The thrills are familiar, the tempo engaging, the violence grisly and the tension provides genuine edge-of-the-seat viewing. We start by getting to know a group of teenagers heading off to a luxury cliffside home in Hawaii belonging to one of their fathers. He keeps a pet chimp named Ben, who is normally well-behaved and treated like a true family member. The father’s late wife was involved in primate research, though she died prior to the film's events.
Adam (played by Troy Kotsur) is the father, and he has no hearing. His two daughters are proficient in sign language and lip-reading, so the family is used to communicating non-verbally - a skill that initially helps their bond with the chimp. Ben is incredibly smart, and in the early stages of the film, we watch him exercising his talents alongside the humans. However, the plot kicks into gear when Adam finds a mongoose in Ben’s compound that the chimp attacked during the night. The mongoose had rabies - and now, so does Ben!
Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) has returned from college for the summer break to visit her dad and younger sister. There is plenty of 'reunion' business with a party atmosphere, friends hanging out and pool-dipping galore. But they soon notice Ben behaving strangely - subtle at first, then increasingly erratic. By this time, Adam has headed off to a book signing (he is an author), but before leaving, he calls a vet to give Ben a dose of antibiotics. The vet tries his best to help, but he doesn't make it out alive!
Thus begins the violence, which is often imaginative and inventive. The special effects are handled well, and I’m sure the audience will wince along with me at some of the gore; the filmmakers clearly had fun creating a slasher flick with a twist. With Lucy’s friends - Hannah, Kate, Nick and Erin all in situ, Ben is spoilt for choice as to whom to attack next, picking them off with sadistic precision!
In the middle of the carnage, the bikini-clad girls realise they are safe in the pool because Ben (like most chimps) won't go into the water. They sit in the middle of the pool while Ben tries to wait them out. Periodically, he wanders off, prompting the girls to dash for a working phone or other item to help them survive or escape before rushing back to the water the moment Ben hears them! It sounds funny on paper, but the tension is built admirably - and don't forget they’re on the edge of a cliff, which adds to the peril!
The big question is whether Adam can get back in time. After realising Lucy isn't answering her phone and putting the pieces together regarding the rabies exposure, he races home. But even if he arrives before everyone is marmalised, will he be of much use given he cannot hear the predator's approach? We head towards a finale that employs every cliché you can imagine!
It’s really a good fun 90-minutes: gory, grisly, tense at times and pretty well-shot, with the camera occasionally meandering out to capture the sea and the rugged landscape. The cast all do a decent enough job; the leads are certainly convincing, especially Johnny Sequoyah of Dexter: New Blood fame (Harrison's girlfriend) as Lucy.
Interestingly, Ben is played by a human performer, Miguel Torres Umba, rather than being a purely CGI creation. Director Roberts wanted to avoid a digital animal, preferring the "weight of physicality" a slasher needs. Using a suit, some animatronics and a little CGI, the effect is decent-enough. Treat yourself to this slasher romp!
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