, Ben is established as a happy and healthy member of the family who had been adopted as a chimp as part of an experiment into linguistics by Lucy and Erin's now deceased mother.

However, a rabies-infected mongoose is revealed to have attacked Ben. Although Ben was able to kill the animal in the scuffle, it's revealed that a bite to the arm left the primate infected with the same disease. Unfortunately, the family doesn't realize what has happened in time to save Ben, and the animal ends up consumed by his rage.

This actually sets up one of the more interesting questions of the film, as the family notes that rabies is almost unheard of in Hawaii. However, an infected mongoose was still able to get onto the island and was fully in the wild. This could suggest other wildlife has also been infected, which could spread rabies to other animals.

Primate Kills Most Of The Cast In Pretty Brutal Fashion

Primate proves to be an absolutely brutal film, with most of the cast dying pretty vicious deaths. There are nine prominent human characters in the film, and only three of them are alive by the final credits. The film establishes the grisly tone early on with the local vet getting his face ripped off.

After Erin is bitten by Ben, the teens (Lucy, Hannah, Kate, and Nick) are able to create some distance from the ape by hiding in the swimming pool. While Ben can't swim, he can move around the exterior of the pool. This sets up Nick's death when he tries to push Ben off the cliffside but is pulled over instead.

Kate and Lucy's efforts to reach a phone end in Ben catching up to Kate and bludgeoning her with a rock. Meanwhile, Hannah almost escapes, but ends up in the wrong car and is torn apart. That car belongs to Drew and Brad, two men hoping to hook up with the girls, but are killed by Ben instead.

In the end, it's only Lucy, Erin, and their father, Adam, who survive the film. Although all three are severely injured during the film, they are able to work together and steadily injure Ben enough that his final charge leaves him open to impalement on a broken chair next to the pool.

Primate is a grisly film that doesn't shy away from the brutality of the kills, especially for Drew (who gets his jaw ripped off by the ape). This lends itself to the throwback horror tone of the movie, effectively playing like a classic slasher film that finds creative and vicious ways for the killer to knock off teenagers.

The True Meaning Of Primate

Primate is a dark film that doesn't shy away from the horror created by Ben's transformation, but it also doesn't lose sight of its themes about family. At the core of the film is the strained dynamic between Lucy and her family. Having gone to college and developed new friendships, Lucy starts the film somewhat distant from Erin and Adam.

Over the course of the film, those bonds are tested by Ben's rampage. Lucy does what she can to shield Erin from the corrupted Ben and risks her life repeatedly in an effort to get Erin to a hospital. Erin returns the favor in the climax when her intervention distracts Ben before he can kill a pinned Lucy.

Similarly, both girls are frustrated with their father, whose literary work has increasingly drawn him away. Adam is so removed from their situation that he only arrives back at the house after most of the people in the building have been killed. However, it's crucial that he does come home, as it allows him to help protect his daughters.

The true tragedy of Primate is the way brutal reality can splinter people. The divide in Lucy's family seems to have been spurred on by the recent death of her mother, a subtle touch that makes Ben's transformation all the sadder. An experiment that became family, Ben's devolution into a vicious beast means her work with him has been lost.

Meanwhile, Hannah's brief escape chance is thwarted by jumping into the wrong car all on her own, potentially setting her up to leave the others to die. As a result, she goes to the wrong car and has no one around to help when Ben corners her. By contrast, the central family stands together and ultimately survives.

This is reflective of the film's underlying focus on "man vs. nature," with everyone who encounters the primate forced to reckon with the dangerous potential of the creature. Even Kate's death is caused by Lucy looking away at the wrong moment, leaving her alone at a crucial moment. Alone, people die. However, the ones who stick together in Primate survive.