#1 FILMREC: PRIMATE

At the end of 2025, as Chris and I discussed what the new year would look like for us, he floated the idea of me having a weekly blog post. We settled on ‘film recommendations’ rather than reviews because I a) have bad taste and dumb brain b) watch and enjoy a lot of different kinds of horror movies, across type, quality, and popularity. I chose the name (Notes from the Nothingness, a nod to my musician name and Corlew’s similarly named blog) and I’m pretty sure I don’t like it, but I’ve got no other ideas and it’s halfway through January. I intend to start with a weekly horror film recommendation using my own rating system that I should probably have formalized before this, but does exist! Loosely, inside my brain. Stuff like
Gateway for films I think could be a good entry point for young people or folks just trying to dip their toes into horror

Better Be Brave for films that are incredibly intense, probably in the world of violence and gore**

Reboot for reboots that are actually worth it! This rating is a way for me to recommend two films at once.

And probably a few more. The format may change, but for now it’ll be like this.

Primate (2025)
directed by Johannes Roberts
Rated R for hella violence

For fans of: Look, this is a monkey murder movie. Y’all saw Nope and thought about it, well, so did someone else. I suppose it is a creature feature and I think the comparison to Cujo is appropriate, but honestly it’s mostly a brutal slasher movie where the killer’s identity is known the entire time.

My rating: Cover Your Eyes, this one’s got some gnarly gore. I think it’s the most violent monkey I’ve seen in a movie, but there’s also a fair amount of suspense mixed with levity.

Some thoughts: I was fairly certain I was going to enjoy this movie based on the premise alone, but boy oh boy did it deliver on its promise. I thought it may be wiser to start the blog with something I’ve seen a ton, but I got really excited after seeing this one in theaters, so here I am, starting with one that’s definitely not for everyone. Lol. Can I lol on here? Hmmmm. The movie wastes no time showing you the exact level of violence to expect and then telling you what the situation is for nearly every character. I appreciate that. Additionally, the monkey looks really great! Apparently it’s a guy in a suit. Just looked that up. Wow. I’m intentionally not trying to spoil any parts of the movie, as it’s so fresh, so I’ll leave it here and ask Chris how to write blogs and credit photos and shit. Thanks for reading.

**I don’t think I’ll recommend a film that depicts rape or anything, but I will make an effort to describe what makes the film Better Be Brave, so that you can decide if it may be something you would have for the appetite for.